What type of smartphone camera grid is best?

For example, Google Pixel has 4 options, so try them all to see what effect each option will have on the photo.

Take photos without a grid

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Gridless photography is the default mode on almost every smartphone camera, and the mode manufacturers assume you'll choose. This may be the preferred choice if you are an experienced photographer who knows the rules of composition so well that you don't need any help.

There's nothing wrong with taking photos without a grid, if that's your preference. Even if you have no experience, you may still enjoy an unobstructed view of the subject you're photographing, with only your instincts to guide you. In that case, turning off the grid lines completely is the right decision.

Take photos using a 3x3 grid

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A 3x3 grid is the standard grid. This is the type of grid that iPhone users can use without installing an alternative camera app, and is the main option Google offers in Pixel Camera. As the name suggests, the 3x3 grid divides the viewfinder into three sections, horizontally and vertically, giving you nine equally sized sections.

The 3x3 grid is popular because it conforms to the rule of thirds, a well-known and popular layout technique that many people use. Enabling the 3x3 grid type takes all the guesswork out of the rule of thirds, as you can use the grid lines to align a photo to comply with the rule of thirds. This is especially useful when shooting landscapes and cityscapes.

Shooting with a 3x3 grid is very comfortable. It can help you consider the composition of a scene.

Shoot with a 4x4 grid

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The 4x4 grid is less common than the 3x3 grid, and there is no golden rule of layout named after it. However, it performs exactly the same function; divides the object's perspective into four parts instead of three, both horizontally and vertically. Therefore, you have 16 equal sized parts, and this segmentation can help you frame your subject.

A 4x4 grid is useful when there are many elements in a scene. While you can't align everything with eight diagonal lines, they can help you understand your subject and help move around it until the composition is perfect.

For shots that don't have many elements, this type of grid adds too many lines and segments, making it a bit confusing.

Shot using the golden ratio grid

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The golden ratio grid style is the most interesting of the available options and the one you're least likely to be familiar with. It is based on the golden spiral or Fibonacci spiral. The Fibonacci sequence is a mathematical sequence in which each number is the sum of the previous two numbers.

This is turned into a spiral by turning the Fibonacci sequence into cells, and connecting the opposite corners of the squares with arcs. And when you copy the golden spiral four times (starting from the 4 corners), you get the golden ratio. On a smartphone screen, this ratio will look like 9 squares in a grid pattern. However, unlike the 3x3 and 4x4 grids, the squares are not equal in size.

Shooting with the golden ratio grid is a bit of an eye-opener, if you've never used it before. It certainly makes you consider the composition of each scene, but the end result probably won't leave you overly excited.

Jessica Tanner

Update 15 August 2024