iOS 16 Brings New iPhone 13 Camera Features for Portraits and Cinematic Mode

Monday June 6, 2022 3:41 pm PDT by Juli Clover

For iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max users, iOS 16 adds new Camera app functionality. On its iOS 16 website, Apple says that there are two new iPhone 13-exclusive features for Portrait images and Cinematic mode.

iphone 13 pro max display bleen
When using Portrait mode, iOS 16 lets you blur objects that are in the foreground of a photo for a more realistic depth-of-field effect, rather than just allowing for the adjustment of background blur.

In Cinematic mode, blur quality has also improved. Apple says that when recording videos in Cinematic mode, the depth-of-field effect is now more accurate for profile angles and around the edges of hair and glasses.

These two new camera features are exclusive to Apple's iPhone 13 lineup at the current time, but the iPhone 14 is also likely to support these additions.

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Top Rated Comments

that be me

56 months ago

I'm hoping for an option to disable smart HDR 4 for the 13 series. I have no idea why it was removed or why there's still no option to turn it off months after it's initial release but it needs to come back.

Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

svish

56 months ago

Good for 13 users. Hoping to see this and new features later this year on iPhone 14.

Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

syklee26

56 months ago

I’ll believe it when I see it. Attempts to improve “fokeh” over the last 4 years have been laughable, at best. Apple did improve a tonne of other camera features, it’s legit one of the top phone cameras. But I’m sorry their fake bokeh looks like garbage.

Your expectations on a digital camera is too high. The real bokeh requires physical depth on a lens only available on the dslr or mirrorless.

Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

jprmercado

56 months ago

I'm hoping for an option to disable smart HDR 4 for the 13 series. I have no idea why it was removed or why there's still no option to turn it off months after it's initial release but it needs to come back.

Yeah, me too. We have a whole thread here in the forums on how aggressive Smart HDR is on the iPhone 13 (aka the “watercolor effect”). Weird how it affects mainly only the iPhone 13 series.

If Apple doesn’t add the option to turn off Smart HDR, I’m hoping they at least adjusted Smart HDR to be, uh, smarter.

Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

GraXXoR

56 months ago

Hair looks like ***** in portrait mode. In fact the only things that looks good in portrait mode are bottles, glasses and things without ”holes” like cubes, balls and Plates of food on simple backgrounds.

Given that they have three cameras to work with, with over 2cm^2 of “area” between them to play with means surely they can do better.

Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

adamw

56 months ago

More Camera options for iPhone 13 models is great news.

Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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iOS 16 Brings New iPhone 13 Camera Features for Portraits and Cinematic Mode

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