Before you get started
Make sure you have the latest version of iOS and an iPhone that supports recording in Cinematic mode:
- iPhone 13 Pro Max
- iPhone 13 Pro
- iPhone 13
- iPhone 13 mini
How to record video in Cinematic mode
- Open the Camera app, then swipe to Cinematic mode.
- Tap the arrow
in landscape mode to show these adjustment options:
- Tap the Depth Control button
, then drag the slider to adjust the depth of field. - Tap the 1x button
on iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max to switch to Telephoto. Tap the button again to switch back to Wide. - Tap the exposure button
, then drag the slider to make your video brighter or darker. - Tap the flash button
, then choose from Auto, On or Off.
- Tap the Depth Control button
- Tap the record button
to begin recording. - Tap a subject in the viewfinder to change focus as you record. Double tap to set automatic focus tracking on a subject. You can also touch and hold on the screen to lock the focus at a specific distance from the camera.
- Tap the record button again to stop recording.
Cinematic mode supports Dolby Vision HDR and has a resolution of 1080p at 30fps.
Edit video taken in Cinematic mode
After you take a video in Cinematic mode, you can edit it in the Photos app on your iPhone 13 model, or on another supported device.
In addition to the standard edits that you can make to all videos, you can adjust the depth of field and the focus points of a video taken in Cinematic mode.
How to edit depth of field in a video taken in Cinematic mode
- Open the Photos app, then tap the video that you want to adjust.
- Tap Edit.
- Tap the Depth Control button , then drag the slider to adjust the depth of field. Adjustments that you make to depth of field apply to the entire video.
- Tap Done.
How to edit focus points in a video taken in Cinematic mode
- Open the Photos app, then tap the video that you want to adjust.
- Tap Edit. The video timeline appears below your video. And below the timeline, yellow dots indicate moments in the video where the focus point changes from one subject to another.
- Drag the timeline indicator button to scrub through your video. As you move it, the video's current focus point is indicated with a yellow square. Other recognised people or objects have a white square around them.
- Tap a white square to change the focus point to that person or object. You can also try tapping other objects in the frame to change the focus point to that object. Double-tap a subject to set automatic focus tracking. Touch and hold on the screen to lock the focus at a specific distance from the camera.
- Tap the focus button
to switch between the Camera app's automatic focus tracking and your manually selected focus points. - Repeat for any other segments of the video where you want to change the focus point, then tap Done.
To delete a focus point transition, touch and hold the yellow dot until the delete button 
appears, then tap it.
Make edits to Cinematic effects on other devices
You can edit Cinematic mode video effects in the Photos app on any of these devices with iOS 15 or iPadOS 15:
- iPhone XS, iPhone XR, and later
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later)
- iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation and later)
- iPad Air (3rd generation and later)
- iPad mini (5th generation and later)
macOS will support Cinematic mode editing in an upcoming update.
To make sure a video taken in Cinematic mode can be edited on another supported device, use iCloud Photos or AirDrop. If you use AirDrop, turn on All Photos Data before you send:
- Open the Photos app, then tap the video that you want to share.
- Tap the Share button
, then tap Options at the top of the screen. - Turn on All Photos Data, then tap Done.
- Tap the AirDrop button, then tap the device that you want to send to.
Learn more
Find out what to do if Cinematic mode videos from your iPhone don't appear when importing to your Mac or Windows computer.