iPhone Camera Settings Guide

iPhone 18 Pro Max Camera Settings

Seven quick steps to photos and video that look like they came from a real camera. Each one shows the exact screen to match.

Start the guide

Where you'll end up

RAW 48 on the top row

Exposure at −0.7

Grid and Level on

1× as your default lens

FormatsProRAW on, JPEG-XL Lossy, 24 MP every day
Preserve SettingsMake the camera remember your setup
CompositionGrid, Level, and a 24 and 35 mm pair
In the viewfinderRAW 48, −0.7, and the new aperture control
Video4K 60 for social, 4K 24 for film
The lookExposure and grading, side by side
The lensesFive zoom stops, from 13 to 200 mm

Step 01

Small files every day. RAW when it counts.

Settings Camera Formats

These rows set the quality ceiling for every photo and clip you take.

Camera Capture: High Efficiency; HEIF and HEVC. Required for 4K 60 fps, 4K 120 fps, and Dolby Vision.
Photo Mode: 24 MP; The everyday default. It draws on all 48 MP and keeps files small.
ProRAW & Resolution Control: On; Adds RAW 48 to the Camera app, for anything you plan to edit or crop.
ProRAW Format: JPEG-XL Lossy; The same 48 MP at about a quarter of the size. Choose Lossless if storage is never a concern.
ProRes Log Video Encoding: Log 2; Turn on Apple ProRes first. This only affects ProRes clips, so everyday HEVC video stays HDR.

Camera capture

High Efficiency
Most Compatible

Photo capture

Photo Mode: 24 MP
ProRAW & Resolution Control: On
ProRAW Format: JPEG-XL Lossy

Video capture

Apple ProRes: On
ProRes Log Video Encoding: Log 2

High Efficiency is required for 4K at 60 fps and Dolby Vision HDR.

What one photo costs. Approximate sizes. The RAW rows are 48 MP, and every scene is a little different.

JPEG Lossless ProRAW, most compatible: ~75 MB
JPEG-XL Lossless ProRAW: ~45 MB
JPEG-XL Lossy ProRAW, recommended: ~20 MB
HEIF 24 MP photo mode: ~2 MB

Step 02

Make the camera remember.

Settings Camera Preserve Settings

Out of the box, Camera forgets most changes once you leave it. These switches keep your setup in place.

Camera Mode: On; Reopens in whatever mode you used last, photo or video.
Exposure Adjustment: On; Your −0.7 bias is still there the next time you open Camera.
Lens Aperture: Off; A stop you pick resets to Auto next time, so the camera keeps adjusting on its own.
Photographic Style and Action Mode: Off; Both are situational, so start clean each time.

Camera Mode: On
Photographic Style: Off
Creative Controls: On
Depth Control: On
Macro Control: On
Exposure Adjustment: On
Lens Aperture: Off
Night Mode: On
Portrait Mode: On
Action Mode: Off
ProRAW & Resolution Control: On
Apple ProRes: On
Live Photo: On

Lens Aperture stays off, so Camera returns to Auto each time.

Step 03

Frame it before you tap.

Settings Camera

Composition aids, the lens defaults, and a few switches that decide how each photo is processed.

Grid and Level: On; The grid divides the frame into thirds, and the level turns yellow when the horizon is straight.
View Outside the Frame: Off; Shows only what you'll capture, without the wider camera's preview around it.
Fusion Camera: 24 + 35 mm; Keep 24 mm as the default and 35 mm one tap away. Turn 28 mm off.
Prioritize Faster Shooting: Off; Every frame gets full processing. Turn it on for sports and kids.
Lens Correction: On; Straightens Ultra Wide edges. Turn it off only if you want the uncropped frame.

Composition

Grid: On
Level: On
Mirror Front Camera: Off
View Outside the Frame: Off

Photo capture

Fusion Camera: 24 mm
Portraits in Photo Mode: On
Prioritize Faster Shooting: Off
Lens Correction: On
Macro Control: On
Lens Cleaning Hints: On
Reference Image: On

A portrait framed at 24 mm, with the 28 mm and 35 mm framings outlined inside it — **28 and 35 mm are crops, not lenses.** Both come from the 24 mm sensor, so one classic crop is plenty.

Step 04

Take control in the viewfinder.

Camera app

The 18 Pro Max puts real camera controls on the top row. Press and hold the row to choose which ones appear.

