With this downfall ’s iOS 5 update , Apple plans to add up some new camera and picture - editing features to the iPhone , iPod touch , and iPad . On their own , the new tools are nothing revolutionary — most are already uncommitted in third - political party apps . What will make the fresh photographic camera feature utilitarian , however , will be the add up convenience that come from being capable to access them from the iPhone ’s lock screenland . The redaction features will be a welcome improver to iPhone user who do n’t already use third - party redaction apps .
Lock screen access
The rallying cry of iPhone photographers has been that the best camera you have is the one that ’s with you . Yes , always give birth an iPhone on you is handy for catch unexpected second , but you lose precious time fumbling to unlock it with your passcode , and then finding and tap the Camera app .
Apple will make the iPhone and iPod touch feel more like material item - and - shoot photographic camera by adding Camera app access to the lock screen . Double click the Home button , and a camera button will appear to the rightfield of the unlock slider . One tap , and your iPhone , iPod touch , or iPad launching into camera mode .
Access is fix in this mode , so if a unknown or nosey champion gets their custody on your iOS gimmick , they can take photos but not see any images already in your Camera Roll . You have accession to all of the photographic camera feature , and can view or delete any photo or videos taken in this manner , but you ca n’t apportion or edit the double without unlocking the gadget .
Volume Up as shutter button
Third - party photo app developers have tried to turn the iPhone ’s mass Up button into a shutter passing before , only to get frivol away down by Apple . In iOS 5 , Apple has taken the hint and made the hardware fine-tune itself .
The Volume Up button is n’t in the idealistic spot for a shutter push — the lens of the camera is in the grim veracious corner while you ’re shoot — but as long as you are careful not to put a thumb in front of the lens it ’s a great novel choice to have . Using the button should feel more natural to use than tapping the screen ; it will also minimise television camera shake .
Exposure/AF Lock, Grid Overlay, and Pinch-to-Zoom
You ’ll find the other new Camera feature article slated for iOS 5 in various third - party pic apps that are already available in the App Store . In iOS 4 , you solicit once on the Camera screen to set the focus and exposure for an image . Apps like Global Delight ’s enceinte Camera Plus Pro have long allowed user to tap in one spot to lay the focus , and tap somewhere else to prefer the image ’s vulnerability . Apple is assume that feature for iOS 5 ; tap and contain to lock the exposure for your shot ( the blue box will blink to betoken that the exposure lock is on ) , then intercept anywhere else on the screen to focus the television camera .
There ’s a new Grid option that split the screen door into one-third . The addition of an optional grid overlay might be utile for lensman practicing the rule of one-third . Unfortunately for heavy HDR users , it will also bring another stage of navigation to turn the HDR feature on and off . The HDR button is getting replaced by an Options release that you tap once to reach the HDR and Grid On / Off toggle switch .
rounding error - out the Modern camera features is the ability to sneak - to - zoom or else of tapping once on the screen to bring up the zoom slider .
Photos app upgrades
Apple will in the end take a scrap of iPhoto ’s powers to the Photos app . Unfortunately , these new redaction features wo n’t be available from the camera axial motion you access from within the Camera app — you’re able to only apply them in the Photos app . With a ton of editing apps already in the App Store for perform same basic improvement along with much more advanced edits , it will be nice to have these handily in the Photos app . Still , more serious iPhone photographers are n’t going to stop using editing apps like Photogene or the bully newSnapseedanytime presently .
As in iPhoto , an Auto - Enhance push button will instantly improve an image by tweak setting like sharpness , degree , and line . There are already some editing applications dedicate to doing just this , like Athentech ’s Perfectly Clear . Other new iOS 5 redaction features include reddish - eye remotion ( no word on whether it work on the iPhone ’s inauspicious “ clean - eye ” issue due to the light-emitting diode photoflash ) , and the power to rotate and harvest images . When pasture , you may choose the crop proportion manually or select from nine preset crop sizes .
A very welcome Modern Photos lineament will be the power to make a new photo record album at once on your twist . When you add a photo to a new album , a copy persist in the master camera roll folder .
Photo Stream
The most inventive new exposure addition is Photo Stream , which is part of the forthcomingiCloud data sync service . Photo Stream syncs your most recent 1000 exposure across all of your iOS devices , iPhoto on your Mac , your second - generation Apple TV , and with the Pictures Library on Windows PC . You ’ll turn on Photo Stream in the Photos preferences shield . It wo n’t be retroactive , think of only the unexampled photos you take after upgrading to iOS 5 will sync . As the name says , Photo Stream only works for still photos and will not sync videos you shoot on your iOS gimmick . It would be great if users had some ascendency over what syncs , but for now , it ’s straight from the Camera Roll to the swarm .
Photo Stream is n’t limited to shots taken on your equipment ’s photographic camera . It also works for persona imported to your iOS gimmick , which could be a cool feature for photographer patronage - up to an iPad with the Camera Connection Kit . New photos are only stored for 30 daytime , but if you desire an image to stay on your twist longer , you may save it to your Camera Roll . Your Mac or PC will keep all photos that get through the stream , not just the last 1000 .
First impressions
On the whole , these unexampled features look useful but not groundbreaking . The Lock Screen access and new shutter button feature article will go a longsighted manner to cook the iPhone more like a real camera . The ability to make fresh leaflet , and Photo Stream are Brobdingnagian meter savers for photo management . But the other characteristic being roll out are already available through third - company apps , so their usefulness reckon on how you use your tv camera . HabitualInstagramand Hipstamatic users may not even detect they ’re there .
[ Heather Kelly is a Macworld senior fellow editor . ]
iOS 5
