15 iPhone Photo Editing Recipes Using the Photos App

The built-in Photos app can create polished color styles without a third-party editor. The 15 recipes below are starting points rather than universal presets: lighting, skin tones, and camera exposure differ from one image to another, so apply the values and then fine-tune the result.

Photos editing is nondestructive. You can return to Edit later and choose Revert to restore the original.

How to apply an editing recipe

1. Open a photo in Photos and tap Edit.
2. Select Adjust, then swipe through the individual controls.
3. Enter each value approximately by moving its slider. Tap an adjustment icon to compare it with and without that change.
4. Use Filters only when a recipe names one, and adjust the filter intensity rather than assuming full strength.
5. Crop or straighten the image last, then tap Done.

What the main controls change

• Exposure moves the overall image lighter or darker.
• Brilliance balances detail and contrast across highlights and shadows.
• Highlights targets the brightest areas; Shadows targets darker areas.
• Contrast changes the separation between light and dark tones, while Black Point controls the depth of the darkest tones.
• Saturation changes all colors; Vibrance emphasizes less-saturated colors more selectively.
• Warmth shifts between blue and yellow; Tint shifts between green and magenta.
• Sharpness, Definition, and Noise Reduction affect fine detail. Use them carefully to avoid halos or waxy textures.

The original formulas used translated labels such as “bright area,” “dark area,” “freshness,” and “humidity.” They are shown here with the corresponding English Photos labels: Highlights, Shadows, Vibrance, and Warmth.

Color-style recipes

1. Muted brown

Photos adjustment	Starting value
Filter: Vivid	50 intensity
Exposure	-35
Highlights	+20
Shadows	+70
Contrast	-40
Brilliance	+80
Black Point	-20
Saturation	+23

Use this as a warm, lifted look for scenes with wood, brick, or neutral clothing. Reduce Saturation if skin becomes too orange.

2. Airy blue

Photos adjustment	Starting value
Filter: Vivid	10 intensity
Exposure	+20
Brilliance	+90
Highlights	-55
Shadows	+55
Contrast	-20
Brightness	+13
Saturation	+5
Vibrance	+10

Lower Highlights further if the sky loses detail. For portraits, reduce Brilliance if faces look unnaturally flat.

3. Light brown

Photos adjustment	Starting value
Exposure	-30
Brilliance	+32
Highlights	-70
Shadows	+45
Contrast	-40
Brightness	+77
Black Point	+40
Saturation	-5
Vibrance	+30

4. Deep blue

Photos adjustment	Starting value
Brilliance	+60
Highlights	-85
Shadows	+30
Contrast	-10
Saturation	-17
Vibrance	+30
Warmth	-17
Tint	-35

This cool treatment suits water, glass, and overcast scenes. Raise Warmth toward zero if people look too blue.

5. Golden orange

Photos adjustment	Starting value
Brilliance	+50
Highlights	-100
Contrast	-25
Brightness	+15
Saturation	+10
Tint	+30

This works best when the source already contains warm sunrise or late-afternoon light. A recipe cannot create realistic directional golden light if it was not present in the original scene.

6. Soft purple

Photos adjustment	Starting value
Exposure	+6
Brilliance	+50
Highlights	-5
Shadows	+10
Contrast	+5
Vibrance	+10
Warmth	+7
Sharpness	+23

7. Warm brown

Photos adjustment	Starting value
Warmth	+100
Exposure	-20
Vibrance	+42
Highlights	-40
Shadows	+45
Contrast	-45
Brightness	+25
Saturation	-40

Warmth at +100 is an extreme choice. Pull it back until whites remain believable and skin tones retain detail.

8. Earth tones

Photos adjustment	Starting value
Exposure	-40
Brilliance	+40
Highlights	-20
Shadows	-20
Contrast	+45
Brightness	+50
Black Point	-60
Saturation	-25
Vibrance	+20
Warmth	+60
Tint	-45

9. Bright picnic blue

Photos adjustment	Starting value
Exposure	+100
Highlights	-26
Shadows	+16
Contrast	-23
Saturation	+50
Sharpness	+10

Because +100 Exposure can clip bright areas, begin lower and increase only until the subject is clear. This recipe is best for an underexposed source, not an already bright image.

Six additional looks

10. Soft faded detail

Photos adjustment	Starting value
Exposure	+5
Brilliance	+60
Highlights	-40
Shadows	+70
Contrast	-50
Black Point	+5
Saturation	-20
Vibrance	+20
Tint	-15
Sharpness	+30
Noise Reduction	+20

11. Warm pastel

Photos adjustment	Starting value
Exposure	+5
Brilliance	+50
Highlights	-10
Shadows	+50
Contrast	-35
Brightness	+15
Black Point	+15
Saturation	-20
Vibrance	+20
Warmth	+40
Tint	+30
Sharpness	+30

12. Cool vivid detail

Photos adjustment	Starting value
Brilliance	+55
Highlights	-100
Shadows	+15
Contrast	-30
Black Point	+15
Saturation	-20
Vibrance	+70
Warmth	+25
Tint	+35
Sharpness	+30

13. Soft matte

Photos adjustment	Starting value
Exposure	+5
Brilliance	+60
Highlights	-40
Shadows	+70
Contrast	-50
Black Point	+5
Saturation	-20
Vibrance	+20
Tint	-15
Definition	-10
Sharpness	+30
Noise Reduction	+20

14. Bright warm color

Photos adjustment	Starting value
Exposure	+25
Brilliance	+35
Highlights	+15
Shadows	+40
Contrast	-40
Brightness	+50
Saturation	+20
Vibrance	+30
Warmth	+10
Tint	-40
Sharpness	+30

15. Cool low-key

Photos adjustment	Starting value
Brilliance	+70
Highlights	-75
Shadows	+20
Contrast	-30
Brightness	-40
Black Point	+20
Saturation	-20
Vibrance	+10
Warmth	+55
Definition	-10
Sharpness	+30

How to adapt any recipe

1. Set Exposure and Brilliance first so the subject is readable.
2. Recover bright detail with Highlights and open dark detail with Shadows.
3. Use Contrast and Black Point to restore depth after lifting shadows.
4. Adjust Warmth and Tint while watching whites and skin tones.
5. Add Saturation or Vibrance last, then use only enough sharpening to reveal natural detail.

Compare the edit with the original several times. If the first thing you notice is the processing rather than the subject, reduce the strongest adjustment.