Presumably everyone’s longing for the iPhone 14 has already arrived! We all know that the iPhone 14 series has added some new features in terms of imaging this year. When excited, many students don’t know how to make better use of the new features of the iPhone 14 when they get the real phone?
In today’s article, we will use the new camera functions of the iPhone 14 series to make a real shooting tutorial, so that you can better use the new iPhone to take wonderful blockbuster movies!
* The pictures in this article were taken by iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro Max.Image uploads are compressed
Closer to home! We all know that the iPhone 14 Pro series has upgraded the resolution of the main camera from 12 million to 48 million pixels for the first time, so how helpful are high pixels for our daily shooting?
What’s the use of 48 million pixels?
48 million pixels are referred to as 48MP. By default, the photo pixels of the iPhone 14 Pro are still 12MP. You need to open it in the settings to take 48MP photos. The setting path:Settings-Camera-Format-Apple ProRAW-Select ProRAW resolution (48MP).
It should be noted that when we turn on ProRAW (48MP), the file size of each photo is about 75M.
Compared with most Android phones that need to turn on the professional mode to turn on the RAW format, the iPhone’s ProRAW format is much easier to turn on. After completing the above settings, you only need to click on/off the RAW format in the upper right corner of the camera interface.
Some students have to ask, the ProRAW format of the iPhone 14 Pro has 12MP and 48MP, what is the difference between them?
ProRAW (48MP): ““RAW format” is no stranger to everyone. Most Android phones on the market support RAW format shooting, but most of them are non-full-pixel RAW format photos.The iPhone 14 Pro is currently one of the few models on the market that supports full-pixel RAW format shooting.
This is because once the mobile phone needs to meet the high pixel and RAW format at the same time, it will be a big test for the processing ability of the mobile phone chip.
Even though the iPhone 14 Pro is equipped with the strongest A16 bionic chip in the history of the iPhone, after turning on ProRAW (48MP), it takes about 2 seconds to press the shutter each time.
But the full-pixel RAW format does allow us to obtain a high-resolution, high-dynamic-range image.The advantage is that there is more room for processing in the later stage: in addition to adjusting the tone and color of the photo, it can also be enlarged and cropped for the “secondary composition” in the later stage.
For example, this photo was taken with the 48MP ProRAW format turned on. If we arbitrarily crop a part of the photo, we will also get a photo with clearer details.
▲ iPhone14 Pro Max (1X) / RAW (48MP) cropping and zooming in
To my surprise, with the blessing of the A16 bionic chip, it is also very smooth to process RAW (48MP) format photos using the iPhone 14 Pro’s built-in editor or the third-party retouching software Lightroom, so students don’t need to worry about processing RAW (48MP) The mobile phone will freeze.
What I need to remind you here is that although the full-pixel ProRAW format can record more original information, once this mode is turned on, you need to pay the price of large memory and shutter delay when shooting. So for the use of this function, my suggestion is to use it when shooting some important moments or scenery pictures. It is recommended to use ordinary format or 12MP ProRAW for daily use.
ProRAW(12MP):This format is not a full-pixel RAW format. While retaining more information than ordinary formats, it has almost no shutter lag, and can obtain better imaging effects than 48MP in backlit and dark light environments.
▲ iPhone14 Pro Max (1X) / RAW (12MP) The original image is compressed and uploaded
▲ iPhone14 Pro Max (1X) / RAW (12MP) post-production pictures
It is worth mentioning that in addition to the main camera, the ultra-wide-angle, 2x, and 3x focal lengths of the iPhone 14 Pro series all support RAW (12MP) format shooting, which can retain more picture information in strong backlit scenes.
▲ iPhone14 Pro Max (0.5X) / RAW (12MP) compressed and uploaded
In general, users need to master certain post-processing skills to make the most of the ProRAW format. For daily shooting, I personally recommend that you use the normal format for shooting.
Mobile phones can help us take good-looking photos more easily through computational photography, which is also one of the advantages of mobile phone photography compared to SLR photography!
For example, the 48-megapixel high-resolution iPhone 14 Pro is optimized by algorithms such as four-in-one pixels. Using the main camera or a normal format with a 2x focal length can directly produce photos with accurate exposure and color. In most scenes, we don’t need to adjust complex You only need to focus on the composition and the picture itself.
