To take true color photos with your iPhone, disable automatic enhancements like Smart HDR and Photographic Styles in Settings, use a manual camera app to set white balance (WB) or shoot in ProRAW (if available) for more data, and use a color checker card for reference, then edit by adjusting WB and color in the Photos app or Lightroom to match reality, ensuring your display's True Tone is also off for accurate viewing.
Generally the Auto setting does a good job, but if the image still has a color cast you'll need to manually adjust the white balance to get the colors right in your photo. To adjust the white balance manually, simply slide your finger along the white balance slider next to the Auto button.
No, the iPhone's native Camera app doesn't have a dedicated, toggleable "Beauty Mode" like some Android phones, but newer models apply subtle, automatic skin smoothing (sometimes called "Beautygate") for selfies, which users often find can look overly processed or artificial, while third-party apps offer more control. You can use the built-in filters for color, Portrait Mode for depth, and the Photos app for manual edits, or download apps like Facetune for dedicated beautification.
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Dark Mode uses a dark color scheme that works system wide, including the apps that come with your device and many third-party apps. True Tone,* which is on by default, uses advanced sensors to adjust the color and intensity of your display to match the ambient light, so that images appear more natural.
On an iPhone, dialing *#21# is a USSD code used to check the status of your unconditional call forwarding, revealing if your calls, SMS, or data are being redirected and to which number, without actually changing settings; it's a simple privacy check to see if someone has secretly set your phone to forward everything, though it doesn't detect advanced spyware. Dialing this code brings up a message from your carrier about your call forwarding status, often showing "Disabled" or a specific number if it's active.
So without further ado, here are some things you can do to ensure that the colors of your photos remain accurate!
No, the iPhone's native Camera app doesn't have a dedicated, toggleable "Beauty Mode" like some Android phones, but newer models apply subtle, automatic skin smoothing (sometimes called "Beautygate") for selfies, which users often find can look overly processed or artificial, while third-party apps offer more control. You can use the built-in filters for color, Portrait Mode for depth, and the Photos app for manual edits, or download apps like Facetune for dedicated beautification.
How to use Facetune's beauty filters
FaceApp gives you everything you need to create Instagram-worthy edits. No more extra tapping on your screen! Use a fantastic set of face filters, effects, backgrounds, and other tools to create a seamless and photorealistic edit in ONE TAP.
Glance at the best free makeup filter apps
Now, let's move to the practical tips to help you look good in front of the camera.
Take a photo with a filter
Open Camera on your iPhone. Make sure Camera is in Photo or Portrait mode; see Switch between camera modes. or swipe up from the camera modes at the bottom of the screen. Tap Filter then swipe left or right to preview the options.
Three-finger gestures on iPhone primarily activate accessibility features like VoiceOver (for screen reading and navigation) and Zoom (magnification), allowing scrolling, zooming, and text manipulation (copy/paste/undo) with specific taps and drags, though some text actions work without VoiceOver enabled for quick editing. Common gestures include three-finger double-tap to toggle VoiceOver speech, triple-tap for the screen curtain, and pinching/spreading with three fingers for copy/paste actions, notes this YouTube video.
Mistake #1: Using just any photo
The problem being, of course, is that everyone (and I mean everyone) can 100% tell that it's not a professional headshot, no matter how much you think it might pass as one. Having a distracting background doesn't translate well when you see the tiny thumbnail on LinkedIn or Facebook.