Want to know how to edit photos on iPhone? You're in luck. Your phone has powerful built-in tools that make it easy to improve your pictures without any extra apps. You can adjust the light, color, and more to get your photos ready for social media or print.
This guide will walk you through the simple, step-by-step process of editing photos on iPhone. We'll cover all the basic adjustments and share some tips for getting professional-looking results. With a few simple steps, you can transform your everyday snapshots into memories worth keeping in a photo book or on a canvas print.
1. Open your photo in the Photos app
First, open the Photos app and choose the photo you want to adjust. This works for any photo saved on your device, whether it was taken with the iPhone camera or saved from another source.
To keep your original photo, it's a good idea to duplicate it before you start. Simply tap the photo to view it full screen, then tap the three-dot icon in the top right corner, and select "Duplicate." This gives you a copy to work on, leaving the original untouched in your library.
2. Adjust lighting and exposure
Tap the three-line icon in the bottom right corner to open the edit screen, where you can fix your photo's brightness and contrast. Tap the dial icon (labeled “Adjust”) to access the different adjustment tools.
The "Auto" button is a great place to start, as it quickly balances the photo's light, color, and contrast. For manual control, tap scroll through all the tools to the right of the “Auto” button.
The sun icon slider controls the overall brightness. For more precise adjustments, you can fine-tune specific aspects like "Highlights" and "Shadows."
- Adjusting highlights can recover detail in bright areas, like a blown-out sky.
- Adjusting shadows can reveal hidden details in dark spots, like a person's face hidden in shade.
This is a great way to improve photos from your last vacation and use them to make a photo book.
Creative cue: Instead of making one large adjustment (like maxing out the saturation), try making several small ones. A little bit of exposure here and a small bump in contrast there will give you a more natural, polished final image without losing detail in the highlights or shadows.
3. Fine-tune color and warmth
Beyond light, you can also adjust the color of your photos. Use the "Saturation" and "Vibrance" sliders to enhance how vibrant your colors are. Use this to make a photo pop without looking unnatural. If your photo looks too yellow or too blue, you can adjust the "Warmth" slider to correct the white balance.
Adjusting warmth or coolness can change a photo's mood. Warmer tones create a cozy feel, while cooler tones can make a picture look calm or dramatic.
This is especially useful for photos taken in different lighting conditions, like indoor images with artificial light or outdoor shots at sunset.
4. Apply filters with care
The iPhone's built-in filters can quickly change the look of your photo. In the edit menu, tap the “Styles” icon at the bottom to see a range of options like Cozy, Dramatic, or Black and White.
As you swipe through them, you’ll see a preview of how each filter affects your image. This can be a great way to give your photos a consistent, cohesive style.
After selecting a filter, you can adjust its intensity by double-tapping the filter. This is key to making your photos look professionally edited instead of overly processed. Instead of using a filter at full strength, dial it back to around 50-70% for a subtle effect.
Creative cue: You can improve your phone photography by getting the lighting and composition right before you even apply a filter.
5. Crop, straighten, or rotate
Cropping is one of the easiest ways to improve a photo. Tap the three-line "Edit" button in the bottom right corner, then select the “Crop” icon. Use the frame to remove distracting elements and bring attention to your main subject. You can also straighten crooked horizons or objects, which instantly makes a photo look more professional. This is a crucial step when you edit photos on iPhone before printing them.
You can also use the rotating tool in the top left corner (within the “Crop” setting) to change a photo's orientation and create a fresh perspective. These small adjustments can make a big difference, especially if you plan to enlarge your photos for a canvas print or wall calendar.
6. Use portrait and depth controls
Portrait mode photos have special editing tools that let you adjust the background blur. Tap a Portrait mode photo to view it in full screen, then tap the three-line icon in the bottom right corner.
Tap “Portrait” at the bottom, then use the depth control slider to adjust the intensity of the blur. This is a key part of how to edit a photo on iPhone if you want to make your subject stand out against a soft, out-of-focus background.
You can also change the lighting effects to give your portraits a new look. Within editing mode, tap “Portrait” at the bottom of the screen, then tap on the hexagon-shaped icon to the left of the f-number icon in the top left corner to see options like Studio Light or Stage Light.
These can dramatically transform a photo and create professional-looking results.
Creative cue: For a more natural look, use a lower depth number to add a subtle blur that mimics a professional camera. Save the more dramatic, fully blurred backgrounds for times when you want to make a single subject really pop, like a close-up portrait.
7. Mark up or add text
Beyond basic adjustments, your iPhone's built-in photo editor has a Markup feature. Tap the three-line icon on the bottom, then select the marker icon in the top right. This tool lets you add a personal touch with drawing and doodling. You can use a digital pen to circle a person in a group photo or highlight a detail in the background.
The Markup tool also allows you to add text to your pictures. This is perfect for adding names, dates, or a short caption to a photo from a special event. For example, you can label a first day of school photo with the year or add the city and date to a travel memory. It's a quick way to digitize photos with extra information before you add them to a project.
8. Save and share your edits
When you're finished with your adjustments, tap "Done" to save the changes. Don't worry, your original photo isn't gone forever—even if you forgot to make a duplicate prior to editing.
You can always tap the three-dot icon again and then "Revert to original" to go back to the unedited version at any time. This flexibility is one of the biggest benefits of using the built-in tools for iPhone photo editing.
After saving, share your polished photos. The “Share” icon (square with an arrow pointing up) lets you send your picture via text or email.
You can also upload photos directly to your Mixbook account to start a project. The iPhone’s powerful features make it a great alternative to external free photo editing software.
Advanced tips for print-ready iPhone photos
Now that you know how to edit photos on iPhone, use these advanced tips to get even more out of your Photos app:
- Portrait mode: For photos taken in Portrait mode, you can adjust the focus point and depth of field after the fact. In editing mode, tap on a different area of the photo to change what's in focus. You can also use the slider to adjust the level of background blur, from subtle to dramatic.
- Undo/Redo: When you're editing photos on an iPhone, you don't have to start over if you make a mistake or dislike an edit. Tap the undo arrow in the top left to reverse a single change. For a quick before-and-after, tap and hold the photo to see the original, then release to view your edits.
- Copy/Paste edits: Save time by applying the same edits to a batch of photos. Tap the three-dot icon in the top right corner of an edited photo, then "Copy Edits." Go to another photo, tap the three dots again, and select "Paste Edits" for instant consistency.
- Clean Up tool: On iPhones with Apple Intelligence (iPhone 15 Pro and newer) running iOS 18.1 or later, you can use the built-in "Clean Up" tool. To use it, tap the three-line icon, select the tool, and then circle the unwanted object you want to remove. The tool will then erase it from your picture.
Make the most of your iPhone edits with Mixbook
Learning how to edit photos on iPhone with built-in tools makes it easy to transform your pictures. By making basic adjustments to light, color, and filters, you can turn a simple snapshot into a print-ready image and make your memories shine.
The images you create should live beyond the screen. Take your best shots and turn them into something you can hold and share. Design your own custom photo book with Mixbook to share your favorite memories in a personalized way.
