iPhone cameras have dramatically evolved in terms of quality since they were first introduced. Today, you no longer need an expensive DSLR camera to accept professional person-looking photos. Whether you're already the go-to person for your friends' Instagram pics or y'all're looking to add "iPhone Lensman" to your resume, at that place are tons of iPhone photography shortcuts and hacks that every modern-day cameraman should know.


How to use the iOS Shortcuts app

While almost iPhone users are well-versed in how the Camera app works, there's another tool from Apple tree that can automate some of your photography processes and drag your picture-taking skills to the next level.

In 2019, Apple tree introduced iOS Shortcuts, an app that allows you to use "personal shortcuts" by setting upwardly multiple tasks to run automatically by taking a single activity. Shortcuts can exist used on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod as long as the device is running on iOS 12 or higher. This app replaced Apple's Workflow app in the iOS 12 update.

While Shortcuts simplifies a lot of annoying processes, information technology can't requite you lot more space on your iPhone — but Gemini Photos can. Use the app to quickly observe and delete old screenshots, blurry images, and duplicate photos.

Download on the App Store

Not just tin you use already created shortcuts in the app'southward gallery, but you too have the pick to create your ain. From taking photos while shooting a video to making photo collages, the possibilities this opens up for iPhone photographers are almost endless.

The best iPhone shortcuts for photos, videos, and Instagram

While Shortcuts provides a lot of different ways to hack your iPhone, some of the most exciting sequences you can create are for your photos, your videos, and, of class, your Instagram.

Nosotros've rounded up some of our favorite iOS shortcuts that will plow y'all into a true iPhone photographer.


ane. Where Was This Taken?

If you lot're e'er coming across new places to take photos, this shortcut volition be a lifesaver. The Where Was This Taken shortcut essentially extracts the GPS coordinates from a moving picture and displays precisely when the image was taken and how far away it is from your current location — and that's non all.

This shortcut besides gives you lot the option to navigate to the photo's location using Maps. You can customize this hack past adjusting the "if greater than" value and then you but see distances for images within a certain radius. The text of the message can too exist edited.

If y'all're a photographer who likes to accept designated places to bring your clients, add this shortcut as a widget to make information technology even more accessible.


2. Photo Filigree

Do you love creating fun photo collages but hate how long information technology takes to do in a third-party app? And then you'll beloved the Photograph Filigree shortcut.

With this hack, all you have to do is cull the images you lot want to include in your collage, and that'south it! The remainder happens automatically.

After your collage is created, you simply save it to your device so share information technology with your friends or postal service it online. You can too add together the Salvage to Photo Album activity or the Send Bulletin action to this shortcut, so even the final stride happens without any effort on your part.


3. Video to GIF

This shortcut, created by Matthew Cassinelli, is by far ane of the easiest ways to create GIFs out of your personal videos. Video to GIF allows y'all to trim a video before turning information technology into a GIF.

Yous must manually save the GIF to your Camera Roll by pressing the share push button at the summit-correct corner of the page. Y'all could besides choose to add the Salve to Photo Anthology action to the bottom of the sequence. Either style, this shortcut makes information technology elementary to create your own GIFs.

Even so, this shortcut merely works with videos taken on your iPhone camera. It won't work on videos taken in apps like Instagram or Snapchat. The video likewise has to be longer than 1 2nd.


4. Shoot GIF with Camera

Don't feel left out if you don't take any videos on manus that are GIF-worthy. The shortcut Shoot GIF with Camera allows y'all to exercise just that.

When you start this shortcut, information technology will outset prompt you to take a few photos with your camera. Then, it automatically stitches together the images and turns them into a GIF. Afterwards that, you can either save your new GIF manually or add the Save to Photo Album action to the customizable sequence.


5. Post Live Photo to Instagram

Live photos represent ane of the coolest photo features that Apple has released to date, then imagine the disappointment felt by many iPhone users when they couldn't share their live photos to Instagram without going through the annoying procedure of turning them into videos first.

Delete all of your third-party video converter apps, because the Post Live Photo to Instagram shortcut does all the legwork for you. Starting this shortcut automatically takes your most recent live photograph, converts information technology to a video, and sends it to Instagram. All you accept to do is cull the Story or Feed option, and post. The sound of the live photo is also included.


six. Open Story Camera

Sometimes when that perfect Kodak moment arrives, y'all miss it considering yous're too busy fumbling around on your phone trying to open up Instagram's Story Camera. IG Story-Camera lets you launch the camera in tape fourth dimension from the Shortcuts Widget so you'll never miss a shot again.


7. Copy Instagram Hashtags

What'due south the signal of taking all of these beautiful pictures if no one sees them? With the Re-create Instagram Hashtags shortcut, y'all can choose from your listing of favorite hashtags and copy them to the clipboard — making calculation hashtags to your Instagram posts a total breeze.

Afterwards adding the shortcut to your library, you'll exist prompted to enter in all of your favorite hashtags and printing Done. When you lot're ready to post on your Instagram feed, simply go to the shortcut, select which hashtags you lot want to copy, and and then paste them into the post'southward caption.


8. Post to Instagram

If you're posting to Instagram on a regular footing, a shortcut like Post to Instagram can salvage you some fourth dimension. Rather than uploading a photo from the Instagram app, this shortcut allows y'all to share to your Story or your feed directly from your Photo Library.

After yous've downloaded the shortcut, follow these instructions:

  1. Select the photo you want to share.
  2. Press the share button in the bottom-left corner of the page.
  3. 3. Whorl downwardly and select Post to Instagram.
  4. From there, you can choose to add the photograph to your Story or your feed.

While iPhones have already come quite far in terms of camera quality and photo editing, Shortcuts makes information technology even easier to edit, share, and transform your photography. Download the app — which is complimentary on the App Store — and start hacking your iPhone!