Taking Photos and Recording Videos

Taking photos and recording videos with iPhone is as easy as point and tap.

Screen showing the live camera image. A green square shows the focus area. Across the bottom of the screen are from left to right: a thumbnail of the last shot, the button to take a photo, and the Photo/Video switch.

Take a photo: 

Aim iPhone and tap Take photo button.

Make sure the Camera/Video switch is set to Camera icon.

When you take a photo or start a video recording, iPhone makes a shutter sound. The sound isn’t played if you’ve set the Ring/Silent switch to silent. See Sounds and the Ring/Silent Switch.

NOTE: In some regions, the sound effects for Camera are played even if the Ring/Silent switch is set to silent.

Record a video: 

Slide the Camera/Video switch to Video icon. Tap Record video button to start recording. The record button blinks while Camera is recording. Tap Record video button again to stop recording. You can also press the center button on the iPhone headset (or the equivalent button on your Bluetooth headset) to start and stop recording.

If you take a picture or record a video with iPhone rotated sideways, the picture is saved in landscape orientation.

A rectangle on the screen shows the area where Camera is focusing the shot.

Change the focus area and set exposure: 

Tap where you want to focus. Camera automatically adjusts the exposure for the selected area of the image.

Review a photo or video you’ve just taken: 

Tap the thumbnail of your last shot, in the lower-left corner of the screen.

Delete a photo or video: 

Tap Trash icon. If you don’t see Trash icon, tap the screen to display the controls.

Take a screenshot of the iPhone display: 

Quickly press and release the Sleep/Wake and Home buttons at the same time. A flash of the screen lets you know the screenshot was taken. The screenshot is added to the Camera Roll album.