Photographic Styles (iPhone)

“Skip the third-party camera apps. The Bright Photographic Style in the stock iPhone Camera app does the heavy lifting for you: adds contrast, brightens faces, makes foliage pop, and still holds detail in blown-out skies. It doesn’t look edited. It just looks like a better version of what your eyes saw. Used it as my only camera through a recent Europe trip. Fast, no fiddling, no editing afterward. Austin Mann (who reviews new iPhone cameras every year) called it out as the standout new feature this cycle, and he’s not wrong. Works on: iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, 16 Pro Max, iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air, all with iOS 26. Note: only works in standard photo mode, not ProRAW/RAW.”

“I almost always shoot Bright, but I love the warm Kodachrome/Kodak Gold feeling Amber invokes. It’s hidden behind a left swipe in Photographic Styles, easy to miss. Shot in HEIF, the style is fully reversible, even on old photos. Best in golden hour or bold, high-contrast light, according to the author. Worth experimenting with. What Photographic Style do you shoot with?”