The release of this year’s iPhone has caused ripples throughout the smartphone industry. There’s a ton of new features to go gaga over, but one that has caught the limelight is, without a doubt, the Cinematic mode. But what does the Cinematic Mode do and is it even available on iPhone 13? All this coming up.

What is Cinematic Mode on the iPhone 13?

Leveraging the newer A15 Bionic processor and advanced Neural Engines, the Cinematic Mode is the new camera setting that brings together a host of sophisticated filmmaking tools, such as Dolby Vision HDR and ‘Rack focus’ — a technique that changes lens focus during a continuous shot. 

Racking focus is almost synonymous with professional filmmaking and is a staple for directors and videographers. With this feature, the iPhone’s camera will lock focus on a subject in a scene and blur the background to achieve a natural depth of field. When the camera is moved or it recognizes another subject enter the frame, the focus will switch automatically to the new subject, blurring the background accordingly to provide a high-quality depth of field. 

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Although the automatic focal switching may not sound like a director’s dream, and the Cinematic Mode isn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination, Apple allows complete flexibility to the user when it comes to adjusting the focal points in editing mode. So, if you’re not happy with the automatic focal effects, you can always change the effects post-shoot. Videos shot with the Cinematic Mode are also fully compatible with Final Cut Pro and iMovie. 

The Cinematic mode is quite an impressive feature, even with the limitation of shooting at only 1080p at 30fps, and will allow many a user to unleash their creativity on their iPhones. 

Does iPhone 13 have Cinematic mode?

The Cinematic Mode is an exclusive camera feature of the iPhone 13 series. It is available on all iPhone 13 versions – iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, and, of course, iPhone 13 Pro Max. 

It is one of the most talked-about features of the iPhone 13, allowing users to capture professional-level videos and create cinematic movies without any additional tools.

Will Phone 12 or any older iPhone get Cinematic mode?

No, the Cinematic Mode is not available on any non-iPhone 13 series, including the iPhone 12 Pro Max. It is only a feature available on the iPhone 13 series. 

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Shoot professional videos with iPhone 13’s Cinematic Mode 

According to Apple’s designers and their product marketing team, the idea of the Cinematic Mode didn’t start with the feature itself, but rather as a homage to timeless filmmaking techniques that are a staple across cultures and formats. Cinematic Mode is essentially the portrait mode for videos, artificially blurring the background and focusing on the subjects as they go in and out of frame.

With the Cinematic mode, users now have the power to capture sophisticated videos, and further edit them to make them look like professional-level videography. Although there’s a slight limitation when it comes to shooting at higher resolutions, and it doesn’t yet count as a substitute for a high-end video rig, it’s still quite an advanced camera mode that will suit just fine for those who only want to shoot videos with their iPhone.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

Here we answer a few commonly asked queries about the Cinematic Mode.  

What happens when using rack focus?

Rack focus detects the subject in the frame, automatically focuses on it, and blurs the background to provide depth of field. As the camera moves or a new subject comes in the frame (or the older subject faces away from the camera), the focus changes with it.

What is the resolution for Cinematic Mode videos?

Videos shot with the Cinematic Mode have a resolution limit of 1080p at 30 frames per second in Dolby Vision HDR.

It may not be perfect, but the Cinematic Mode on the new iPhone 13 is an impressive camera feature that can be a game-changer for some who like to shoot videos from their iPhone. 

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