Phone Camera Settings for Product Photos

Updated October 2026

You don't need a pro camera app. The built-in camera does fine once you change a few habits.

Wipe the lens

This one sounds too simple, but it fixes more hazy photos than anything else on this page. Phone lenses live in pockets and pick up fingerprints all day. Use a microfiber cloth before every session.

Use the right lens

Skip the 0.5x ultra-wide. Up close it stretches things, so a mug ends up looking like a bucket. The main 1x lens is good, and a 2x or 3x lens is often better, because stepping back and zooming in gives more natural proportions. Past the phone's real lenses, zoom is just cropping, so you might as well crop later.

Lock focus and exposure

Tap the item on the screen to focus on it. On an iPhone, press and hold until you see "AE/AF Lock," then drag the little sun icon to make the shot brighter or darker. Android camera apps vary, but most let you tap to focus and then slide brightness, and some have a lock option when you long-press. Locking stops the phone from second-guessing you between shots.

Flash off, portrait mode off

A phone's LED flash sits right beside the lens, which is about the worst place a light can be. You get glare and hard shadows. Portrait mode is the other one to avoid. Its fake background blur tends to chew up edges, especially on handles, straps and anything see-through.

Turn on the grid

It helps you keep boxes and shelves level. On iPhone it's under Settings > Camera > Grid. On Android, check the camera app's own settings.

Hold still

A phone tripod plus the self-timer gets rid of blur and keeps every item framed the same way. A cheap Bluetooth remote does the same job.

Close-ups

A lot of newer phones have a macro mode, and some switch into it automatically when you get close. If the phone just won't focus, back up a few inches and crop instead.

HEIC or JPEG?

iPhones save photos as HEIC by default. Most sites take them now. If one won't, go to Settings > Camera > Formats and pick "Most Compatible" to shoot JPEG. You can leave HDR on. It usually helps.