Whether you’re documenting your travels, taking a family photo, or snapping a quick selfie before a night out, photographs help us capture beautiful moments in life. And thanks to our phones , creating and sharing these memories is easier than ever. However life happens and sometimes our photos don’t always meet our expectations. Whether that’s someone's eyes glowing red thanks to a powerful flash or the sun being a bit too bright, fear not, there are plenty of easy ways to edit photos on your iPhone.
With built-in photo editing tools available at the touch of a finger, transforming good pictures into great ones with the iPhone Photo Editor is simple. It’s suitable for beginners and lets you edit images directly from your Camera Roll. Here’s how to use it.
Accessing the photo editing tools
Firstly, make sure your phone is running the latest version of iOS to ensure you can use the most up-to-date features.
Here’s how to access the photo editing tools.
1. Open Photos.
2. Navigate to the image you’d like to adjust.
3. Tap Edit to open the editing features.
Now you’re in Edit mode, here’s how to use each photo editing feature to create more eye-catching images.
How to crop and rotate photos
It can be hard to get the perfect shot the first time around. Luckily, the iPhone lets you crop and rotate your pictures easily so you can nail the composition of your image even after you’ve taken it. Here’s how.
1. In Edit mode, tap the Crop/Rotate icon.
2. To crop, simply drag the corners of the photo to the desired size. Alternatively, you can use preset crop sizes.
3. To rotate, tap the Rotate button until you reach the desired orientation.
Using iPhone filters to edit photos
A well-composed photograph is one thing, but an image that pops, with deeper colors or higher contrast, is another. The iPhone editing tools make it easy to add a sprinkle of professional magic to your photographs with Filters. Here’s how.
1. In Edit mode, tap the Filters icon (it looks like 3 overlapping dots).
2. Scroll left and right to select your desired Filter.
3. When happy, tap Done to save your edits.
4. To remove the Filter, return to Edit mode, tap Filters, then scroll back to Original. Tap Done.
How to edit photos using the adjustment tool
Have you ever taken a photo that came out too dark? Or too yellow? Or too cool? Don’t worry; the iPhone lets you adjust colors and brightness to create images that look just right, every time. Here’s how.
Light adjustments
1. In Edit mode, tap the Adjustments icon (it looks like a clock surrounded by small dots).
2. Select the Brightness icon (it looks like a sun).
3. Drag the slider to adjust the brightness of your image.
Color adjustments
1. In Edit mode, tap the Adjustments icon (it looks like a dial surrounded by small dots).
2. To increase saturation, select the Saturation icon (it looks like a rainbow circle). Drag the slider to adjust the saturation of your image.
3. To change the temperature, select the Warmth icon (it looks like a thermometer). Drag the slider to adjust the warmth of your image.
Black and white adjustment
Black and white is a popular style of photography that can help create timeless images. Again, it’s easy to do on the iPhone. Here are two ways to turn your pictures black and white.
1. In Edit mode, tap the Filters icon (it looks like 3 overlapping circles).
2. Scroll until you find the black and white filters.
3. When happy, tap Done.
4. Alternatively, in Edit mode, tap the Adjustments icon (it looks like a dial surrounded by small dots).
5. Select the Saturation icon (it looks like a thermometer). Decrease the saturation to create a black and white image.
6. When happy, tap Done.
How to auto-enhance photos
Not quite sure what your image needs? Well, you’re in luck. The iPhone can make image enhancement suggestions for you to make your photo pop. Here’s how to use the auto-enhance feature.
1. In Edit mode, tap the Wand icon. Your iPhone will automatically enhance your image with brightness, contrast and color adjustments.
2. Like what you see? Tap Done.
How to remove red-eye from photos
Often when using the camera flash, the bright light can cause your subject’s eyes to glow red. If you want to improve your photo by removing red-eye, follow these simple steps.
1. In Edit mode, click the Remove Red-eye icon (it looks like an eye with a cross through it).
2. Tap directly on the red-eye you want to remove and a small circle will appear. You can tap on more than one eye at a time.
3. When happy, tap Done.
How to revert to the original photo
If, at any stage, you’d prefer to keep the original photo, you can revert your images at any time. Here’s how.
1. In Edit mode, tap Revert.
2. Tap Revert to Original.
Limitations of the iPhone photo editor tool
While the iPhone offers some fantastic built-in photo editing tools for beginners, it does come with its limitations. So if you’re looking for greater functionality — such as vignettes, healing/cloning tools, or selective brush adjustments — you’ll need to download a third-party app. Here’s our guide to the best free and paid-for photo editing apps if you’re looking to make more advanced edits to your images. We also have heaps of iPhone photography tips to help your photography shine before it’s edited as well.
Create beautiful memories with Motif
When you’ve edited your favorite photos, why not turn them into a photo book with Motif? Perfect for sharing with friends and family, our photo books are easy to build and make lovely presents or keepsakes . Browse the Motif website today to get plenty of personalized photo inspiration. Download the Motif app today and get creating!
