How to use your smartphone camera for more than just pictures

Cody Godwin, USA TODAY
·3 min read
3

Smartphone cameras have advanced by leaps and bounds. Long gone are the days of grainy selfies and poorly lit food photos (unless that’s your aesthetic), and here to stay are the days of high-quality food snaps and crisp, clear selfies.

A 2020 report from Statista showed the sales of digital cameras had decreased 87% since 2010, so it’s probably been a while since you or a friend picked up a digital camera.

With seemingly improved cameras on every new smartphone model, that’s not a surprise.

But our smartphone cameras aren’t just one trick ponies and can do more than just take the perfect picture.

Watch the video above to see our tips in action!

What can my camera do?

Many people have spent the last few years pointing their phone's camera at black and white squiggle-laden squares to view menus, get paid on Venmo or easily share an Instagram handle.

But it’s not just QR codes that your camera can read.

Cameras can recognize text in the real world, like a recipe or a business card, and easily copy and paste it into a text message, document or note.

The text-recognition feature can also translate unfamiliar words you encounter in a book or on a trip abroad.

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Tips for the perfect picture

If you want to use your camera as a camera, here are some easy tips to help your pictures look even better:

  • Use the grid lines

  • Play with the angle

  • Use Live Mode in case someone closes their eyes

  • Use portrait mode to create a nice, blurred background

  • Have good lighting

  • Use the angles that work best for you

  • Zoom with your body, not the camera

More problems, solved

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Use your iPhone camera to copy, paste or translate text instantly