iPhone Camera AE/AF Lock
There are a multitude of photography applications for iPhone but to make basic use of the camera on our devices, the camera app of iOSis a very interesting option.
It has filters, very interesting formats, such as portraits, we can take panoramic photos, a lot of functions that allow us to take very good shots. In addition, with the photo editor that comes incorporated in iOS, we can edit them well, achieving interesting results.
That's right, if you're a photography professional or you love image editing, you'll surely need third-party apps to be able to access tools that iOS doesn't provide.
What is iPhone Camera AE/AF Lock?:
The AE/AF lock is simply the exposure and focus lock. Those acronyms mean the following:
- AE: From English, Automatic Exposure, which in Spanish is automatic exposure.
- AF: Automatic Focusm which in our language means automatic focus.
To activate it, you simply have to focus on a place you want to photograph and hold down the screen. In a few seconds the function will be activated and this information will appear on the screen:
Function activated
By clicking on an area that we are focusing on, the camera calculates the exposure and focus for that point and then locks it. If you activate the AE/AF lock, then when you move the phone you will see that the focus and exposure are locked and will not change. You can focus on a closer object and you'll see it appear blurry and with higher or lower light exposure, without auto-adjusting like the iPhone camera does.
When to use iOS AE/AF lock?:
This lock is perfect for taking the following photographs:
When something in the scene moves:
Imagine that you want to photograph a statue and at that moment a person passes by and the camera of the iPhone detects it and instead of focusing on the statue it focuses on that camera. By locking AE/AF this will not happen as it only focuses on the item you have clicked on to activate the function.
When there is an extreme range of exposure:
When we want to take a photo of someone and the background, for example, is very bright, AE/AF lock is a very good option. Centered on the person's face, the capture locks the proper exposure and focus to take the photo. We can also do it if we want the person's face to appear but focusing on the part that appears in the background in the image.
Depth of Field:
The example we can give here is very illustrative. Imagine that we want to take a picture of the raindrops on a window. If you have ever tried it, surely you have gone crazy to do it. Well, if we block the focus and exposure in some area, for example on a wall, and then we focus the glass with drops of water, moving the mobile closer or further away, we must take the photo when the drops are in focus. The result is very good.
Silhouette photography:
For example, if you're trying to create a silhouette, you'll have to underexpose that person or thing while your camera tries to properly expose it. To do this, direct the camera so that it exposes the sky, press on it to lock AE/AF but, yes, making the silhouette enter the focus field.
Create Bokeh Effects by Activating AE/AF Lock:
This is something that the Portrait feature on the iPhone does automatically, but if you want to create a blur effect on a foreground object, for example, locking the exposure and focus will come in handy. You bring the object or person to the foreground and then lock the focus on the landscape or objects that appear behind the foreground.
Once set, zoom in or out until you see the perfect shot.
When you can't focus on an object or person:
As in the depth of field, when you cannot focus on something, it is best to activate the AE/AF lock at one point and then, moving the phone closer and further, look for the correct point where that object or person approaches.
What did you think of the crash course in photography for iPhone? We hope you have been interested and you will take advantage of it. It is a function that I personally use a lot. If you want to see some results, you just have to go through my Instagram account @Maito76.
Greetings.
