[Digital Today reporter Jinju Hong] If photos taken on an iPhone look blurry or details appear smeared, it is necessary to check for lens contamination, a dark shooting environment, unstable focus and hand shake. Adjusting camera settings and shooting posture alone can improve sharpness in photos and video.

Engadget, an IT media outlet, reported on Oct. 12 local time that to improve the image quality of iPhone photos, users should check the condition of the lens before shooting and properly adjust surrounding brightness and focus settings.

The first thing to check is the camera lens. If fingerprints or smudges are on it, light can scatter and photos can come out hazy. It is recommended to remove the case and gently wipe the lens with a microfiber cloth. If smudges do not come off easily, the lens can be wiped with a small amount of distilled water on the cloth. Rubbing it with tissue or a shirt sleeve is best avoided because it can scratch the lens surface.

If there is no problem with the lens, the shooting environment should be examined. In dim surroundings, it becomes harder for the camera to focus, and shutter speed slows, increasing blur from movement or hand shake. In low-light environments, image noise also increases and photo detail can drop. Video can also look smeared as noise and compression artifacts stand out in dark scenes.

If focus is unstable, users can use the iPhone camera app's AE/AF Lock feature. Pressing and holding the subject on the screen can lock focus and exposure, helping reduce focus shifting to other areas while shooting. It is especially useful when taking photos centered on a specific subject or filming scenes with a fixed composition.

For night shooting, Night mode can also be used. On models from the iPhone 11 onward, Night mode can activate automatically in dark environments, and users can check whether it is on via the moon-shaped icon shown on the screen. Night mode helps record dark scenes brighter and preserve details. Exposure time can be longer, so it is important to keep the device as still as possible while shooting.

Camera resolution and frame rate settings also need to be checked. Video resolution and frame rate can be adjusted in the Camera section of the Settings menu. In general, higher resolution can capture more detail, but actual image quality is also affected by lighting, focus and lens condition. Raising resolution alone does not automatically make blurry results sharp.

If more detailed shooting is needed, third-party camera apps that support manual settings can also be an option. Adjusting shutter speed and ISO sensitivity allows exposure to be controlled to match the shooting environment. A slower shutter speed can increase shake from movement, and setting ISO sensitivity too high can increase image noise. It is therefore important to balance the two settings to suit the situation.

Shooting posture and equipment that reduce hand shake also affect image quality. Especially in night or long-exposure shooting, even small movements can lead to blur. Holding the iPhone steadily with both hands and keeping the arms close to the body can help reduce shake. If long exposure is needed, one option is to fix the device using a tripod.

Ultimately, improving iPhone photo sharpness requires checking lens cleanliness, ambient light, focus, exposure and shooting stability together rather than relying on a single feature. Keeping the lens clean and using Night mode and focus lock in dark environments are the basics. If needed, adjusting resolution and manual shooting settings can also help produce sharper photos and video.