“The best camera is the one that’s with you …”
Chase Jarvis
So, you’re a photographer, you’re out & about, and you see what could be an awesome image – but you don’t have your “real” DSLR camera with you. But hey, no problem – out comes your smartphone (we always have our phone with us, right?).
You take the cool shot, and voila – you think it has potential. Now that you’ve captured it, what’s next?
Smartphone cameras are becoming more popular in photography circles, and an array of photographic-related accessories are available. Plus, the latest generation of these are capable of incredible print output – my area of specialty – especially if captured in 16-bit RAW.
So back to – what’s next? From an image enhancement (post-processing) standpoint, the goal is to work on the one file that’s the original (initial) capture – and that file should not have been enhanced in any photo-editing app on your smartphone.
Why? Because there’ll be lots more digital information in this “original capture” file – and more digital information means better prints & other high-quality output, especially using the power of Photoshop, Lightroom, or other higher-quality post-processing apps.
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So, ultimately, you’ll want to export this “original capture” file to your computer – and it can be tricky. The information below is iPhone specific (and assumes that you’re signed in to iCloud), but the principles are the same with other smartphones. A few finer points to keep in mind:
• Pro Tip: if you have an iPhone 14 Pro or Pro Max & later, you should be capturing your important work in 16-bit Apple ProRAW – here’s more specific info from Apple on how to capture in RAW, & with the suggested settings & caveats: https://support.apple.com/en-us/119916
• There are lots of ways to export the image from your iPhone (Airdrop, Messages, Mail, etc.), but the methods shown below ensure you’ll end up with the “original capture” file, which is NOT the case for other export methods.
• Note that using the Apple Photos App to enhance your image actually creates a 2nd file that’s seriously degraded. Don’t worry, the “original capture” file is still there – it’s just a wee bit harder to access.
• Depending on how your image is captured, the available file formats (listed from simplest to best) are .JPG, .HEIC, & .DNG (Apple Pro RAW).
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Ok, so how do we export this elusive “original capture” file? It depends on your computers’ OS:
For Mac OS (choice of 3 different methods, simplest to more complex):
1) From your computer:
a) Open the Apple Photos App.
b) Go to the grid “Library” view (square thumbnails).
c) Choose the image by clicking on it once.
d) Hold down the “Option” key, then drag the image to the Desktop (or your preferred location).
2) From your iPhone:
a) Open the Photos App.
b) Go to the grid “Photos” view (square thumbnails).
c) Tap on the image to expand it to “Single Image” view.
d) Tap on the “Share” icon near the bottom.
e) Scroll down to & tap on “Export Unmodified Original”.
f) Choose “Desktop” (or your preferred location).
g) Tap “Save”.
3) If you enhanced the image in the Photos App & need the “original capture” file, OR need more detailed information:
a) Use the proper cable to connect directly to your Mac, then go to “Applications” -> “Image Capture”.
b) Choose images to download from iCloud.
For Windows OS: Here are 2 different methods that work from your computer:
1) Use the Microsoft Photos App – details here, including how to integrate with Apples’ iCloud:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/tips/photos-app
2) If you enhanced the image in the iPhone Photos App & need the “original capture” file, OR need more detailed information:
a) Open “File Explorer” -> Access your iPhone under “This PC”.
b) Go to the “DCIM” folder, & choose the appropriate images.
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https://wattsdigital.com/free-live-meetups-online
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• By the way, this is all based on my Photoshop book designed for photographers, “Not just another Photoshop Book”, available as eBook (immediate PDF download) or paperback from Amazon:
https://wattsdigital.com/photoshop-book-e-book
Questions? Please contact me – also, feel free to comment and forward this to your photography friends!
Thx again, and cheers,
John Watts ?