Ever since Apple introduced its Photographic Styles, I’ve mostly stuck to the Standard filter and then edited my pictures in the Photos app later if I wanted. With iOS 18, Apple added the ability to change Photographic Styles after taking a photo, and I decided it was time to experiment and play around with different Styles.
I quickly discovered I’d been missing out, but also why I’m never likely to use the feature again.
A frustrating choice
When I purposefully went to change the Photographic Style of an existing photo, I couldn’t find the option. Was it me? Had Apple hidden such a high-profile feature away to the point where I couldn’t find it? No, it turned out it wasn’t available on any of my photos for one simple reason: I’d been taking them in the wrong format. It’s one of those situations that if I’ve found myself in it, I wonder how many others have as well.
I have always saved photos on my iPhone as JPEG files, purely because there are times when I use them in articles, whether it’s a quick product snap or for in-depth camera comparisons. The format makes life much easier, as they can be directly uploaded to WordPress and viewed online without a problem. The alternative is Apple’s HEIC format, which is the default option on a brand new iPhone, except I’ve used iCloud backups to restore new iPhone models for as long as I can remember, and it has kept the JPEG format in place.
Until now, it hasn’t been a problem because I simply haven’t found a reason to change it, and I still need iPhone photos for work. However, to change the Photographic Style after you’ve taken a photo, it needs to be saved as in the HEIC format.
If you want to check your own iPhone, head to Settings > Camera > Formats. There’s a choice of either Most Compatible, or JPEG, or a High Efficiency option, which is HEIC.
Photographic Style editing finally appears
Sure enough, once my photos were saved in the correct format, the ability to change Photographic Styles magically appeared in the editing section. I’ve been using the Standard version forever, mostly because I tend to forget there’s the option to change. I’m guilty of testing it out during my review of the iPhone 16 Plus and for my article on the Camera Control, and then promptly ignoring it. Now that the full power of the Photographic Style was in my hands, was it going to be worth the inconvenience (for me) of the HEIC format?
It’s hard to answer because as much as I like the feature, I’m not sure I’ll use it. One part of the Photographic Styles experience that’s fun and well-designed is the editing of the Style itself, which is done by swiping a crosshair-style pointer over a grid. It quickly and dramatically changes the look of your photo outside of the basic default alterations. It’s easy to fine-tune the look, just as it is to try each different Photographic Style in the first place, all of which are a simple swipe away.
Swiping through them is highly reminiscent of applying a filter on Instagram, and this is where part of the problem for me lies. Each Photographic Style changes the photo in a meaningful way, but I can never find exactly the right one, which is something I always encounter on Instagram. It could be that two work well, or I can’t decide whether I like the photo with a slight edit one way or another. I really like the ability to swap between them, though, and it has shown me how simple and often drab the Standard Photographic Style can be.
The photos in this article show a before-and-after editing comparison, where I’ve applied a different Photographic Style to each. I love how they have turned out, especially compared to the slight dullness of the Standard filter, and it only took a short while to get the look I had in my mind when I first took the image.
However, to show you, the files had to be converted over to .PEG and that’s something that’s only really possible after transferring them over to my computer. What’s more, because I couldn’t get the look exactly right, I edited them using the Photos app’s other tools anyway. It made me wonder, why bother with changing the Photographic Style in the first place?
I still need to edit
That’s right. Just as I find I need to do with photos on Instagram, I still edit my iPhone photos even after applying a different Photographic Style, as it’s impossible to get the look I’m after otherwise. The Styles don’t do anything that different from editing anyway; they just quickly give you a predetermined look, so I never find I’m missing out just by sticking with a shot taken with the Standard style and then tweaking it. I like the process of changing Photographic Styles and have found the Standard style to be a bit dull, but I don’t think I will continue using the expanded feature.
My need to edit the images further compounds the problem raised by the requirement to save a photo as a HEIC file. It’s a lot easier for me to have a JPEG file ready to go, and I’m almost positive I won’t remember to swap between file formats when I want to either use a photo online or take advantage of the Photographic Style edit feature.
I’m just going to end up leaving it on the one that’s best and most convenient for me and, sadly, I think that’s going to be JPEG. The alternative is also awkward for video, as when you select High Efficiency in the Settings menu, the camera goes on to save videos in a less convenient HEVC format. It’s the same reason I never bothered much with 10-bit color photos, as they also save in an irritating format.
No more Photographic Styles for me
I suppose I should be mad at Apple for all this. I’m sure there’s a technical reason why the feature requires High Efficiency files, but it’s a royal pain for those of us who regularly need photos in a more widely accepted file format.
I’m unfortunately at the point where I either have to miss out on a fun and interesting feature or stick with changing Photographic Styles when I actually take a photo and the more convenient life this decision brings. I’m choosing convenience, but I know there will be times when I miss the flexibility that extra bit of Photographic Style editing brings.
