Skip to main content

    How to Edit Photos in the iPhone Photos App

    The iPhone Photos app has built-in editing tools — crop, brightness, contrast, filters, and more — and you can always revert to the original photo.

    4 min read · 6 steps · Checked April 2026

    1. Step 1. Open a photo and tap Edit

      Open the Photos app and tap the photo you want to edit. Tap "Edit" in the top right corner of the screen. The editing toolbar appears at the bottom of the screen with three icons: Adjust (sliders), Filters (overlapping circles), and Crop (square with lines).

    2. Step 2. Use Auto Enhance for a quick fix

      Look for the magic wand icon (it looks like a sparkle or star) at the top of the screen. Tap it once to let iPhone automatically improve the brightness, contrast, and color of your photo. This often does a great job in a single tap. You can always undo it by tapping the wand again.

      Quick Tip

      Auto Enhance works especially well on photos that are slightly too dark or that look a bit flat and dull.

    3. Step 3. Adjust brightness and contrast manually

      Tap the Adjust icon (three sliders). You'll see a row of small icons at the bottom — tap one to see its name and slider. The most commonly used ones are Exposure (overall lightness), Highlights (the bright areas), Shadows (the dark areas), and Contrast. Drag the slider left to decrease, right to increase. Tap the yellow circle with a checkmark to confirm each adjustment.

    4. Step 4. Add a filter

      Tap the Filters icon (three overlapping circles). Scroll through the filter options: Vivid, Warm, Cool, Noir, Fade, Chrome, Instant, Process, and Transfer. Tap any filter to preview it on your photo. Use the intensity slider at the bottom to make it stronger or subtler. Tap the checkmark to apply.

    5. Step 5. Crop and straighten

      Tap the Crop icon (a square with corner brackets). Drag the white corner handles to crop out parts of the photo you don't want. Drag the circular dial on the right to tilt and straighten a crooked horizon. Tap the rotate arrow icon to flip the photo 90 degrees. Tap "Done" when finished.

    6. Step 6. Save changes or revert to the original

      Tap "Done" to save all your edits. Your original photo is still preserved. If you ever want to undo all your changes, open the photo again, tap "Edit," and tap "Revert" at the bottom right. Then tap "Revert to Original" to confirm. The photo will return to exactly how it looked when you first took it.

      Warning

      Tapping "Revert" removes ALL edits — not only the most recent change. Make sure you want to undo everything before tapping it.

    You don't need a separate app to edit photos on your iPhone. The built-in Photos app includes a full set of editing tools. You can adjust brightness, contrast, color, crop, straighten, add filters, and even remove red-eye — all without leaving the app you already use to view your pictures.

    The best part: every edit is non-destructive. That means your original photo is always saved. If you make changes and later don't like them, you can tap "Revert" to instantly go back to the original. There's no risk of permanently ruining a photo.

    Here are the main editing tools available in the iPhone Photos app:

    Auto Enhance — A single tap that lets Apple's software automatically improve brightness, contrast, and color. Look for the wand icon (magic wand). It's a great starting point.

    Adjust panel — This is the main editing area with sliders for Exposure (overall brightness), Brilliance (recover detail in bright and dark areas), Highlights (brighten or darken the lightest parts), Shadows (lighten or darken dark areas), Contrast, Brightness, Black Point, Saturation, Vibrance, Warmth, Tint, Sharpness, and Noise Reduction. Each has a slider you drag left or right.

    Filters — Tap the three overlapping circles icon to see a row of artistic filters like Vivid, Dramatic, Noir, Fade, and more. Tap one to preview it, and use the slider at the bottom to control its intensity.

    Crop and Rotate — Tap the crop icon (a square with lines at the corners) to enter crop mode. Drag the corners to frame your shot differently. Tap the rotate icon to turn the photo 90 degrees. Drag the dial at the bottom to straighten a crooked horizon.

    To access all of this: open a photo, tap "Edit" in the top right corner, make your changes, and tap "Done" to save. If you change your mind, tap "Revert" at any time to go back to the original.

    Official sources

    Still stuck?

    A real person can walk you through it over the phone.

    Get help from a person

    Related guides