Taking the perfect photo takes a lot of work. In many situations, using the camera timer can save you a lot of time. This camera tool can be a lifesaver when you are alone and don’t feel comfortable asking someone else to take your picture. It’s also convenient for group shots, so no one is left out. Setting a timer on your iPhone camera is a simple task that only takes a couple of seconds.
In this guide, we will talk about how you can set a timer in the Camera app on your iPhone. Plus, you’ll discover how to take multiple simultaneous shots with the iPhone camera timer.
How to set a timer on the iPhone camera
Your camera’s timer is useful for several reasons. If you and your friends want to take a group photo, but no one is there to take it, a stopwatch is your best friend. On the other hand, if you’re alone and want to take a photo, but you’d rather not give your phone to a stranger, just turn on the timer and you’re done. In some situations, there is someone who can take the photo, but they just don’t know how to do it properly. You can place your iPhone at the right angle and take the photo with the timer.
Of course, you can take all of these photos with your selfie camera, but it’s not the same. Selfies give you much less space, even if you’re using a selfie stick. What’s more, group selfies are often lackluster and there isn’t enough space for everyone. If you are traveling to a beautiful destination with your friends, the goal of the photo is to capture the background.
You don’t need to install any special app to take a photo with a timer, as it’s a feature built into your iPhone’s native camera app. Whether you want to take photos with your rear camera or the selfie camera, the timer is in the same place. If you’re using your phone’s camera, you can choose between two timers: three seconds and 10 seconds. Choosing the delay is up to you, but if there are more people in the photo, the more time you have to prepare and get into position, the better.
If you want to set a timer on your iPhone camera, here’s what you need to do:
- Go to the Camera app on the home screen or simply swipe left on the lock screen.
- Choose between the main camera and the selfie camera.
- Tap the timer icon in the top right corner of the screen.
- Select between “3” and “10”.
- Take the photo by tapping the shutter button.
The nice thing about the iPhone camera timer is that for every second of the countdown, the camera will fire a quick flash. This will let you know exactly how much time you have left until the photo is taken. If you want to turn off the timer and use your iPhone’s camera normally, tap the timer icon once again and choose the “Off” option on the left side.
If you have the iPhone 13 Pro or iPhone 13 Pro Max, here’s how you can use the timer to take a photo with the Camera app:
- Go to the Camera app on the home screen.
- Place your iPhone horizontally.
- Tap the “More options” arrow at the top of the screen.
- Choose the timer icon in the bottom right corner of the screen (which is the top right corner if you hold your phone horizontally).
- Select the timer delay.
- Tap the shutter button to take the photo.
That’s all about it. You have successfully taken a photo with the self-timer. For an additional tip, make sure you place your iPhone on a stable surface. Using a tripod is the best option, but if you don’t have one, simply place the phone against a small object and make sure it stays in place. With the timer tool, you won’t have to deal with shaky hands, blurry photos, or someone’s thumb accidentally entering the frame.
How to take multiple photos with your iPhone timer
No matter which countdown option you choose, three seconds or 10 seconds, your iPhone will take 10 photos at the same time, also known as burst images. This is a very useful feature that allows your camera to take multiple photos at the same time. It also saves you a lot of time since you won’t have to go back and forth to tap the capture button for each photo.
Burst mode is enabled by default in your camera settings. It is very easy to disable and you can even do it by accident. It’s up to you whether or not you want to use burst mode in conjunction with the self-timer.
There is no designated button or option that allows you to enable and disable burst mode. As we already said, it is enabled by default. However, if you can’t seem to activate burst mode, it can mean two things. The Live Photo option is enabled, Portrait Mode, or both. To take burst images, both of these modes must be disabled.
Let’s see how you can take burst photos with the iPhone camera timer:
- Launch your camera app.
- Make sure the live photo icon is not yellow (it’s located on the left side of the timer icon). This will automatically enable burst mode.
- Tap the timer icon in the top right corner.
- Choose the timer delay: three seconds or 10 seconds.
- Take the photo(s).
Even if you only pressed the capture button once, the camera will still take 10 photos. The convenient thing about burst mode is that it allows you to sort through those 10 photos, so you can delete the bad photos and keep the good ones. If you are wondering how to do this, follow the steps below:
- Go to your Gallery on your home page.
- Proceed to the “Recent” folder.
- Open the burst image. You’ll see the message “Burst (10 photos)” in the top left corner of the photo.
- Tap the “Select” option below the photo.
- Choose the photos you want to keep by tapping the circle in the bottom right corner of each photo.
- Select “Done.”
- Tap the “Keep Favorites Only” option on the pop-up window.
Doing this will immediately move the bad photos to the trash, so you won’t have to delete each photo inpidually.
Take photos with your iPhone like a pro
The photos you take with your iPhone can be incredible if you know how to use your camera correctly. There are many tricks that can help you improve your photography skills and the self-timer is one of the simplest. This camera tool allows you to take pictures with your friends or yourself when no one is there to take them. It saves you time and the photos turn out a hundred times better than selfies.
