How to Improve Photo and Video Composition Without Cropping on iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro - MacRumors
Skip to Content

How to Improve Photo and Video Composition Without Cropping on iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro

by

With the arrival of the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max, Apple has introduced an optional new camera feature in iOS 13 that's designed to allow you to correct the alignment of photos and videos without having to resort to cropping.

capture shot outside frame iphone 11 camera 2
Basically, when you take pictures or video using either the wide lens or (on the 11 Pro series) the telephoto lens, the camera will simultaneously shoot or record using the next widest sensor. So the wide lens is active when you shoot with the telephoto lens, and the ultra-wide is active when you shoot with the wide.

With the feature enabled, you can take your shot, tap Edit in the preview window, tap the Crop tool, then select Straighten, and you'll be able to use the area captured outside the frame of the photo or video to fix the horizon and improve the composition of the shot without needing to crop it.

The toggle switches that control this behavior can be found in the Settings app, under Camera -> Photos Capture Outside the Frame and Camera -> Videos Capture Outside the Frame.

settings
Apple has disabled it by default for photos, so you'll need to turn it on to take advantage of it. Note that it is enabled by default for video, so you may want to disable it if iPhone or iCloud storage space is a concern. That said, if the area around the frame isn't used to make corrections, it will be automatically deleted after 30 days.

Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

MrUNIMOG Avatar
86 months ago
This is great. Seemed odd to me they didn't highlight it on stage at the event (like so many things), it's kind of a tentpole feature.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
82 months ago

Why would they do that?! The average user will not know such feature exists or how to turn it on but could greatly benefit from it. Specially since the “unused” wider picture gets deleted after 30 days so unless you are taking a ton of pictures/videos at once, it wouldn’t be an issue with storage.

Edit: a word
It’s disabled by default because Apple’s new Deep Fusion computational AI only works when this setting is toggled off.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
86 months ago

Working here on iPhone Pro Max. Nice feature.

Guessing that’s what the little icon is in the upper right when activated.


Same for me. That icon only appeared after I turned the capture outside the frame off and back on again in camera settings.article says it’s off by default but mine was on. Now icon shows up on all pics taken with wide and tele.

Had same issue with messages in cloud. On by default but not working after 24 hrs. Turned off then back on and all syncd in 5 minutes.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
86 months ago

Yeah not working for me either. Maybe glitch?
One of MANY bugs in iOS 13.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
86 months ago

Why would they do that?! The average user will not know such feature exists or how to turn it on but could greatly benefit from it. Specially since the “unused” wider picture gets deleted after 30 days so unless you are taking a ton of pictures/videos at once, it would be an issue with storage.
Probably an issue with storage. I didn't take a look at the UI if it actually provides a warning but it would be a valid concern.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Saipher Avatar
86 months ago

Apple has disabled it by default for photos, so you'll need to turn it on to take advantage of it.
Why would they do that?! The average user will not know such feature exists or how to turn it on but could greatly benefit from it. Specially since the “unused” wider picture gets deleted after 30 days so unless you are taking a ton of pictures/videos at once, it wouldn’t be an issue with storage.

Edit: a word
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Four iPhone 18 Pro Colors Mock Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Launching in September With These 10 New Features

Monday April 20, 2026 7:13 am PDT by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not launching until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. It was initially reported that the iPhone 18 Pro models would have fully under-screen Face ID, with only a front camera visible in the top-left corner of the screen. However, the latest rumors indicate that only one Face ID component will be moved under the...
Tim Cook Rainbow

Apple CEO Tim Cook Stepping Down, John Ternus Taking Over

Monday April 20, 2026 1:33 pm PDT by
Apple CEO Tim Cook is stepping down as Apple's chief executive officer, and hardware engineering chief John Ternus is set to take over, Apple announced today. Cook will continue on as Apple CEO through the summer, with Ternus set to join Apple's Board of Directors and take over as CEO on September 1, 2026. Cook is going to transition to executive chairman, and he will "assist with certain...
iphone 17 ceramic shield

Leaker: Apple Downgrading iPhone 18 to Cut Costs

Monday April 20, 2026 9:12 am PDT by
Apple is downgrading the planned specifications of the standard iPhone 18 to cut costs, a leaker claims. In a new post on Weibo, the user known as "Fixed Focus Digital" said that the iPhone 18 features "certain manufacturing downgrades" that bring it more into line with the low-cost iPhone 18e model. The decision is said to be "a cost-cutting measure." Apple has apparently chosen to...