Edit portraits on iPad
In the Photos app, you can change and adjust the lighting effects, depth of field, and focus point of your portraits.
Change the Portrait Lighting effect
You can apply, change, or remove the Portrait Lighting effects in portraits. You can also edit portraits taken on other devices.
Tap any portrait to view it in full screen, then tap Edit.
Tap
, then drag
to choose a lighting effect.
Natural Light: The face is in sharp focus against a blurred background.
Studio Light: The face is brightly lit, and the photo has an overall clean look.
Contour Light: The face has dramatic shadows with highlights and lowlights.
Stage Light: The face is spotlit against a deep black background.
Stage Light Mono: The effect is like Stage Light, but the photo is in classic black and white.
High-Key Light Mono: Creates a grayscale subject on a white background—iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd generation or later) and iPad Pro 12.9-inch (4th generation or later) only.
Tap Done to save your changes.
To undo Portrait Lighting after you save, tap Edit, then tap Revert to go back to the original lighting.
Note: To remove Portrait Lighting from a photo, tap Edit, then tap Portrait at the top of the screen.
Adjust the Portrait Lighting effect
On iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd generation or later) and iPad Pro 12.9-inch (4th generation or later), and iPad Air (5th generation) use the Portrait Lighting slider to adjust the intensity of the effects in your portraits.
Tap any portrait to view it in full screen.
Tap Edit.
If
isn’t yellow, tap it to turn the feature on.
Drag
to change the Portrait Lighting effect, then drag the slider to further adjust the effect.
Tap Done to save your changes.
Adjust Depth Control in portraits
On models that support Depth Control, use the Depth Control slider to adjust the level of background blur in your portraits.

Tap any portrait to view it in full screen, then tap Edit.
Drag the Depth Control slider to increase or decrease the background blur effect.
A white dot marks the original depth value for the photo.
Tap Done to save your changes.
Change the focus point of a portrait
On your iPad, you can change the subject (or focus point) in a portrait taken on an iPhone 13 or later, with iOS 16 or later using Depth and Focus Control. When you select a new subject, the depth of field (or blur) automatically adjusts so the new subject appears sharp and in focus. Make sure that the new subject isn’t blurred or too far in the distance.
Open the Photos app
on your iPad.
Tap any portrait to view it in full screen, then tap Edit.
Tap a new subject or focus point in the photo.
Use the Depth Control slider to increase or decrease the blur effect.
Tap Done.