iPhone 11 - Rainbow Effect When Taking Pictures

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Level 1

11 points

iPhone 11 - Rainbow Effect When Taking Pictures

Hello.

My first post on the Apple Community Forum!

I tried searching the forum but did not find anything exactly like what I was looking for. Hoping to get some help from the community. When using the iPhone 11 to take pictures, I am sometimes left with a rainbow effect in the image. Attached is an example image. I've tried a number of things including turning off HDR, updating the iOS to the latest release, with and without a flash, moving closer and further away, but nothing seems to resolve the issue. Most of what I take pictures of is clothing, and for solid-colored garments it's fine....pictures come out great. It's only when the garment has some type of pattern such as pinstripes, plaids, etc. when the problem occurs. The attached image was taken in natural light, from a distance of about 5 feet, using an iPhone 11, iOS version 18.3, rear-facing camera. Anyone have any ideas as to what the culprit might be and if there is a way to implement a fix?

Thanks in advance.

Pete

iPhone 11, iOS 18

Posted on Jan 30, 2025 1:27 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Kurtosis12

Level 9

77,686 points

Jan 30, 2025 1:38 PM in response to ps1505

That is called a moiré pattern. A moiré pattern is a large-scale interference pattern that occurs when two similar patterns are overlaid with a slight misalignment.

In this case, it's the pixel resolution of your phone interfering with the pattern of your coat.

All you can do is try getting closer or father away until the interference goes away.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moir%C3%A9_pattern

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Answer 2

ps1505 Author

Level 1

11 points

Feb 28, 2025 9:31 AM in response to Kurtosis12

Hello.

Thanks to everyone for their input. I was able to find a way that seems to work and wanted to post it here in the event others might find it helpful. Try using Portrait mode with the natural light setting. When I tried it on a few different garments with either pinstripe or plaid patterns, it seemed to completely eliminate the effect. The pattern detail showed up much better (not perfect but much improved), and there was no "rainbow" present. It might be worth a try if you're running into the same issue.

Thanks.

Pete

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Answer 3

Jan 30, 2025 1:49 PM in response to ps1505

Generally speaking, higher resolution sensors/chips help with reducing and/or eliminating Moiré patterns. If this interferes with a large portion of your photography, consider upgrading to a camera (iPhone) with a higher megapixel sensor.

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Answer 4

Kurtosis12

Level 9

77,686 points

Jan 30, 2025 3:06 PM in response to ps1505

Another way you could try to eliminate it is to slightly blur the subject. Put your subject in front of an object by a couple of feet or so, tap the screen where the other object is to focus on that object. It will try to focus on the other object thus slightly blurring the real subject you are trying to photograph. You will probably have to experiment a bit with this method to get the desired effect you want.

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Answer 5

ps1505 Author

Level 1

11 points

Jan 30, 2025 1:46 PM in response to Kurtosis12

Hello Kurtosis12.

Thank you for your reply and information. I've tried taking the image from various distances, but regardless of the distance it never completely resolves the issue.

Thanks again for the input.

Pete

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Answer 6

Kurtosis12

Level 9

77,686 points

Feb 28, 2025 9:52 AM in response to ps1505

Good to know, thanks for the information.

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iPhone 11 - Rainbow Effect When Taking Pictures

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