Format: RAW 48; For anything you'll edit, crop, or print. HEIF at 24 MP covers the rest.
Exposure: −0.7; iPhones meter bright. Pulling back keeps skies and deepens blacks. In hard light, hold on the subject until AE/AF Lock appears, then drag down up to two stops.
Lens Aperture: Auto; It opens to ƒ/1.48 in the dark and closes for groups. Pick a stop when you want the look to hold.
Lens: 1×; The main camera has the biggest pixels and the only variable aperture. Save 4× and 8× for good light.
Camera Control: Open Camera; Press to launch. A light press and swipe adjusts exposure without touching the screen.

Try each aperture

ƒ/1.48 ƒ/1.8 ƒ/2.8 ƒ/4.0

Most light. The blades open all the way, for low light and the softest background. The baseline for light and depth.

Portrait. One person at 1×. The blur is optical, so hair and glasses stay clean. 0.6 stop less light, about 1.2× the depth.

Street. Your subject stays sharp and the background still reads. A good fixed choice for walking around. 1.8 stops less light, about 1.9× the depth.

Most depth. Groups, landscapes, and architecture. In bright sun it also lets the shutter slow down. 2.9 stops less light, about 2.7× the depth.

An illustration of the six-blade iris in the main camera. Depth of field grows roughly in step with the ƒ-number. Ultra Wide and Telephoto apertures are fixed.

Step 05

4K 60 for social. 4K 24 for film.

Settings Camera Record Video

Frame rate sets the feel. The switches below keep exposure and color steady from one shot to the next.

Record Video: 4K at 60 fps; Smooth, sharp motion for everyday clips and social. Switch to 4K at 24 fps when it should feel like a film.
HDR Video: On; Records Dolby Vision HDR, with brighter highlights and richer color on modern screens.
Lock White Balance: On; Color stays put as you move from shot to shot.
Auto FPS: Off; Keeps the frame rate you chose, even in low light.
Record Sound: Spatial Audio; Lets you keep only the sound from inside the frame, after you shoot.

4K at 24 fps
4K at 30 fps
4K at 60 fps
4K at 120 fps

While recording

Enhanced Stabilization: On
Action Mode Lower Light: Off
HDR Video: On
Auto FPS: Off
Lock Camera: Off
Lock White Balance: On

Enhanced Stabilization crops in slightly for steadier handheld footage.

The 180° rule. In Pro controls, set the shutter to about double the frame rate. In daylight even ƒ/4.0 lets in too much light for 1/50 s, so add an ND filter.

24 fps at 1/50 s

A little motion blur in every frame. Movement reads as film.
60 fps at 1/120 s

Crisper frames and smooth motion. Right for social.
24 fps at 1/2000 s

Typical of auto exposure in bright sun. Each frame is frozen, so motion stutters.

Step 06

See the difference.

Two of the changes above, side by side. Both frames come from the same photo and are simulated, so the setting is the only variable.

The portrait with exposure lowered about 0.7 stops

The portrait at the camera's default exposure

Exposure −0.7 holds the highlights and deepens the blacks.

A light grade: a little more contrast, a little less saturation.

Photographic Styles: Standard; Styles don't change a ProRAW file, so edit instead. If you never edit, customize a style and leave it on.
Editing: Preset first; Start from a preset, then adjust only exposure, highlights, shadows, and temperature.

Step 07

Five zoom stops. One aperture that moves.

Three 48 MP cameras and two sensor crops. The main camera has the biggest pixels and the only variable aperture, which is why 1× is home.

.5× 13 mm Ultra Wide, ƒ/2.2
1× 24 mm Main, ƒ/1.48–4.0
2× 48 mm Crop of Main, 12 MP
4× 100 mm Telephoto, ƒ/2.8
8× 200 mm Crop of Telephoto, 12 MP

Spaced by field of view. Solid dots are cameras, rings are 12 MP crops.

48MP Fusion Main: 24 mm, with a 2× 48 mm crop; ƒ/1.48, ƒ/1.8, ƒ/2.8, and ƒ/4.0; 2.44 µm quad-pixel; Second-generation sensor-shift OIS
48MP Fusion Ultra Wide: 13 mm, and macro; ƒ/2.2; 1.4 µm quad-pixel
48MP Fusion Telephoto: 100 mm, with an 8× 200 mm crop; ƒ/2.8; 1.4 µm quad-pixel; 3D sensor-shift OIS

iPhone 18 Pro Max vs 17 Pro Max

What changed for cameras between generations

Feature 17 Pro Max 18 Pro Max

Chip A19 Pro A20 Pro (2nm)

