Apple iOS 27 Adds New Camera and Photo Editing Features

Apple’s latest iOS 27 update is now available, bringing several new features aimed at photographers and content creators. The biggest camera addition is Pro Controls, although the feature is exclusive to the new iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.

Apple is also adding new editing tools powered by Apple Intelligence, updates to Photographic Styles, Reference Images, and Visual Intelligence features that can interact with information captured through the Camera app.

Pro Controls Bring More Manual Camera Settings

Pro Controls is arguably the biggest camera-related addition in iOS 27. The feature is exclusive to the iPhone 18 Pro models and gives users direct control over settings including aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and white balance.

For more advanced photographers, these controls provide greater influence over how the iPhone captures an image rather than relying entirely on automatic processing.

The addition is particularly notable because the iPhone 18 Pro also introduces a variable-aperture main camera, giving users another way to control the look of their photographs.

Photographic Styles 3 Adds Texture and Grain

Apple has also updated Photographic Styles with version 3, adding new controls for texture and grain.

Users can adjust these characteristics to further customize the appearance of their photographs and create looks that better match their preferences.

Reference Images Add Photo Provenance

Another iPhone 18 Pro-exclusive feature is Apple Reference Image. It allows users to capture, view, and share reference information associated with images, giving others additional context about what the camera originally captured.

The feature could be particularly useful as AI-generated and heavily edited imagery becomes increasingly common. Rather than simply trusting that an image is authentic, viewers can use the associated reference information to better understand the image’s original capture.

Visual Intelligence Comes to the Camera

For users with an iPhone 15 Pro or later, iOS 27 adds Siri functionality to the Camera app through Visual Intelligence.

Users can point the camera at something and ask questions or take actions based on information found in the image. For example, the system can translate foreign-language text, look up nutritional information from a plate of food, or recognize information on an event flyer and add relevant details to the calendar.

This turns the Camera app into more than just a tool for capturing photographs, allowing the camera to act as an entry point for Apple’s AI-powered visual features.

New AI-Powered Photo Editing Tools

Photo editing also receives several upgrades in iOS 27. Spatial Reframing allows users to adjust the composition of an image by virtually changing the camera position, giving them another way to rework the framing of an existing photograph.

The new Extend tool can expand an image beyond its original edges with generated content. This can be used to change the aspect ratio, straighten a horizon, or add additional negative space around a subject.

Apple has also improved Clean Up, allowing users to remove larger objects from photographs while generating more realistic replacements for the areas that are removed.

Clean Up now includes a Fast mode for smaller blemishes and simpler edits, as well as a High Quality mode for more complex editing tasks.

Hello, iOS 27. 👋

Take a tour of the latest updates, including the introduction of Siri AI, an entirely new version of Siri that draws on your personal context and helps you search for content or take action across a variety of apps.

See what’s new: https://t.co/WQ2sBBtRuw pic.twitter.com/C5uABQwteN

— App Store (@AppStore) September 14, 2026

Customize the Camera Interface

iOS 27 also gives users more control over the Camera app’s interface. Users can choose which camera controls appear by default at the top of the screen.

This makes it possible to remove controls that are rarely used while keeping frequently accessed settings within easier reach. For photographers who regularly adjust particular settings, the customization could make the Camera app faster to operate.

iOS 27 Is Available Now

iOS 27 is now available as a free software update for compatible iPhones, with support extending back to the iPhone 11.

Some of the new photography features require newer hardware, however. In particular, Pro Controls and Reference Images are exclusive to the iPhone 18 Pro series, while Visual Intelligence camera functionality is available on the iPhone 15 Pro and later.