Take long exposure photos iPhone: Step by step to master this technique

Would you like to know how to take long exposure photos on iPhone? This is a very striking photographic technique that allows you to capture small movements and other effects in the same image. Taking this type of capture is relatively simple from an iPhone or iPad, and in this post we explain the step by step to achieve it.

The ability to take long exposure photos is available on iPhones from the iPhone 6s onwards. The option is known as Live Photos, and allows you to capture animated photos and add other interesting effects. In addition to using the native iPhone feature, you can also install apps to make long exposure photos easier.

What are long exposure photos?

To know how to take long exposure photos on iPhone, it is important to first understand what this photographic technique consists of. You've probably seen those photos in which the city lights seem to travel in the dark or in which the water of a river seems to slide with a silky appearance. Indeed, they are long exposure photos, and you can also take them from your iPhone device.

Long exposure photos allow capture images with the camera shutter open for longer than usual. On iPhones, this means the camera records 1,5 seconds before you press the shutter and 1,5 seconds after you press the shutter. The mobile saves the best capture and allows you to apply different effects, including long exposure.

Basically what this effect does is record in a single image everything that happens during that extended time. In this way, it is possible to capture the fluid movement of water or stars moving across the night sky. The result is a photograph with artistic nuances and a very striking movement effect.

Step by step to take long exposure photos on iPhone

Let's look at it step by step. how to set the long exposure photos option on iPhone and some ideas so that you can master this technique easily. As we already said, this photographic effect is available natively on Apple mobile phones and tablets. You just have to activate it, capture the image and then apply the corresponding effect to the resulting image.

Step 1: Activate Live Photos mode

The first step to take long exposure photos on iPhone is to activate Live Photos mode in the Camera app. To do this, open the Camera app and click on the three circles icon in the upper right corner. You will know that the mode is activated when the text LIVE with a yellow background appears on the screen.

Step 2: Take the photo the right way

Once the Live Photos function is activated, it is time to take the photo and then apply the long exposure effect. In this step there is several aspects that you should take into account:

• There must be movement in the landscape what you want to capture. If you aim at a static panorama, there is no way the iPhone can apply the desired effect.
• Dimly lit environments improve the effect long exposure. This is especially true when you want to capture moving lights, like fireflies in a forest or cars on the road.
• It is advantageous to stabilize the mobile to take the photo. Thus, it is possible to capture only the movement of the landscape and reduce blurry shots.

Step 3: Find the photo and apply the Long Exposure effect

The third step is to find the photo that we have taken in mode Live and apply the Long Exposure effect. For it, Open the Photos app and click on the Albums folder, in the bottom menu.

Inside you will see other folders and one of them is called Live Photos. Inside are all the photos we have taken in this mode. If this is the first time you take a photo with these features, you can find it more quickly in the Photos tab in the bottom menu.

Finally, open the photo and Click on the Live tab which is in the upper left part of it. A drop-down menu will open with special effects that you can apply to the photo: Live, Loop, Bounce and Long exposure. Select the latter so that the mobile phone loads the effect and check that the result is as expected.

Applications to take long exposure photos on iPhone

Even though taking long exposure photos on iPhone is relatively easy, there are third-party apps that can help you get more professional results. These applications offer very interesting additional functions, such as manually controlling the aperture and shutter speed. With this you get enhance a photo on iPhone and apply more creative effects.

Pro Camera

Taking long exposure photos on iPhone with professional results is one of the many photography functions of the app Pro Camera. It is designed for photography experts who want to get the most out of their Apple mobile camera. Keep in mind that it is a paid application, but it is worth every euro you pay for it.

Slow Shutter Cam

Slow Shutter Cam It is also a paid app, but with a cheaper subscription than the previous option. Besides, It is specially designed for taking long exposure photos on iPhone, as well as accurately capturing moving scenes.

An interesting aspect of this app is that It has three different shooting modes, so you don't have to adjust each value manually. Each mode is tailored to scenarios with similar characteristics, such as moving water, lights and night shots.

Stabilized Night Camera

Capturing long exposure photos on iPhone under the night sky is not easy, but the results are often impressive. To help you with this, the Stabilized Night Camera app specializes in night mode. In addition, it has an optical stabilization algorithm to minimize the blurring effect of involuntary movement.

ReeXpose: RAW Long Exposure

We finish with the app ReeXpose, the only free app on this list that can help you capture long exposure photos on iPhone. Even though it is not paid, it is a very complete app, with different capture modes, manual controls and touch and highlight focus, among others. Possibly, it is the one that best suits the needs of the majority of iPhone mobile users.