Main Camera 48MP ƒ/1.78 fixed 48MP ƒ/1.48 – ƒ/4.0 variable New

Ultra Wide 48MP ƒ/2.2 48MP ƒ/2.2

Telephoto 48MP 4× ƒ/2.8 48MP 4× ƒ/2.8

Front Camera 18MP Center Stage 18MP Center Stage

Pro Controls No Aperture, shutter, WB, histogram New

Apple Reference Image No Yes New

Cinematic Mode 4K 30fps 4K 60fps, effects after capture New

Time-lapse Stabilized 4K Dolby Vision HDR New

Max Video (4K) 120fps 120fps

ProRes RAW / Apple Log 2 Yes Yes

Storage Up to 2TB Up to 2TB

Video Playback Up to 39 hrs Up to 45 hrs

Display Size 6.9" 6.9"

USB USB 3 (10 Gbps) USB 3 (10 Gbps)

Worth the upgrade? The 18 Pro Max camera upgrade is the main lens: a variable aperture with real optical depth control, a new sensor and imaging pipeline, plus Pro controls for shutter, white balance, and histogram. Ultra Wide, telephoto, and front camera are unchanged. If you shoot mostly at 4× or on the Ultra Wide, the 17 Pro Max takes the same photo.

Presets and Storage

Which format to use for each kind of clip, and how much of it fits.

Video presets

Use Case	Resolution	FPS	Codec	Format
Social Media Best	4K	60	HEVC	Dolby Vision HDR
Film / Cinematic	4K	24	ProRes	Apple Log 2
RAW Grade	4K	24 or 30	ProRes RAW	External SSD
Vlogging (Front)	4K	30	HEVC	Dolby Vision HDR
Slow Motion B-Roll	4K	120	HEVC or ProRes	Dolby Vision
Cinematic Mode	4K	60	HEVC	Dolby Vision HDR
Time-lapse	4K	Auto	HEVC	Dolby Vision HDR
Spatial Video	1080p	30	MV-HEVC	Spatial (Apple Vision Pro)

What a minute of 4K costs

ProRes 422 HQ 4K at 30 fps, for grading: ~6 GB
HEVC 4K at 60 fps, for social: ~440 MB
HEVC 4K at 30 fps: ~190 MB

How much fits

Format	256 GB	512 GB	1 TB	2 TB
HEVC 4K at 60 fps	~9.1 hr	~18 hr	~37 hr	~75 hr
ProRes 4K at 30 fps	~40 min	~80 min	~2.7 hr	~5.5 hr

Times are approximate and leave room for iOS. ProRes 4K at 60 and 120 fps, and ProRes RAW, record only to an external USB-C drive. For a Log grade, start with Apple's LUT or a LUT from Envato Elements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Best settings, key features, and what changed from the 17 Pro Max.

What are the best camera settings for iPhone 18 Pro Max?

In Settings, Camera: High Efficiency, Photo Mode at 24 MP, ProRAW and Resolution Control on with JPEG-XL Lossy, Grid and Level on, and View Outside the Frame off. In the Camera app, shoot RAW 48 for photos you will edit, set exposure to about −0.7, and leave aperture on Auto. For video, record 4K at 60 fps for social or 4K at 24 fps for a film look, with Lock White Balance on.

What is the difference between iPhone 18 Pro Max and 18 Pro cameras?

None. Both have the 48MP variable-aperture Fusion Main, 48MP Ultra Wide, 48MP 4x telephoto, and 18MP Center Stage front camera. The Pro Max adds only the 6.9-inch display and a bigger battery: up to 45 hours of video playback against 36 on the 6.3-inch Pro.

Does the iPhone 18 Pro Max have a variable aperture?

Yes. The 48MP Fusion Main steps between ƒ/1.48, ƒ/1.8, ƒ/2.8, and ƒ/4.0 with six laser-cut blades. Leave it on Auto, or set it in the Camera app: ƒ/1.8 for one person, ƒ/4.0 for groups and landscapes. The Ultra Wide (ƒ/2.2) and 4x telephoto (ƒ/2.8) are fixed.

Can the iPhone 18 Pro Max record ProRes at 4K 120fps?

Yes, to an external USB-C drive over USB 3 (10 Gbps). Internal ProRes tops out at 4K 30fps on every storage tier, including 2TB.

What is new in the iPhone 18 Pro Max camera vs the 17 Pro Max?

A variable-aperture 48MP main camera with a new sensor and imaging pipeline, Pro controls, Apple Reference Image, Cinematic mode at 4K 60fps with effects applied after capture, and 4K Dolby Vision time-lapse. The Ultra Wide, 4x telephoto, and 18MP front camera are unchanged.