Apple Highlights Depth Control Feature on iPhone XS, XS Max and XR With New How To Video

Apple today shared a new how to video that's designed to walk new iPhone users through using the Depth Control feature on the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR.

Depth Control, a feature new to the 2018 iPhones, lets you adjust the amount of background blur in a photo taken with Portrait Mode using either the front or rear camera.


Depth Control can be accessed by choosing a Portrait Mode photo from the Photos app, selecting the "Edit" button, and using the slider at the bottom of the screen to adjust the blur from f/1.4 (maximum blur) to f/16 (no blur).

Depth Control is available when editing an already-captured photo and as of iOS 12.1, there's a real-time Depth Control feature for adjusting blur before you take a photo.

Apple has in the past shared multiple short how to videos like this to highlight photography capabilities on the iPhone along with iPhone X features.

We're likely going to see several more videos focused on the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR in the coming weeks as Apple helps users adjust to the new features available on the devices.

Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

seatton Avatar
72 months ago
Unfortunately, my outdated iPhone X cannot do that :(
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Marconelly Avatar
72 months ago
Unfortunately, my outdated iPhone X cannot do that :(
You can use the app called Focos that does this, and so much more - including adding lights to a scene you shot, and moving them around in 3D space. It's kind of insane and way more advanced than just this feature - and works on iPhone X and up.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarpalMac Avatar
72 months ago
Unfortunately, my outdated iPhone X cannot do that :(
*Is not allowed to do that.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
keysofanxiety Avatar
72 months ago
Depth sensing tech still needs a lot of improvement. I would say the way it is done today is barely usable.
This picture was taken by my iPhone X Max using the "portrait" mode.
Take a look at the chair or at the right side of the pumpkin.

You’re right. Barely usable. What a joke. Looks like a 1MP camera was trudged through custard and then a small child with a head resembling a lightbulb threw the phone in the air.

Simultaneously another child, also with a lightbulb-shaped head, was wearing a pair of oven gloves and soared through the air like a salmon to press the camera at the exact same time.

The result was the utter blur you’ve posted. Though honestly to my eyes I think it’s not too terrible. But hey, what do I know — I’m no photographer.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AngerDanger Avatar
72 months ago
I never thought I’d hear a backing track comprised entirely of alert sounds, but there you go.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
H818H Avatar
72 months ago
Couldn't care less about this shiitty, fake depth of field BS that apple is pushing like it's the best thing since sliced bread

"We built a shittty photoshop-type effect right into the camera. $1000 please"

No deal
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Announces 'Let Loose' Event on May 7 Amid Rumors of New iPads

Tuesday April 23, 2024 7:11 am PDT by
Apple has announced it will be holding a special event on Tuesday, May 7 at 7 a.m. Pacific Time (10 a.m. Eastern Time), with a live stream to be available on Apple.com and on YouTube as usual. The event invitation has a tagline of "Let Loose" and shows an artistic render of an Apple Pencil, suggesting that iPads will be a focus of the event. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
Apple Silicon AI Optimized Feature Siri

Apple Releases Open Source AI Models That Run On-Device

Wednesday April 24, 2024 3:39 pm PDT by
Apple today released several open source large language models (LLMs) that are designed to run on-device rather than through cloud servers. Called OpenELM (Open-source Efficient Language Models), the LLMs are available on the Hugging Face Hub, a community for sharing AI code. As outlined in a white paper [PDF], there are eight total OpenELM models, four of which were pre-trained using the...
iOS 18 Siri Integrated Feature

iOS 18 Rumored to Add These 10 New Features to Your iPhone

Wednesday April 24, 2024 2:05 pm PDT by
Apple is set to unveil iOS 18 during its WWDC keynote on June 10, so the software update is a little over six weeks away from being announced. Below, we recap rumored features and changes planned for the iPhone with iOS 18. iOS 18 will reportedly be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, with new ChatGPT-inspired generative AI features, a more customizable Home Screen, and much more....
Apple Vision Pro Dual Loop Band Orange Feature 2

Apple Cuts Vision Pro Shipments as Demand Falls 'Sharply Beyond Expectations'

Tuesday April 23, 2024 9:44 am PDT by
Apple has dropped the number of Vision Pro units that it plans to ship in 2024, going from an expected 700 to 800k units to just 400k to 450k units, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Orders have been scaled back before the Vision Pro has launched in markets outside of the United States, which Kuo says is a sign that demand in the U.S. has "fallen sharply beyond expectations." As a...
iPad And Calculator App Feature 1

Apple Finally Plans to Release a Calculator App for iPad Later This Year

Tuesday April 23, 2024 9:08 am PDT by
Apple is finally planning a Calculator app for the iPad, over 14 years after launching the device, according to a source familiar with the matter. iPadOS 18 will include a built-in Calculator app for all iPad models that are compatible with the software update, which is expected to be unveiled during the opening keynote of Apple's annual developers conference WWDC on June 10. AppleInsider...