▲ iPhone 14 Pro Max (1X) / normal format
▲ iPhone 14 Pro Max (2X) / normal format
How about iPhone 14 for portraits?
The image style of the iPhone has always been different from that of other mobile phone manufacturers. What the iPhone pursues is to “restore what you see” as much as possible, including portrait photography, of course.
Today, when social pictures are dominated by “beauty”, the “truth” of the iPhone may not win the favor of young ladies, but there are also many students who like the realistic portrait photos of the iPhone.
▲ iPhone 14 Pro Max (2X) / portrait mode
– Four focal lengths for portraits –
2x focal length:The 2x telephoto has returned in the iPhone 14 Pro series this time, but this is not a physical lens, but uses the 12 million pixels in the center of the main four-in-one pixel sensor to take photos and videos with a focal length of 48mm.
If you only look at the multiples, some students may not understand the difference between 2 times and 3 times, but if you look at the shooting distance of daily portrait photography,You will find that 48mm is more friendly than 77mm telephoto.
For example: you go to dinner with your girlfriend, you can take a good photo of her with a 2x focal length while sitting opposite her, but if you shoot with a 77mm focal length, you either need to take a few steps back, or It is very possible to shoot the effect of photo stickers.
▲ iPhone14 Pro Max (2X) / portrait mode
Another thing is that we want to shoot some objects, 1x will be too wide, and 3x will have to go far. If you are using the iPhone 14 Pro series, it is recommended to shoot with 2x focal length.
Although the 2x focal length of the iPhone 14 Pro is virtual, it can also take photos of the same quality as other lenses. In addition to shooting people, it is also especially suitable for shooting still life. For example, I used it here to take a picture-in-picture photo .
In general, the 2x focal length will be more focused than the main camera, but more moderate than the 3x distance. It is more suitable for shooting half-length portraits and still lifes that need to highlight the subject.
3x telephoto:In contrast to the 2x focal length, the 3x focal length lens has an equivalent focal length of 77mm. Compared with the 2x focal length, it requires the photographer to stand at a farther distance to shoot.
The advantage of the 3x focal length is that the picture will be more compact, but compared with the 2x focal length, the space environment brought into it will be less, so the 3x focal length is more suitable for shooting close-ups of people’s facial features.
▲ 2X
▲ 3X
The 2 and 3 times of the iPhone 14 Pro series are the golden focal lengths for portrait photography. They have different application scenarios, and students can choose the appropriate focal length according to the characteristics of the scene. If you are interested in the use of focal lengths in portrait photography, please leave a message at the end of the article, and we can also publish a more detailed introduction.
Wide angle (main camera):1x and 0.5x are essentially wide-angle lenses. The equivalent focal length of 1x is 24mm, and the equivalent focal length of 0.5x is 13mm. But for the sake of better distinction for users, we are used to calling them main camera and super wide-angle.
In portrait photography, wide-angle lenses are not only suitable for shooting half-length portraits but also full-body portraits. Compared with the ultra-wide-angle, the main camera has a larger photosensitive element, which can output higher-quality photos in low-light environments at night.
Ultra Wide Angle:The ultra-wide-angle of the iPhone 14 Pro series is equipped with a new sensor that is more than twice the size of the previous generation. In the actual shooting, it is indeed found that there is a more obvious improvement.
For example, in this group of photos, the top one was taken with the iPhone 13 Pro Max, and the bottom one was taken with the iPhone 14 Pro Max. Click to enlarge and it is not difficult to see that the iPhone 14 Pro Max has better picture quality, relatively less clarity and noise.
▲ Taken with iPhone 13 Pro Max
▲ Taken with iPhone 14 Pro Max
It is worth mentioning that this generation of iPhone has newly added light-image engine technology, which can improve the quality of photos taken in low-to-medium light environments. For example, in low-light scenes such as indoors, it can better restore the environment color and the skin color of the characters.
We also found that this ultra-wide-angle camera is also more accurate in identifying people. Even in dim light and with foreground occlusion, the iPhone 14 Pro Max can clearly record the facial features of people.
▲ It is worth mentioning that this ultra-wide-angle lens also has a macro photography function.
With the support of the light-image engine, in the face of such close-range low-light scenes, without any auxiliary lights, the iPhone 14 Pro Max can clearly and accurately restore the details and colors of leaves.
