Unable to use HDR feature on my iPhone 11

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Unable to use HDR feature on my iPhone 11

I have an iPhone 11. Even though the camera has the HDR function in settings, nothing changes in the functionality of the camera. By that I mean there is no exposure bracketing in high contrast situations. I have to manually adjust the exposure to try and suit the situation. Even then, there are still under exposed and over exposed areas. My experience using DSLRs and compact cameras has always been that the HDR function intelligently brackets the image. This has always been done by taking 3-5 images, at different exposures. I don't see this at all in the iPhone 11. I'm sure I used to have it in my iPhone 6s. It seems odd that it's been dropped. I've seen plenty of instructional videos on how its supposed to work, ie that it takes several images and produces an optimal exposure through the dynamic range, but I'm none the wiser using my own iPhone 11. I have attached 2 images of a high contrast situation where I have to manually adjust the exposure. The camera hasn't changed anything, despite Smart HDR being turned on.

Any advice would be appreciated. I'm either missing something fundamental, have too high expectations or there is something wrong with the iPhone 11 camera.

[Edited by Moderator]

Original Title: no hdr iphone 11

iPhone 11, iOS 18

Posted on Jul 7, 2025 2:59 AM

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Answer 1

Jul 8, 2025 4:08 AM in response to Vdubbman

Adjust HDR camera settings on iPhone - Apple Support

"HDR (high dynamic range) helps you get great shots in high-contrast situations. The iPhone camera takes several photos in rapid succession at different exposures and blends them together to bring more highlight and shadow detail to your photos."

I.e., you do not get several photos that you can combine using a computer later. The iPhone immediately cooks multiple exposures into a single image, giving you just the single image that results.

This may be different from the way that DSLR and mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras operate. In general,

They have large sensors and lenses that can do a much better job of collecting light than phone sensors can.
They give you a lot more manual control than phones do.
Their onboard processors and software are not nearly as powerful or sophisticated as those in smartphones. Therefore DSLRs and mirrorless cameras do not have in-camera support for the computational photography tricks that smartphones often offer.

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