iPhone 13 ProMax HDR photos oversaturated (i.e look fake)

Hi, this won’t help. I spent almost 2 hours trying to figure it out, switching between photographic styles and there’s no way to avoid the fake colors and lights.

Please apple!! We need to be able to turn off hdr!

I have the same question. I am not impressed with the intensity of colours/contrast on pics and videos. The colour of the sky is so bright blue, absolutely fake. Turning HDR off didn’t help much. People online also suggested to turn the scene detection mode off but I don’t even see this option on the IPhone 13.

I agree—photos are over saturated and fake looking. Sunset is the worst. Overall looks like some incredible technology but we need the ability to dial back the HDR. The default mode makes images look like cheesy screensavers produced by people who just discovered photoshop. Please advise, and/or update the software.

Seems to me that if we can override the hdr effect by selecting one of the live images, that the software could do the same with a tweak. Holding out some hope because it takes time to manually select a live image for each shot which could be automated in the software.

I am a pro photographer. I love HDR. I do it or Flambient with my DSLR a lot. But I have the choice when to use it. All people want is a toggle. And I get the merits of exposure compensations, but tangerine skin looks good on no one. It's even very evident in some mid African American skin tones.

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If you don't like the processing done on the iPhone 13, let Apple know here:

• Feedback - iPhone - Apple
• Feedback - Camera - Apple

Not every camera is right for every person, which is why Apple gives you 14 days after purchase to get a full refund.

If you want less processed photos, download Halide, Lightroom or Snapseed and learn to shoot in RAW mode and process your photos yourself after taking them.

Note all premium smartphones by all manufacturers are using increasing amounts of computational photography and as such you will find similar complaints about photos taken by other premium smartphones.

The problem with the "solutions" proposed on this thread so far is that they don't address the issue, which is that the HDR is very heavy-handed and the saturation levels over the top.

The "photographic styles" settings mostly just make the pictures even warmer. There's a "Cooler" setting, but that deals with color warmth, not HDR or saturation.

Previous phones allowed the HDR to be turned on or off. Not sure why that went away?

Don't get me wrong, the tech is clearly very powerful, and often pulls out great detail from the shadows. But there NEEDS to be a way to adjust the intensity of the image manipulation. As it stands it simply can't be used for any sophisticated or professional application. It's simply gaudy.

Thanks for your description, I have the same issue. How can this happen? I bought my iPhone 13 pro after making spectacular pics with my old iPhone 7 plus….and when I saw the first results with my new 13 pro I felt so frustrated (after spending a lot).

This post is correct. I got the IPhone 13 Max and have toggled all the settings (including Photographic Styles) . Pictures around sunset look very fake and unnatural. Never had this issue and I get a new Iphone Max on an Apple upgrade each year when the come out. Definitely needs some attention.

Photo blogs and professional reviewers disagree.

Your statement that "most others" say this issue must be "sorted out" runs counter to iPhone 13 sales and reviews.

For example, photography site DXOMARK currently rates the iPhone 13 Pro/Pro Max's camera as the best available of smartphones sold in the United States.

Your preference for less processed photos is why ProRAW is available and why third-party apps can access the sensor to directly create RAW DNG files; most users do not want the less saturated photos you do.

As an aside, the colors in your sunset photo are much more subdued than the average sunset I see; the colors below are much subdued as compared to what they actually were.

(Note the photo below was downsampled from HDR, reduced in size and converted to lossier JPG by the forum software.)

Hello and welcome to Apple Support Communities, EJFlags!

We understand you've noticed that the photos taken with your iPhone 13 Pro Max look oversaturated. We'd be happy to provide information to help you address this.

Try adjusting the HDR settings as listed here: Adjust HDR camera settings on iPhone

Have a great day!

lolita2000 wrote:

Previous phones allowed the HDR to be turned on or off. Not sure why that went away?

Because Apple considers HDR to now be the way all future photographs will be taken.

Should you disagree, there's only one place to complain where complaints are read and acted upon:

Feedback - iPhone - Apple

If you're going to shoot professionally, shoot in RAW and go from there (yes, I know the iPhone's RAW isn't a true unprocessed RAW.)

That's your preference.

I actually like the rich vibrant colors the iPhone shows around sunset, and may crank vibrance and saturation up a bit depending upon the end use.

In an Instagram world, photo "pop" sells.

If I don't want that, RAW photos work well in Photoshop on my Mac.

Regardless, leave Feedback and perhaps Apple will tweak the defaults.

Feedback - Camera - Apple

If you think it is a hardware issue, have your device examined:

Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple

If you are unhappy with the software:

Feedback - Camera - Apple

There is nothing more anyone here can do, and Apple Engineering does not read these forums.

Personally I love the images my 13 Pro Max takes, and most photo magazines and blogs feel the same, but your priorities may be different.