iPhone ‘Photographic Styles’ Explained: what makes it different to filters?

The iPhone 16 range is out and I’ve been spending a lot of time with it. Specifically, the camera.

For me, camera is one of the main things I want to be top-notch in a smartphone if I’m going to live with it every single day.

So far with the iPhone 16 Pro Max I’ve got on test from Apple, I’ve found both its camera and the upgrades (like Photographic Styles) in the Photos app when it comes to editing a bit of a cut above the competition.

Luke Hopewell is a gadget veteran of over 10 years (and has attended multiple Apple launches to boot. If it goes beep in the night, Luke has tested it. Got a question for the author? Head to the comments, or email the author at [email protected].

What are “Photographic Styles”?

Photographic Styles are basically smart photo filters on steroids. They give you a range of subtle or dramatic looks that can be saved, shared, reverted or retouched.

It’s an on-device colour grading kit that actually works and does the job would normally take ages in Lightroom or Photoshop in seconds.

What makes Photographic Styles different?

All phones can shoot fun filters. Plus there are about a million apps I’ve used that adjust photos in different ways to get a unique look.

What I like about Photographic Styles, though, is that each “look” is way more subtle than other filters I’ve used on other phones.

Apple says that it has based many of the styles themselves on different film looks that you’d normally only get from retro cameras. It’s a dream for photographers who want to get a film look but don’t have the patience for it.

Aren’t they just filters?

It’s easy to think that Photographic Styles are just fancy filters by another name. Honestly, when they were first announced, I thought that too.

For years, even the biggest companies like Canon and Nikon have been building little filters into their cameras so people can shoot with a fun look. But honestly, after over a decade of testing them, I’ve never found one I liked.

Not only are they just a bit too wild and dramatic, they’re also baked-in to every photo you take.

That means you often get to shoot a fun photo with a filter over it and not get the original shot that you can use later. It’s a great way to spoil really nice moments.

That’s where Photographic Styles on the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro range differ: not only are they super-customisable for your liking, but when you apply one, it doesn’t destroy the original.

Just tap the Edit button, adjust the style grid to your liking and if you dislike it later, change it back to the original. The data is retained so nothing is destroyed by applying a slightly different look to your shot.

Do other iPhones get Photographic Styles?

Usually Apple reserves its cool new features for its latest iPhones. In this case, that’s the iPhone 16 and the iPhone 16 Pro Max. But if you have an iPhone 15, for example, you can get in on the editing fun too. A little.

If someone shoots their shot on an iPhone 16 or 16 Pro, and sends you the photo via AirDrop, you get access to Photographic Styles in your Edit menu.

And the features are the same for AirDropped photos sent to the iPhone 15, too. You can adjust a photo using the grid or just restore it to the original if you don’t like it later.

Want to find out the differences between the last few generations of iPhones? I’ve broken it all down here.