@SergioRZ I downloaded iOS 14.4 beta 2 and unfortunately, I'm still experiencing the same issue. I've submitted all the data through the feedback app and followed up with their creative tech. It doesn't seem as pronounced or severe with certain photos though...
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iPhone 12 Pro Max Increased brightness only when editing photos (HDR issue)
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@SergioRZ I downloaded iOS 14.4 beta 2 and unfortunately, I'm still experiencing the same issue. I've submitted all the data through the feedback app and followed up with their creative tech. It doesn't seem as pronounced or severe with certain photos though...
Glad I found this thread. I’m also dealing with this issue. I shot some stuff in ProRAW and the photo seems overexposed when I go to edit it. It’s so strange. Haven’t found a fix for the issue either.
Hi, I have same issue.
(iPhone 12 Pro Max 256GB)
On iOS 14.3
In Photos settings - View Full HDR on
in Camera settings - Smart HDR on
Auto brightness off.
I was on phone to Creative (something...) department. He said he wasn't aware of any others with this problem. Then when I got off phone, I found this thread. Then after this I got into another web chat with someone else, she said I should try backing up and then restore, if that doesn't work i should take for repair. I told them I wouldn't be happy to repair an 8 week old phone! What you guys reckon, wait for iOS 14.4?
(iPhone 12 Pro Max 256GB)
On iOS 14.3
In Photos settings - View Full HDR on
in Camera settings - Smart HDR on
Auto brightness off.
I was on phone to Creative (something...) department. He said he wasn't aware of any others with this problem. Then when I got off phone, I found this thread. Then after this I got into another web chat with someone else, she said I should try backing up and then restore, if that doesn't work i should take for repair. I told them I wouldn't be happy to repair an 8 week old phone! What you guys reckon, wait for iOS 14.4?
I notice it on RAW or regular photos, more noticeable with outdoor photos, with sky particularly
Although I am no expert, it really looks like a software issue to me. They must fix it at software level, I don’t see a reason to send the phone to repair.
It would be very annoying if iOS 14.4 doesn’t fix the problem. It’s embarrassing for a phone that should be top regarding camera use.
Exactly the same problem with my iphone 12 PM 512 GB, silver. Practically brand new as I've had it only since Jan 8. When I go to edit a photo, adjust the exposure so it looks bright and awesome, when I save, the pic goes back to dark and dull! WTF. My software is 14.3 My old iphone 7 that I just replaced performed better.
So I go to Settings/Photos and turn off View Full HDR, and it seems to solve the issue. But the question is, does that mean I won't be able to use the HDR feature one of the selling points of this phone? That would be a rip off.
Came here while searching for information about this issue.
I was so excited to learn that this issue should be tackled in iOS 14.4 that I installed the current Beta on my iP12P
And indeed, something has changed:The HDR highlights are now looking the same (enhanced) in edit and in normal view.
But the midtones still shift and thus it's still very confusing to use the editor to actually edit a photo.
This shift is also visible in a screenrecording:
It's most noticeable when leaving edit mode, because then the picture "jumps" back in an instance, whereas it transitions for a second or so while entering edit mode.
And it's much more obvious if you cover the areas above and below the picture.
I'm a bit surprised that the engineers at Apple didn't catch this.
Hope they will eventually - I love to edit my photos and this makes it a slighlty frustrating experience.
Sidenote: I'd wish there'd be a switch in the editor to quickly toggle between HDR and normal view.
This would make it easier to optimise a photo depending on the targets display capability.
Ideally it would be possible to control both representations independently and save the settings in the photo.
But I guess that would overcomplicate things for many users.
I was so excited to learn that this issue should be tackled in iOS 14.4 that I installed the current Beta on my iP12P
And indeed, something has changed:The HDR highlights are now looking the same (enhanced) in edit and in normal view.
But the midtones still shift and thus it's still very confusing to use the editor to actually edit a photo.
This shift is also visible in a screenrecording:
It's most noticeable when leaving edit mode, because then the picture "jumps" back in an instance, whereas it transitions for a second or so while entering edit mode.
And it's much more obvious if you cover the areas above and below the picture.
I'm a bit surprised that the engineers at Apple didn't catch this.
Hope they will eventually - I love to edit my photos and this makes it a slighlty frustrating experience.
Sidenote: I'd wish there'd be a switch in the editor to quickly toggle between HDR and normal view.
This would make it easier to optimise a photo depending on the targets display capability.
Ideally it would be possible to control both representations independently and save the settings in the photo.
But I guess that would overcomplicate things for many users.
Last edited:
Nice. I have raised this with Apple’s Creative Media department. And sent him a video and a link to this forum. He said he will get back to me next week!
I am definitely having this issue with my 5 day old 12PM. It has been driving me nuts and I am glad to have stumbled on this thread. I see some people are having luck with 14.4 while others are not. Sounds like some people have returned their phone and still experienced the issue with the new phone. I'm torn on what to do - should I try to exchange or hope that 14.4 rolls out soon and it solves issue? How has everyone else handled it?
