Apple has offered portrait mode for selfies since the iPhone X came along with its TrueDepth Face ID camera in 2017. However, it wasn’t until 2021 that it became possible to use the built-in portrait effect for more than just photos.
With iOS 16, Apple expanded portrait mode to include live video, and it’s especially useful for FaceTime calls, where you can use the bokeh effect to blur the background for added privacy.
While video chat apps like Zoom offer their own blur and background replacement features, Apple’s video portrait mode can also be used as an alternative in these apps. It’s a less pronounced effect than what’s built into these other apps, so even there you might feel better. However, it’s the only game in town for FaceTime calls.
How to use portrait mode if you are a caller
If you’re the one making the FaceTime call, you can prepare ahead of time by enabling portrait mode. Unless you zoom in on yourself, you won’t see too much of a difference in your appearance when portrait mode is enabled, but the person on the other end of the call will see your surroundings slightly blurred, just like a photo in portrait mode.
Step 1: Launch the FaceTime app in preparation for the call.
Jesse Hollington / Digital Trends
Step 2: Open the Control Center by swiping down from the top right corner of the iPhone screen.
Jesse Hollington / Digital Trends
Step 3: Choose Video effects button. A pop-up window should appear.
Jesse Hollington / Digital Trends
Step 4: Choose Portrait button. It should turn blue to indicate that Portrait Mode is now enabled.
Step 5: Select any area outside the pop-up box to close the FaceTime setting. The Video Effects button should now be highlighted with the word “Portrait” inside.
Jesse Hollington / Digital Trends
Step 6: Swipe up to close Control Center.
These same steps above can also be used to enable portrait mode in other supported video apps such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Instagram and others.
Note that the Portrait mode setting is “sticky” — your iPhone will remember the last setting you used. So if you prefer to blur your FaceTime wallpaper all the time, you only need to follow the steps above once and it will actually become the default. Note, however, that this setting is saved separately for each app, so if you turn it on when using FaceTime, you’ll still need to turn it on separately if you want to use it to record Instagram Reels.
Jesse Hollington / Digital Trends
How to use portrait mode when you receive a call
If a call comes in that you don’t expect, you won’t have time to blur the background beforehand, but you can still quickly enable portrait mode after answering the call. You can use the method above to enable it through the Control Center, but luckily there’s an even quicker way to turn it on once you’re in a call.
Step 1: Select the camera view thumbnail in the lower corner of the FaceTime session to expand it. You might not see your messy wallpaper in the thumbnail, but your caller will see it full screen — and it might be even more noticeable if they’re calling you from an iPad or Mac.
Jesse Hollington / Digital Trends
Step 2: Choose Portrait icon in the upper left corner of the expanded view.
Jesse Hollington / Digital Trends
Step 3: The background should immediately blur. You should also see the background of the icon turn white. You can return the camera view to the thumbnail below by selecting the arrows in the upper right corner or by selecting any area of the screen outside the preview window.
Joe Maring / Digital trends
Which iPhones and iPads work with FaceTime background blur
This feature isn’t just for the latest iPhone 14 models. Apple has made it available for older devices as well, starting with the iPhone XS and iPhone XR. These are the models that introduced Apple’s A12 Bionic chip, which contains the more powerful Neural Engine needed to make this feature work.
You might also be surprised to know that it doesn’t require an iPhone with a front-facing TrueDepth camera; Portrait mode is supported on iPhone SE 2020 and iPhone SE 2022, since Apple Silicon does the heavy lifting inside, and these models have even more powerful A13 and A15 Bionic chips.
The same applies to Apple’s iPad line; Portrait mode can be used on any iPad with an A12 Bionic chip or later, from Apple’s entry-level 2020 iPad to the latest 12.9-inch iPad Pro with M2. Here’s the full list of supported iPads:
- iPad mini (5th generation and later, from 2019 onwards)
- iPad (8th generation and later, from 2020 onwards)
- iPad Air (3rd generation and later, from 2019 onwards)
- iPad Pro 11 inches (all generations, from 2018 onwards)
- iPad Pro 12.9 inches (3rd generation and later, 2018 onwards)
Note that Portrait mode is different from FaceTime camera effects such as Memoji, filters, stickers, tags, and shapes. These other effects have been around since iOS 12.1, and most of them have been working since iPhone 7; the exception is Memojis, which require a TrueDepth Face ID camera.
Editor’s recommendations
Categories: GAMING
Source: newstars.edu.vn