Earlier generation iPhone cameras have been good overall, but proved to be a disappointment on one aspect – low-light photography. However, with the iPhone 11 series, Apple has made amends, and introduced a Night mode to enable users to take impressive photos even in low-light situations. This iPhone 11 Night mode is great, but it works with the wide and telephoto cameras only and not ultra-wide and selfie camera lenses on the iPhone 11, Pro, and Pro Max. However, it is possible to add Night mode to the selfie lens and ultra-wide lens.
Image source: YouTube Video Screenshot
iPhone 11 Night Mode: how it works
Before we detail how to add iPhone 11 Night mode to the selfie and ultra-wide lenses, it is important to understand the importance of Night mode. If you look at the low-light images from earlier iPhones, including iPhone XS, they look dark with hardly anything to view. However, the iPhone 11 Night mode brightens the images and reduces image noise. Moreover, it does all this without any human intervention.
When you open the default camera app on your iPhone 11, the system will automatically determine if it is dark enough to switch to the Night mode. So, if the system decides against using it, then there is no manual way to trigger it. (There is, however, a way to manually use it provided the iPhone detects medium to low light levels in your shot).
“iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro turn on Night mode automatically when the camera detects low-light situations,” Apple says.
Apple’s iPhone 11 Night mode uses adaptive bracketing and clicks several images, including some with a longer shutter and some with a shorter one. Thereafter, it analyzes all the photos with an objective to brighten shadows and reduce motion blur.
Now let’s talk about how to add Night mode to the selfie lens and ultra-wide lens.
How to add Night Mode to selfie lens and ultra-wide lens
As per Apple, the reason why Night mode does not support ultra-wide and the selfie camera lens is because these lenses don’t have the needed Focus Pixels. The Focus Pixels requirement, however, did not stop NeuralCam from adding iPhone 11 Night mode to the selfie lens and ultra-wide lens.
NeuralCam, a popular photography app maker, in the latest version of its app, claims to have added Night mode support for the selfie and ultra-wide camera.
“NeuralCam 1.2 brings Night Mode to the iPhone 11 Ultra-Wide and Front-facing cameras. You can now take Ultra-Wide Night Mode photos with your iPhone 11!” reads the description of the app.
Along with the ability to add Night mode to the selfie lens and ultra-wide lens, the update brings a few other changes as well. The update adds a new engine on top of Apple’s own Deep Fusion, thus helping to improve image quality even for those with older iPhones. Also, the app reworks the Focus with a clearer and cleaner interface. Additionally, the update also adds a new illumination algorithm for the selfie shots.
NeuralCam 1.2 is now available to download from the App Store. The update is free for those who already own the app. If you don’t already have NeuralCam, then you can get it from the App Store for $2.99.
For now, there are no reviews on how the NeuralCam 1.2 works or specifically how the Night mode works on the selfie lens and ultra-wide lens. If you try it, then do let us know your experience in the comments section below.
How to use Night Mode
To use Night mode on the iPhone 11 series, follow the below steps:
- Open the Camera app and look for the moon icon in the top left corner, or in the top right if your phone is in landscape orientation.
- If the moon icon is grayed out, it will mean that the Night mode is available to use (but not auto-enabled).
- If the icon is yellow, it will mean that the Night mode is auto-enabled.
- Tap on the moon icon to manually adjust the exposure time.
- Try to hold the phone as still as possible when using the Night mode. There will be a timer above the shutter button, while the moon icon will include the exposure time for each shot. The exposure times will be based on the surrounding light.
“Depending on how dark the scene is, your iPhone might take a Night mode photo quickly, or it might extend the shutter time for several seconds.” Apple says.
Remember, we said above that you can enable the Night mode manually, but only if the system detects medium to low light levels. If it detects medium to low light levels, the moon icon will either be grayed or yellow. If it is yellow, you don’t need to do anything as the mode is auto-enabled. On the other hand, if it is grayed, then you will have to enable it manually.
In both cases, however, you will have the option to adjust the exposure of the shot manually. “To experiment with longer Night mode photos, tap the Night mode icon. Then use the slider above the shutter button to choose between Auto and Max,” Apple says.
