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Apple in iOS 17 has introduced a handy new camera feature that helps to straighten up your shooting angle before you even hit the shutter. Running the iOS 17 beta? Then keep reading to learn how to take advantage of the new Level option.

iPhone-14-Pro-Rear-Camera.jpg

For a while now, Apple's Camera app has included a few optional settings that can help you line up your shots. There's a Grid that can be overlaid on the viewfinder to help apply the rule of thirds, and a somewhat-hidden leveling feature for top-down photos that displays a floating crosshair to help you line up your subject properly.

With iOS 17, Apple has further enhanced the camera leveling functionality by separating it out from the Grid mode. By making it an individual option, Apple has also included an additional horizontal level for more traditional straight-on photos.

ios-17-camera-level-no.jpg

Turning the Level option on will pop up a broken horizontal line on the screen when your iPhone senses you're lining up for a straight-on shot and you tilt your device slightly out of horizontal. The line appears white while your phone is out of level and then turns yellow once you achieve a level orientation to indicate success.

ios-17-camera-level.jpg

How to Enable the Camera Level

The new Level option is off by default if you don't have Grid mode enabled. You can turn it on manually by following these steps.
  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Scroll down and select Camera.
  3. Under the "Composition" section, toggle on the switch next to Level.
ios-17-camera-level.jpg


Now open the Camera app and try shooting a subject at a straight angle, and you should see the broken horizontal lines in the center of the viewfinder. Straighten your angle up to connect the lines and make a single yellow line.

The leveling pop-up only appears briefly and only within a narrow range of angles close to horizontal (in either portrait or landscape orientation), so it won't intrusively pop up when you're intentionally trying to take a photo at an angle.

Article Link: iOS 17: How to Straighten Your Shooting Angle With the New Camera Level Feature
 
Or Apple could just up the resolution of the camera and let us crop/straighten it in post, perhaps even automatically offering straightened suggestion. People rag on super high resolution cameras, but they help a lot for things like this, and offer a lot of effective digital zoom. Needing to frame your photos perfectly because you only have 12MP camera takes longer than quickly cropping a 48MP photo later. Like if you need a photo of a sandwich to send to a graphic designer for your cafe, it is handier being able to take the photo at a distance and crop it way down while still having a high resolution enough image of the sandwich itself to use for your Facebook ad or menu flyer or whatever.
 
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I like it, and will likely use the feature once I update to iOS 17. However... according to article, the feature is toggled/enabled in the iPhone Camera Settings section.

IMHO, it could be better if they let us toggle it ON/OFF within the camera app itself.
I'm not sure. Seems to me the vast majority of typical users would not use this if it existed, or even understand the point of it. And lots of people would accidentally turn it on, then start complaining to Support that their camera "has these weird lines all over the picture."

Burying it in Settings probably stops millions of Apple Support and cluttering Apple Store visits from happening.

ETA: I could even see myself accidentally turning it on and being perplexed.
 
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I'm not sure. Seems to me the vast majority of typical users would not use this if it existed, or even understand the point of it. And lots of people would accidentally turn it on, then start complaining to Support that their camera "has these weird lines all over the picture."

Burying it in Settings probably stops millions of Apple Support and cluttering Apple Store visits from happening.

ETA: I could even see myself accidentally turning it on and being perplexed.

OK that's fair enough.

Although.... to put into perspective, I too personally find several "features" within the camera app as clutter, things I would never use, things that get me thinking "What the hell is this? And why is it there for me to accidentally press toggle ON? Do pro photographers even use this? Or is this something for the Snapchat kids? All I wanna do is shoot right away (spontaneous shot, not a second to waste)...and these things just get in the way."


So yes, I do get your point. One man's "necessary feature" is another man's clutter.

I guess we leave it to Apple to decide (based on their research?) as to which features are absolutely necessary for the majority of users, so that it gets to be available within the camera app itself.
 
Or Apple could just up the resolution of the camera and let us crop/straighten it in post, perhaps even automatically offering straightened suggestion. People rag on super high resolution cameras, but they help a lot for things like this, and offer a lot of effective digital zoom. Needing to frame your photos perfectly because you only have 12MP camera takes longer than quickly cropping a 48MP photo later. Like if you need a photo of a sandwich to send to a graphic designer for your cafe, it is handier being able to take the photo at a distance and crop it way down while still having a high resolution enough image of the sandwich itself to use for your Facebook ad or menu flyer or whatever.
That's great. But even on a high-megapixel camera, I still want a level.
 
Or Apple could just up the resolution of the camera and let us crop/straighten it in post, perhaps even automatically offering straightened suggestion. People rag on super high resolution cameras, but they help a lot for things like this, and offer a lot of effective digital zoom. Needing to frame your photos perfectly because you only have 12MP camera takes longer than quickly cropping a 48MP photo later. Like if you need a photo of a sandwich to send to a graphic designer for your cafe, it is handier being able to take the photo at a distance and crop it way down while still having a high resolution enough image of the sandwich itself to use for your Facebook ad or menu flyer or whatever.
You can straighten and change geometry “in post” easily.

And many moons ago when going to the straighten function it would automatically suggest a level, which was always wrong and always needed adjustment. Luckily they stopped doing that.
 
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