Why does my iPhone make me look so pale?

March 21, 2023 5:58 AM

It’s not just me, everyone I know looks luminous in an unnatural way in their Instagram photos. I know it could be filters but also I’ve noticed I look very pale in photos taken on an iPhone (no filters). I have an iPhone 12. What am I doing wrong?

I know it’s still winter in here in Europe – but help me not look like an extra from Twilight.

posted by bigyellowtaxi to Technology (3 answers total)

Best answer: Marques Brownlee did a big smartphone camera survey last year. It's interesting as a whole, but in particular, he talks about how different company's software adjusts things based on what they think are important. Apple is called out for highlighting faces. The whole video is interesting, but at the very least I'd watch the bit that starts at about 8:30. This explains what's happening.

As to fixing it? I'd start with adjusting contrast and brightness in tandem.
posted by nushustu at 8:48 AM on March 21, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I've noticed that iPhones exaggerate the contrast between dark and light. I really notice it when I take a photo of a specific friend who has white streaks in black hair. In real life the streaks are pretty subtle, almost like pewter highlights, but the iPhone makes the contrast so harsh that they look like stark white stripes.

So if you have dark hair / eyes / eyebrows, the iPhone might tend to make your skin look lighter by comparison.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 10:29 AM on March 21, 2023

Response by poster: Thank you, this makes so much sense!
posted by bigyellowtaxi at 3:07 PM on March 21, 2023