OF PICS, PIXELS AND PROCESSING

Take command of your powerful new smartphone camera

- J.D. BIERSDORFER

Smartphone photography has come a long way since the first iPhone’s single 2MP camera in 2007.

With phones now boasting multiple cameras with 48, 50 or even 200MP resolutions, the camera software has also gotten more complex, with more fine-tuned controls and features. Some are even boosted by artificial intelligence.

If you’re still finding your way around the latest app update or just got a new phone, here's how to find the tools that let you create your best photos and videos. (Note: The options vary by phone model. The examples here were made with an iPhone 17 Pro Max and a Google Pixel 10 Pro.)

APPLE IOS CAMERA

Apple redesigned the Camera app built into its iPhone this year with its latest operating system, iOS 26, so your first step might be finding where everything went. In the bottom centre of the screen, there are now two buttons: Video and Photo. When you tap either one, a popup menu appears.

Tap Photo to adjust the exposure, aspect ratio, flash and other settings for pictures. Tap Video to see the settings for frame rate, resolution and other controls. (You can also get to these controls from the small row of icons in the top right-corner of the screen.)