Let me Level with You
I don’t get it, but most of the shots I take aren’t quite level. Close, mind you, but not as precise as they might be given my obsession with seascapes. There’s no better horizon line than the ocean itself after all, but my pictures tend to lean a tiny bit to the left.
Photo by author.
Well, that’s another post.
Thankfully, most photos get by without adjustment because there aren’t any square references in the picture. Or the awesome subject just distracts from any geometric faux pas. And, occasionally, I deliberately add some tilt to the composition just for interest’s sake.
But, mostly, I’d just as soon take a nice square image as not.
Which brings me to the updated Camera App in iOS 17.
That has a level!
Photo by author.
Now, if you are concerned with spatial accuracy, you can get a nifty little level reference right on the screen when you take a photo or video.
To activate it, go to Settings > Camera and switch the Level to ON.
When you go to frame a shot you’ll see a thin white line across the middle of the frame. As you tilt the iPhone back and forth, the line will line up with a marker on either side and, when level, the whole line will turn yellow.
Then hold that position and take your shot.
The Level tool works in either landscape or portrait orientation. If you don’t see it at first, frame a shot against a dark background so you can see what it looks like. Then tilt the iPhone back and forth a bit until it appears.
Photo by author.
Now you can level up all your photos.