SOLUTION To Overblown Lights On iPhone 12 Pro Max, Others (IOS 14)
I've found my problem asked at least a dozen times here. The problem is that you take a photo and then the phone post-processes it to be a lot brighter, then it blows the highlights, making them white, basically ruining all the photos.
I've found the solution.
Disable "View In HDR" from the Photos option.
That is the option that basically tweaks the photo. It's not in the camera app.
If you want to test, do this:
- Disable this in the Photos section.
- Go to Photos.
- Pick an image that is overblown (with street lighting or something similar, made at night).
- Take a screenshot.
- Close the Photos app.
- Go back to settings, activate the "View In HDR" option.
- Go back to your photos.
The screenshot will preserve the non-blown property while the original photo will have the highlights blown again. You can compare side by side. It will be way less bright and most importantly, a natural color, not white. From what I've read on Reddit, this is a bug that affects only some people.
You're welcome Apple.
You're freaking welcome.
Oh, and as a bonus - if you're getting lens flare, a partial solution is to clean your lens with a micro-fiber. Also, any glass over your lens (as protective glass) makes the lens flare worse. It won't solve it completely but it will help.