▲ iPhone14 Pro Max / macro mode
– Ease of use for photography –
Of course, image quality performance is only one aspect of mobile phone photography, and “ease of use” is also a part that cannot be ignored.
Mobile phone photography is like the principle of wooden barrels. Some mobile phones can indeed take good pictures, but the ease of use is greatly reduced, but this aspect is precisely an important factor that determines whether ordinary users can easily control it.
There is no doubt that the iPhone 14 Pro is by far one of the most simple and easy-to-use camera phones in my opinion. It not only provides 4 different focal lengths, but also has very good focusing speed and stability.
We consider that not all portraits should keep the characters still, and sometimes dynamic capture can show the vividness of the characters better, such as the head-shaking capture scene below.
We found that the iPhone 14 Pro can clearly capture wonderful dynamic moments in this dynamic scene.
▲ iPhone 14 Pro Max (1X) / continuous shooting mode
So I strongly recommend that after you get the new iPhone, you can use the wide-angle lens to change different angles and poses to capture with confidence. Compared with ordinary posing, you may take more vivid blockbusters.
▲ iPhone 14 Pro Max (0.5X) / continuous shooting mode
For ordinary users, it is more difficult to take good portraits at night. Fortunately, with the upgrade of mobile phone hardware specifications and the optimization of computational photography, smartphones have made significant progress in night portraits.
It is worth noting that most manufacturers use algorithmic brightening and skin smoothing to offset the noise of dark light, and this year’s iPhone 14 strategy is to redesign the flash that has been ignored by everyone for a long time, and introduce the “adaptive original light”. Color Flash” function.
In the past, when shooting portraits at night, I almost didn’t use flash to shoot portraits, because the light from the flash was either too dim or too hard! I believe that many people, like me, used to use the mobile phone flash mostly as a “flashlight”.
This time, after upgrading the flash for all iPhone 14 series, different exposure strategies can be adopted according to different focal lengths. This is indeed the case in our real shots. When shooting with a wide-angle lens, the exposure area will be larger, which is more conducive to showing the posture of the characters.
When shooting at the telephoto end, the flash area will be smaller, which can better highlight the facial features of the characters.
Compared with ordinary night portraits, the adaptive flash can take photos with stronger contrast and clarity. Under the blessing of the adaptive flash, the night characters will appear more prominent, which has the effect of a magazine blockbuster.
▲ The left flash is not turned on, the right flash is turned on
– iPhone 14 Selfie –
Most of the functions mentioned above are exclusive to the Pro series. In fact, the iPhone 14 digital series also has good upgrades. For example, the front TrueDepth camera is equipped with autofocus for the first time. So in terms of selfies, we will use iPhone 14 to show.
All front-facing lenses of the iPhone 14 series support autofocus. With the support of this function, it can meet the needs of multiple people to take group photos with clear focus and take selfies in low light.
If you want to get a more three-dimensional and textured selfie photo, I personally recommend taking a selfie with a native camera and then post-processing.Although a third-party app can help you get smooth selfies with one click, I don’t recommend you to do so. The third-party app can’t fully invoke the iPhone’s camera permissions, so the effect it can get is not the best.
The usual way is to use the original camera to take a photo with the best quality, and then use the app you are used to to beautify the photo in the later stage, which will not only make your selfie photo more natural, but also retain the original image for convenience. creation.
▲ Original image
▲ Later stage
Finally, to answer the questions that everyone has been concerned about:
Should you buy the iPhone 14 series or the iPhone 14 Pro series?
If you have a small budget and want to experience the stability and smoothness of iOS 16, then I would recommend that you start with the more cost-effective iPhone 14 series.
Although there are no more professional functions of the Pro series in terms of imaging, if you only take pictures/videos occasionally, then it can basically satisfy you.
In addition, for girls who love to take selfies, the iPhone 14 is undoubtedly the best model for taking selfies in the iPhone digital series in recent years.
As for the iPhone 14 Pro series, which has a stronger A16 chip and more professional video functions than the digital series, so the budget is adequate and people are interested in video creation, I think the Pro series will be a good choice.
Well, the above is the introduction of the new camera function of iPhone 14 Pro Max, I hope it will inspire you!
This article is from the WeChat public account: Fun with mobile phone photography (ID: wzsjsy), author: iPhone still has to be good at taking pictures