How to turn OFF 'Smart HDR' on iPhone 13 pro max camera?!

Because this forum is specifically designed to allow Apple users to solve other Apple users’ technical issues.

It’s not designed to collect reports of issues or feedback.

Thats what the feedback forms are for.

No, they don't.

There are some threads with "Me Too" numbers in five digits, and they don't monitor those, either; for reference, in Q3 2021, Apple sold an estimated 49 million iPhones; if even 1% of users had an issue and posted here that would generate 490,000 "Me Too" clicks.

These forums are exclusively for discussions between Apple users, except for some Apple employees who answer quick questions and the moderators who monitor for violations of the Terms of Use.

Yes.

By definition RAW photos are direct output from the camera's sensor; Apple's ProRAW is that with some light processing.

In either case, it is assumed you will use a program like Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop, Apple Photos or Apple Preview to tweak the parameters of the photo as it won't look good without some processing.

Grading is usually defined to be editing all your photos to use the same color space and similar color parameters.

You mean file a report that you'll never get help with and won't be acknowledged? I called. Spent 2 hours. Gave them my logs. The rep was super nice but had no knowledge this was a thing. Callback scheduled tomorrow. 99% sure this phone is going back.

Couple of possibilities.

A. Some people got good batches of this phone.

B. Some people don't notice the HDR overcompensation, over sharpening, lens flares or don't care.

C. Some people tend to shoot outside in the daytime where the issues are minimized. They show up mostly inside in lower light or with any mixed lighting situation. Or at night when shooting towards lights.

As far as C goes, should we have to cover all our windows with blackout material? Or should we have to change all our bulbs to be vaiable CRI balanced color temp to match the current window light or computer / light in a room? That's just ridiculous.

I can literally take my phone with the live screen preview and tilt it up and down and if it catches ANY window light the whites in the room visibly shift to a pale yellow. If I move slightly and elminate more of the window light all the whites look white. So yeah, I can adjust the angle of my shot, sometimes. But what about video? Does anyone want their whites ping ponging back and forth between yellow and white? Does anyone want their skin tones jumping back and forth one shot to another looking fine and then like a tangerine?

Again, If you got a good iPhone 13, awesome for you! Envious.

They shouldn't call it RAW. In my case I have yet to see one single photo where the color or lighting compensation looks any different between regular and RAW. The only thing Apple RAW does is preseve more data so you have more to work with in adjustments in post. This is NOT true RAW. For my particular device is makes ZERO sense to shoot RAW. It looks the same and the results are equally horrible.

I don’t see any of that.

No yellows or colors that are off in video.

Do you need to cover all windows in your case? Yes!!

Any cinematographer knows that having a mix of color temperature lighting is going to be a mess as far as white balance is concerned, and auto white balance does what it can.

If you insist on mixing natural and artificial light, you either need to have daylight artificial sources or color grade in post, which every professional does anyway.

The phone does what it can when presented with two wildly different “whites.”

That's nonsense.

In fact many photography magazines and blogs have declared the iPhone 13 Pro's the best cameras on any smartphone.

You don't like the way the photos look, and that's fine, but millions disagree, including professional photographers and editors.

*including PAID photographers and editors*

The cameras are great, sensor is great, I agree there. It’s the HDR, simply needs a toggle for still images.

Maybe it’s just the detail it brings out in my face and I hate my face. Oh no. I’m sad now. Where is my popper? Can you find my popper please my hands need kept busy.

Yeah we all do it wrong. Look at this photo I took the first day on my new iPhone 13 pro

it was pretty good before I press that shoot button, I opened my library and like - what the ****, who messed up with all of those colours. And then I read about smart HDR )

I’m no doubt they will add this option in the future but how long should we wait.

P.S. i’ve filled that form to contact apple u have posted before. No reply ) but they mention that they will not reply on every message they receive

It was much better before smart hdr messed up colours, they are too bright - sky looks super unrealistic so blue and some spot super white.

I know they will because here already more then 200 people press that "me too" button. And I knew for sure one day Tim will face the same problem 😂

and cmn this is just a small toggle which all others phones have except iPhone 13 🤨 also they added this toggle for video recording (okay its call just HDR video without that "smart" word), but not photo

I am a pro media person and a regular human being. When I do shots for work you better believe I custom white balance and control the light. When I’m at family parties or with friends I’m not about to blackout their windows and change their light bulbs. That’s just ridiculous. Previous iPhones didn’t require 100% controlled lighting and faces didn’t look like blurry tangerines.

Don't have multiple colors of white light present and the phone won't try to adapt, that's all I can tell you.

Any camera that does auto white balance will have the same issues. If I try to shoot my Nikon D850 with AWB on and one bulb is daylight and one soft white in the room, it's a complete toss-up as to what color white will be, as you would expect.

Faces don't look like blurry tangerines, that's a massive exaggeration.

Yes, every camera has AWB and will make a decision on what is white, but for some iPhone 13s (and you must not have a bad one) it massively over compensates. So whites look very noticeably yellow. I’ve never experienced such poor color technology on any camera DSLR or phone in almost 15 years of pro photography. And the flesh tones are the same. Dig deep enough online and you’ll see peoples examples. Putrid orange and red tones, even African American skin tones. It’s Apple’s processing. Again, if you got a less aggressive 13 I’m thrilled for you.

When I talked to an Apple support tech again Monday he said, “Yeah, I’d go buy an 11 Pro instead.” Now why would he say that?

Just got the phone yesterday, I was thinking I’m missing out something until I realized there is no control over hdr. I bought this phone for its camera and it’s hiiighhhly disappointing.

something the images come out too ugly and overexposed, phones half the price of this does much better job. Why does apple always make things hard for its users!?

Highly disappointed!

If your photos are overexposed:

Use iPhone camera tools to set up your shot - Apple Support

If you bought the iPhone for its camera but say phones half the price take better pictures, why not sell yours, buy one of those and keep the extra cash?