How to stop iPhone from automatically brightening photos

iPhone 11 and higher models have a new algorithm integrated into their chip called Deep Fusion, which automatically improves the quality of your photos. With every photo you take, you’ll notice that colors and brightness become sharper to the point that it sometimes makes images look unrealistic.

Unfortunately, this is a built-in filter that you won’t be able to disable.

However, you can try some alternatives to reduce the enhancement effect and make your images look more natural. In this article, you will find the different ways to edit your iPhone photos to minimize the effect of the Deep Fusion filter.

Disable Full HDR

Since it is impossible to disable the Deep Fusion filter on your iPhone, you can try using other editing features to reduce its effect. Turning off Full HDR (high dynamic range) is a good starting point. Like the Deep Fusion filter, Full HDR is a feature that automatically improves the quality of your photos. However, the Full HDR filter and Deep Fusion combined can result in images with unnatural colors.

Follow these steps to turn off Full HDR:

1. Go to the “Settings” app on your iPhone.
   
2. Scroll down until you reach “Photos.”
   
3. Disable the “View Full HDR” option in the menu. While this won’t stop the Deep Fusion feature from automatically retouching your photos, you will likely see some changes.

Use noise reduction

In photography, “noise” describes a low-quality photograph taken in low-light situations. These photos often look grainy and distorted. Even with the best editing apps, this effect is difficult to solve.

You can reduce image noise levels with the latest iPhone models to improve image quality. Plus, it will make a slight change to your photos with the Deep Fusion filter.

Here’s how to use noise reduction on your photos:

1. Go to the “Photos” app on your phone.
   
2. Select the photo you want to edit.
   
3. Tap “Edit” in the top right corner.
   
4. In the menu below the image, scroll until you reach the “Noise Reduction” icon.
   
5. Use the slider to reduce the noise in your photo to zero.
   

Use burst mode

Another alternative to reducing automatic enhancement is to shoot them using Burst Mode. Here’s how to enable the feature on your iPhone:

1. In the “Settings” app, go to “Camera Settings.”
   
2. Activate the “Use Volume Up for Burst” option.
   
3. Open your camera app and take some photos in burst mode.
   
4. Go to your camera roll and tap “Select.”
   
5. Choose all your recent photos.
   
6. Select “Done” and then “Keep.”
   

Now you can check if you notice a reduction in enhancement in your photos.

Use the key photo option

Another way to access a photo that hasn’t been automatically enhanced by the iOS feature is through Live Photo mode. Follow these steps to activate it and access unenhanced images.

1. Open the “Camera” app and select “Live Mode” from the menu at the top of the screen.
   
2. Go to your photo in “Live Mode” and tap “Edit.”
   
3. In the menu at the bottom, tap the “Live Mode” option.
   
4. Use the Key Photo option to choose a different frame.
   

This new key photo will not have automatic enhancement.

Take raw photos with Apple ProRAW

With the iPhone 12 Pro and above, Apple introduced ProRAW, a photography feature with pro-level editing options. “RAW” is commonly used to describe an uncompressed file, which is easier to edit because it stores more information about the photo than a compressed file.

When the ProRAW feature is disabled, iPhones save photos as HEIC files. This format is popular because it takes up less storage space. However, it also stores less information, which limits editing alternatives. Follow these steps to enable Apple ProRAW:

1. In the “Settings” app on your phone, tap “Camera.”
   
2. Select “Formats” at the top of the menu.
   
3. Enable the “Apple ProRAW” option in “Photo Capture.”
   
4. Go to your camera app and tap the “RAW” icon in the top right corner to turn it on.
   

ProRAW is an excellent alternative to avoid the Deep Fusion filter in your photographs. However, this feature has some limitations.

First, the size of the photos you take with ProRAW will take up a lot of space on your storage. A ProRAW photo can be up to 25 MB, while a standard HEIC format image is around 1.5 MB.

Another limitation is that your iPhone will be the only device you can use to edit your photos. While you can download them to your Mac computer and use Pixelmator, other apps like Photoshop and Lightroom don’t yet support ProRAW images.

Use photo editor

iPhone has a feature-rich editor option that will allow you to change the brightness, color, and details of your photos. These changes will be applied in addition to the Deep Fusion filter. However, it can help you reduce the sharpening effect. Available functions for brightness include:

• Brilliance. She lightens the shadows and dims the lights in the photo.
• Darkness. It focuses on the darkest parts of the image and lightens them.
• Black point. Allows you to adjust the darkest part of the image.
• Glow. It works on the entire image, lightening or darkening it.
• Reflexes. You can use it to lighten or darken the lighter parts of the image.
• Contrast. Allows you to darken darker parts of the image and lighten lighter elements.
• Exposure. You can choose how much light enters the lens.

Other editing features let you control image colors. Available editing options include the following:

• Vibrance. You can change the intensity of the colors. The function works automatically in the least saturated ones.
• Dye. Work on the intensity of the magenta and green color of the image.
• Heat. This feature allows you to adjust the blue and yellow tones in your photo to cool or warm your images.
• Saturation. Work on the entire photograph, changing the intensity of the colors.

Once you have controlled the brightness and color of your photo, you can move on to the details. These options include:

• Bullet point. It works on the corners of the image, making them darker.
• Sharpness. Allows you to focus on the corners of the image.
• Definition. Works on the details of the image, making them more precise.
• Noise reduction. Reduces image graininess, normally present in photographs taken in low lighting.

Additional FAQs

Can I apply filters to photos on my iPhone?

Among the editing features available on your iPhone, you’ll find different filters that can be automatically applied to photos, including black, vivid, warm vivid, dramatic, and more. By choosing the filter you like, you can tap the image to view the original for a few seconds and compare the results.

Can I undo edits to my photos?

If you want to restore your edited photo to the original, follow these steps:

1. Go to the “Edit” menu of the image.

2. In the upper right corner, you will find “Revert”. Touch it.

3.Select “Revert to original”.

What is the portrait effect on my iPhone camera?

The portrait feature on your iPhone camera allows you to choose the lighting and aperture of the photo. You’ll find this feature by tapping the portrait icon, which looks like a small cube. A diamond-shaped icon and an F are located in the upper left corner. With the diamond icon you can choose the amount of light the image will have. With the F icon, on the other hand, you can select how blurry the background will look.

Can I crop a photo with my iPhone?

When you click the “Edit” option on your photo, you can choose to crop or rotate the image. Click the icon that looks like a square with two arrows to access the “Crop” function. You will have different alternatives to rotate the image, crop it and change its perspective.

What does the magic wand icon do?

You’ll find an icon that looks like a small wand when you edit a photo on your iPhone. This auto-enhance feature will automatically adjust the color, brightness, and details of the image. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always achieve the best results. However, you can use it as a starting point for editing.

Get the best photographs

With the iPhone 11, Apple proudly announced a new photo filter called Deep Fusion. This filter is automatically applied to every photo you take, enhancing its colors and brightness. While this made many users happy, others did not share their feelings and did not like the unnatural look of their photos.

Unfortunately, users cannot disable this filter as it is built into the phone’s chip. However, there are some editing functions available that will help you reduce the sharpening effect of the filter, such as turning off full HRD, using noise reduction, or burst mode.

What editing options helped you reduce the Deep Fusion effect? Let us know in the comments section.