Apple Highlights Photos Shot With Portrait Mode and Depth Control on iPhone XS

Apple today highlighted a series of photographs that were captured using the Portrait Mode and Depth Control features of the iPhone XS, sharing the images in an Apple Newsroom article.

Apple focused on images that were shared from users around the world on social networks that include Twitter and Instagram. To find the images, Apple used the #ShotoniPhone hashtag.

portraitmodeappletwitterexample


All of the photos used Portrait Mode and the new Depth Control feature, which is exclusive to the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR.


Portrait Mode is designed to blur the background when capturing a subject in the foreground, while Depth Control allows you to adjust the amount of blur in the photograph for a customized look.


On the iPhone XS, Portrait Mode images with Depth Control can feature any subject, including pets, flowers, food, and more because there are two cameras to pull depth information from.

On the iPhone XR, however, it's worth noting that Portrait Mode images must include a human subject because the feature does not work unless a face can be detected.

The full range of photos Apple thought were worthy of sharing can be found in the Apple Newsroom article.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
maxresdefault

Apple Shows Off a Key Reason to Upgrade to the iPhone 17

Saturday February 7, 2026 9:26 am PST by
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie. "Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...

Top Rated Comments

Return Zero Avatar
95 months ago
And still not better than LAST YEARS Pixel 2, let’s not even bring up the Pixel 3 camera, wouldn’t even be fair
Photos are only one camera application (and both phones have their strengths here; Pixel doesn't win in every scenario).

Now, video (and audio) on either Pixel is absolutely sh*tty compared to the iPhone.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AngerDanger Avatar
95 months ago
Why does that kid look so sad?

He's having an existential moment as he realizes life is meaningless ...
Nothing a subtle tweak in Photoshop can't fix…



Perfect!

Attachment Image
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Aluminum213 Avatar
95 months ago
And still not better than LAST YEARS Pixel 2, let’s not even bring up the Pixel 3 camera, wouldn’t even be fair
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
keysofanxiety Avatar
95 months ago
And still not better than LAST YEARS Pixel 2, let’s not even bring up the Pixel 3 camera, wouldn’t even be fair
That’s about all the Pixel’s got going for it.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MauiPa Avatar
95 months ago
And still not better than LAST YEARS Pixel 2, let’s not even bring up the Pixel 3 camera, wouldn’t even be fair
don't forget the #crappydisplaygate. Thats why Pixel2 users have to upgrade. But why is the Pixel 3 slower than last years iPhone X?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cppguy Avatar
95 months ago
Computational photography is completely hit and miss. If you're lucky, it comes out OK, if not, it cuts half your hair or arm. Professionals cannot depend on it. I certainly wouldn't hold my breath, when a proper camera always gets the bokeh 100% of the time, because it's analog, following simple laws of physics.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)