How to use the iPhone camera grid and level
By Juste Tools · Published
The camera grid helps you position a subject; the level helps you check a tilted frame. In Apple's Camera workflow, you can enable Grid and Level in Settings, Camera. Treat the lines as guides, rather than rules that every picture must follow.
Use one line for one decision
Put a horizon along a horizontal grid line, or place a person near a vertical line when you want some room beside them. Check the whole edge of the picture for cut-off hands and distracting objects. A balanced frame can still have its subject in the centre.
- For a person speaking, leave room in the direction they are looking.
- For a process, include the workspace that the next action will use.
- For a room, check the horizon and the strongest vertical lines.
Leave space for a later crop
A landscape recording cropped to portrait can lose people at both sides. Imagine the final shape before recording, and keep the essential action in that area. A grid does not know what a social app will crop, so inspect a test in your intended edit.
If you plan to add captions, leave a quiet area where they can sit without covering a face or a demonstration. Avoid making the subject tiny just to include every object in the room.
Compose the second view too
A wider rear-camera view can keep the surroundings while the main view concentrates on the action. Check both previews before recording. Enabling a grid in Apple's Camera settings does not promise an overlay inside a third-party app; use whichever composition tools that app actually offers.