How to take different aspect ratio images on your iPhone

Learn how to adjust your photos’ aspect ratio on an iPhone

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

While everyone knows how to adjust for landscape or portrait by just turning the phone, there may be times when you want a different-sized photo. Fortunately, learning how to take a variety of aspect ratio images on your iPhone is incredibly easy.

Changing the aspect ratio is something I do regularly for reviews published on this site. Like most online publications, I need to submit images in a 16:9 aspect ratio - the iPhone default setting is 4:3. You might not have to worry about that, but if you’re an Instagram user, you know that square photos are the way to go.

It doesn’t matter what model you have, all thebest iPhonescan do this little trick. As you’ll see, it’s a fairly simple, straightforward process. You won’t even need to go into your settings to use this feature.

Steps for how to take different aspect ratio images on your iPhone

Tools and Requirements

Step by step guide

1. Open camera app

To start, you need toopen the Camera app. It should automatically open on the default settings, meaning you should have “Photo” selected for the Camera Mode, instead of “Portrait”, “Video”, or “Pano”. If you’ve set the Camera app (in the settings) up to preserve the last used Camera Mode, then select thePhoto Camera Mode. It is the only mode where you can change the aspect ratio.

2. Tap arrow at the top of the screen

At the top of the screen, right under the notch, you’ll see an upward facing arrow.Tap this arrowto bring up the in-app settings for Photo Mode.

3. Select aspect ratio

You’ll see an icon labeled “4:3”.Tap on this icon.

4. Choose new aspect ratio

Once you’ve tapped the icon, you’ll be given three options to choose from: 4:3 (the default), Square, and 16:9.Tap the desired aspect ratio. Once tapped, the camera aspect ratio will adjust automatically and you can start taking pictures.

You can tap the arrow at the top of the screen again if you want to hide the menu of in-app settings.

Final thoughts

This feature is not only easy but very useful for those wanting or needing to take different-sized photos. You are limited to just a few choices, so you’ll have to learn how to crop your photos if you need a different aspect ratio from the ones included in the app’s settings.

Also be aware that there is a way to preserve the aspect ratio for every picture. Go into theiOS settings > Camera > Preserve Settings > turn on Creative Controls. This will also save the last used filter and light setting along with aspect ratio.

You might also like

Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.

Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.

James Holland loves checking out gadgets of all sorts, whether it’s audio equipment, laptops, or vacuums (especially of the robot variety), and does so for a number of Future Publications including TechRadar, Top Ten Reviews, Homes & Gardens, and T3. He’s built up an expertise for in-depth reviewing over the last four years. When he’s not putting in the work on the latest tech, he loves to travel, play music, and eat questionable food.

A newly reported iPhone phenomenon could be bad news for both cops and robbers

The iPhone 18 series could include a variable aperture, ‘significantly enhancing’ the camera

How to turn off Meta AI