I contacted Apple's Creative Media through the Apple Support App. Said they would get back to me this week. I'm pretty sure its a software issue. I read 1 guy is on his 3rd phone with same issue. I'm going to wait for 14.4 if not joy then maybe swap phones then
When do you think 14.4 will be out? I only have one week left to return this phone so I'm worried should 14.4 not resolve the issue. I don't want to be dealing with this for much longer! haha I have a perfectly working X and only upgraded to the 12PM for the better camera! haha joke's on me!
I don't know when 14.4 is coming from what I can see by Googling is that its up to 14.4 RC so maybe imminent. But don't count on it. Try contacting support and hopefully more ppl who let them know the faster they work to fix it.When do you think 14.4 will be out? I only have one week left to return this phone so I'm worried should 14.4 not resolve the issue. I don't want to be dealing with this for much longer! haha I have a perfectly working X and only upgraded to the 12PM for the better camera! haha joke's on me!
I’m also having this issue on a 12 Pro. HDR on photos clearly pops into view when clicking edit.
14.4 is officially out now and hasn’t helped me.
I also get “banding” around bright lights on raw photos that oddly goes away when you tap the photo and the word “original” is displayed. Then come back as the word vanishes. Even though I’ve made no changes and should be original anyway.
I have also noticed that when editing a wide photo, not only does the HDR pop in, the lens correction gets applied too! It’s very subtle but after spending so long looking for the HDR I started to notice the adjustment in the curvature of the lens. (I think there is a setting to never do this at all in the settings so it sounds right)
I will try and get a video if I can.
14.4 is officially out now and hasn’t helped me.
I also get “banding” around bright lights on raw photos that oddly goes away when you tap the photo and the word “original” is displayed. Then come back as the word vanishes. Even though I’ve made no changes and should be original anyway.
I have also noticed that when editing a wide photo, not only does the HDR pop in, the lens correction gets applied too! It’s very subtle but after spending so long looking for the HDR I started to notice the adjustment in the curvature of the lens. (I think there is a setting to never do this at all in the settings so it sounds right)
I will try and get a video if I can.
I'm not able to see the HDR shift issue with IOS 14.4 anymore... I'm still testing, looking hard at many photos, sometimes I think I can see something (but certainly not the same issue as before). I suppose I can say it fixed the problem for me...
I found a photo which shows the effect I tried to describe in post #85 more clearly.
If you look at the first tree in the row you'll see a massive jump when switching between editing and normal view:
So far I've seen this with photos taken with an iP12P, an iP11P and an iP7.
This lead me to assume the issue is not with the photos, but with the software of the iP12P.
I'd guess this is a software issue because the iP12P's screen clearly can display HDR (as we can see in edit mode).
I also submitted this via the Feedback App (which gets installed with a Beta version of iOS).
I guess the more of us try to make Apple aware of this issue, the better our chance they will eventually recognise and solve it.
If you look at the first tree in the row you'll see a massive jump when switching between editing and normal view:
So far I've seen this with photos taken with an iP12P, an iP11P and an iP7.
This lead me to assume the issue is not with the photos, but with the software of the iP12P.
I'd guess this is a software issue because the iP12P's screen clearly can display HDR (as we can see in edit mode).
I also submitted this via the Feedback App (which gets installed with a Beta version of iOS).
I guess the more of us try to make Apple aware of this issue, the better our chance they will eventually recognise and solve it.
In your video, it seems like when you go into edit mode the "auto" setting is enabled and applying the auto filter... it changes the photo for sure, but I don't think that's the same issue.
When I go into edit mode, the "auto" setting is not enabled unless I tap it.
When I go into edit mode, the "auto" setting is not enabled unless I tap it.
Here’s mine doing it after 14.4. But this was a photo taken on 14.3. Have yet to take a new photo to see if the banding is fixed.
I’ve locked the exposure to try to show the brightness increase on the sun.
I’ve locked the exposure to try to show the brightness increase on the sun.
The photo in the video is edited - but this edit is saved in the photo and should be visible all the time, not only in edit mode.
As far as I know auto doesn't mean that when you open edit mode, a filter is applied automatically.
Instead you could use "Auto" to make the KI apply adjustments which it sees fit.
And then you can save this adjustments or cancel the edit.
If you save it, it should look the same in edit or normal mode.
To show you it's not that I've deleted my adjustments and recorded the difference between normal and edit view again:
But: On a closer look this may not be related to HDR at all: it looks rather like a different sharpening is applied when in normal mode or in edit mode.
So the bug described at the beginning of this thread seems to be solved (at least on my phone) with iOS 14.4.
I don't really understand what is going on with the photos I posted - but I can't imagine why an edit mode should show a photo deliberately different than the normal mode.
I would like to have an exact preview of the photo while editing it.
So until somebody could explain the benefits of this, I still think this is a weird bug.
Look at this edit for example, I started by reverting the photo's adjustments (not shown in the recording).
The video starts with the photo in normal mode, then entering edit mode (the tree before the sun looks a bit different now), cropping and using "AUTO", leaving edit mode by saving the adjustments.
Until here, besides the odd shift in the tree at the beginning, everything works as I'd expect it.
But then, upon entering edit mode again, the photo shifts in all sorts of adjustments, color, brightness. As if the adjustments where placed again on top of the previous ones: