How to change camera settings on iPhone

The short version

Pose Ready lists settings the way a traditional camera uses them. On most iPhones you won't type those numbers in. The Camera app sets focus, exposure, aperture and shutter speed for you, and you steer the result with exposure, zoom and Portrait mode. Use the numbers as a description of the look: how much background blur, how close the framing, how bright.

The exception is iPhone 18 Pro models, where Apple added manual Lens Aperture, Shutter Speed and White Balance controls for the Main camera. Apple's guide lists no ISO control in the Camera app, even on those models.

Written against Apple's iPhone User Guide for iOS 27, checked 2 November 2026. Apple's pages have a version selector, and menus can differ on older iOS versions and models.

What each setting becomes on an iPhone

Brightness: the Exposure control

This is the closest thing most iPhones have to ISO and shutter speed. If a pose is listed for a dark, moody result, lower the exposure. For a bright, airy one, raise it.

1. Open Camera and tap the screen where you want to focus.
2. Next to the focus area, drag the exposure control up or down.
3. To hold those settings for your next shots, touch and hold the focus area until you see AE/AF Lock. Tap the screen to unlock.

For a level that stays put, tap the Camera Controls button or swipe up from the camera modes, tap Exposure, then drag the slider. It stays until you next open Camera. To keep it longer, go to Settings > Camera > Preserve Settings and turn on Exposure Adjustment.

On models with the Camera Control button, lightly double-press it, slide to Exposure, lightly press, then slide to adjust.

Background blur: Portrait mode and Depth Control

A listing with a low f-number, such as f/1.8 or f/2.8, usually means a blurred background. The iPhone creates this look in Portrait mode, which Apple describes as applying a depth-of-field effect. It changes how the photo looks, and it doesn't open the lens any wider. If your slider shows an f-number, read it as the strength of that effect.

1. Open Camera and swipe to Portrait.
2. Tap the Camera Controls button, or swipe up from Portrait mode.
3. Tap Depth and drag the Depth Control slider to change the blur.

You can also change the blur later in the Photos app. A listing with a high f-number, such as f/5.6 or f/8, usually means more of the scene is sharp. For that look, stay in Photo mode.

To follow a pose's lighting notes more closely, drag the Portrait Lighting control in Portrait mode. Apple's options are Natural Light, Studio Light, Contour Light, Stage Light, Stage Light Mono and High-Key Light Mono. These are effects and don't replace real light.

Framing: from focal length to zoom

On supported models the 1x Main camera defaults to 24 mm (26 mm on iPhone Air and iPhone Duo). As a guide, divide the listed focal length by that number to get the zoom. Pinch the screen or touch and hold the zoom control and drag the slider to reach it, or tap a zoom button if your model has one close by. Apple lists 0.5x, 1x, 2.5x, 3x, 4x, 5x and 8x, depending on the model.

Move your feet as well as the zoom. A longer focal length means standing further back for the same framing, so step back until the person fills the frame the way the pose's reference does. These numbers are arithmetic, not an Apple specification, and zooming past your phone's lenses can cost detail.

Some models can also use 28 mm or 35 mm as additional Main camera lenses: go to Settings > Camera > Main Camera or Fusion Camera and look under Additional Lenses.

iPhone 18 Pro models: manual controls

These controls work in Photo, Video, Cinematic, Slo-mo and Time-Lapse modes.

1. Open Camera and tap the Camera Controls button.
2. Tap Lens Aperture, Shutter Speed or White Balance.
3. For Lens Aperture or White Balance, tap the value you want. For Shutter Speed, drag the slider.

You can also turn on the Histogram from the same menu to check exposure, and use the Focus tool to set a focus distance.

If a pose lists an aperture Apple doesn't offer, take the nearest: f/2.0 or f/2.2 is close to ƒ/1.8, f/2.5 to f/3.2 is close to ƒ/2.8, and f/5.6 or higher is closest to ƒ/4.0.

Helpful tools for posing

• Timer: tap the Camera Controls button, tap Timer, then 3, 5 or 10 seconds, so you have time to get into the pose.
• Grid and level: go to Settings > Camera and turn on Grid and Level to keep the shot straight.
• Camera angle: every pose lists one. Unlike ISO, you can match this exactly on any phone.

When you need a third-party camera app

You only need one if you want to set an exact ISO and shutter speed on a phone whose Camera app can't, and for most posed photos you won't. Apple lets apps set these values directly through its camera developer tools, so such apps exist in the App Store. Check that a listing specifically says it offers manual ISO and shutter speed. We don't recommend a particular app.

For video only, Apple's free Final Cut Camera offers ISO, shutter angle and white balance controls, plus aperture on iPhone 18 Pro.

Official sources

• Apple: Use iPhone camera tools
• Apple: Use advanced camera tools
• Apple: Take portraits
• Apple: iPhone camera basics (zoom)
• Apple: Customize the Main camera lens
• Apple: Use the Camera Control
• Apple Newsroom: iPhone 18 Pro announcement
• Apple: iPhone 18 Pro tech specs