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How to use Depth Effect on an iPhone
Smartphones are, for many, their primary camera. Their built-in cameras have been getting better and better, and one of the features you’ll find in the best iPhones is a depth effect that creates compelling lock screen wallpapers with iOS 16 and above. You can also adjust the depth effect with Portrait mode photos.
How to get the Depth Effect on your iPhone lock screen wallpaper
1. While on the iPhone lock screen, press and hold anywhere until the lock screen picker pops up.
2. Tap the blue “+” sign on the bottom right.
3. Select Photos to scroll through your photo album and find an image you want to use as the iPhone wallpaper (you will probably be allowed to use most pictures). You can also select one of the images that may come up in the suggested options (keeping in mind that not all of them may offer Depth Effect).
4. Once in frame, adjust the photo by pinching and moving until it’s in the perfect spot where you want to land it.
5. Tap the three dots at the bottom-right corner and make sure that Depth Effect is selected. (When you deselect it and the check mark is removed, you'll be able to see the difference without the effect.)
6. Tap Add and the new wallpaper with Depth Effect will be set. Choose to Set as Wallpaper Pair or just set for the Home Screen.
What is Portrait Mode on iPhone?
Portrait Mode on iPhone applies a depth-of-field effect which makes something appear as a focused subject, whether it be a person, pet, or even an object. When using this mode, the subject will appear in sharper focus while blurring the background and foreground. Once a portrait is taken, you can apply many different edits to it, one of which is depth control. This allows you to adjust how much blur is applied to the background.
How to adjust the depth effect when taking a Portrait on iPhone
1. Open the iPhone Camera app.
2. Select Portrait mode from the menu.
3. Frame your photo, following the on-screen instructions to move closer or further away.
4. Before pressing the shutter, tap the “f” button at the top, right corner of the screen.
5. Adjust the Depth Control slider below the frame by sliding it to the left or right until you get a background depth you like.
6. Tap the Shutter button to take the photo once you have it set the way you want it.
How to adjust the focus and depth with an existing Portrait on iPhone
Don’t worry, if you have already taken photos in Portrait mode and have some in your library you would like to adjust, you can still use the Depth Slider after the photo has been taken.
1. Open the Portrait photo from your iPhone Photo library.
2. Tap Edit.
3. You’ll see the Depth slider at the bottom. Slide it to the left or right to adjust the focus depth.
4. When you get an appearance that you like, tap Done.
Have fun with Depth Effect on the iPhone
As noted above, the Depth Effect feature for creating exciting lock screen wallpapers that look 3D only works with iPhones running iOS 16 and above, and on images that the phone considers compatible.
When it comes to the Depth Effect slider for Portraits, it’s available for the iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X onward, including the second generation or newer iPhone SE as well. The default effect is usually the most desirable, but you might want to blur the background more so that your subject really pops, or conversely, much less to be able to capture some details in the background. You might even want to remove the blur entirely. It’s easy to adjust the depth effect on iPhone, both before taking a photo and after, as noted in the instructions above.
Once you start taking more photos and experimenting with the many ways to edit them, especially with new Portrait options on phones like the iPhone 15 Pro Max, you’ll find that your iPhone lock screen wallpaper will look much cooler. If you aren't hooked already, perhaps this inspires you to delve deeper into photography tricks. Next, look into how to use the Pro camera on an iPhone to create even more photographic masterpieces.
