The Camera Settings That Are Ruining Your Photos, According To Tech Expert—And What To Do Instead: Live Photos & More

It seems impossible to imagine a time when you needed a separate camera to take amazing photos and when your phone and camera were two very different pieces of technology. But our iPhones have caught up in an incredible way and are now undeniably advanced and capable of taking gorgeous photographs.

There’s just one problem: a few of your iPhone camera settings are getting in the way of photographic greatness. That’s right, there are settings that are not allowing you to make the most of your camera to get high-quality photos. And it’s time to fix that little problem.

Here are two iPhone camera settings that tech experts say are ruining your photos. Change these settings to make the most of your camera and to score the greatest looking images.

Prioritize Faster Shooting

The Prioritize Faster Shooting setting does exactly what it sounds like: it captures photos more quickly as you take them. When you have this setting enabled, the time between when you take a photo and when the photo is captured is lessened. This setting has its benefits in specific instances, such as when you’re attempting to capture a fast-moving object, like a car or a cheetah in the wild.

But if you are on solid ground, with no speedy objects or jungle animals around you, using this setting can result in blurrier photos that lack the quality you want. It can also limit features such as computational photography enhancements (such as HDR or Night mode). Turn the setting off by heading into Settings > Camera > Prioritize Faster Shooting.

Live Photos

If you open your Camera app you’ll see a circular icon at the top of the screen — this is Live Photos. And it’s best to turn it off if your priority is taking high-quality images. Live Photos captures a snippet of video prior to the photo that you’re trying to take. But this setting can result in a lower resolution image with lower quality processing. That little bit of video can also increase your file size and reduce your storage space.

You may not even realize you have the setting on and don’t actually want to include video in your shot. If this is the case and your only interest is snapping the best photos possible, turn it off.