iPhone 15 Pro Another year, another iPhone with near ZERO improvements to camera color rendering and white balance (everything is yellow)

[headlessmike]

I don't see how some people here conflate warm with yellow/green...

Apple need to up their photography game, it's very obvious, but sycophants will bash you or defend Apple blindly because you're daring to criticise them.

In color balancing you often correct for temperature and tint (in simple terms). The temperature correction adds more yellow or blue, while the tint adds more green or magenta to an image. Since these pairs are both opposites of each other, adding one is identical to reducing the other in relative terms. Yellow is simply warm in this sense because it's the opposite of blue, which people perceive as being cold. I understand this convention even though it bugs me since yellow corresponds to a lower (cooler) color temperature while blue is a higher (warmer) temperature.

To me, green and magenta feel equally warm. The problem that cameras face is that even though out eyes perceive things as white, most artificial light sources have a tint to them that is not always easy to correct for.

 

[JH101]

This is getting tiring. iPhones have been delivering very poor white balance and color rendering for YEARS now, especially in low or imperfect light (such as overcast). I don't understand what is going on. This year's Smart HDR was upgraded to version 5 but the "improvements" (or lack thereof) to rectify this issue are not up to par, in particular when compared to Pixel in many scenarios. If you have give me 10 pictures from an iPhone and 10 from any other smartphone I can usually figure out which one is the iPhone based on the yellow-green characteristic alone. Here are some yearly observations from all the review photos (as well as my own) that are yet to be fixed. I will use specific examples from 14 Pro and 15 Pro reviews to demonstrate.

1. iPhones repeatedly render a green or yellow tinge in many photos and subsequently kill the kind of beautiful color contrast we see in the 'best case' photos from Apple's keynote as well as our own photographs.
2. White balance misses all too frequently in scenarios without perfect direct sunlight. Even then it sometimes struggles.

It's getting to the point where every new iPhone release has me waiting in anticipation for the first real life photos to be published JUST so I can see if they've fixed this one issue. I often find myself adjusting my 14 PM photos slightly to account for the yellow cast and subsequent desaturation/poor contrast.

Let me start by presenting a side by side comparison of a shot from the 14 Pro and Pixel 7 from The Verge's iPhone review last year. I know it's a year old but I remember being irate when I saw it last year because this is a particularly disgusting example. As you will see the 15 Pro still has this issue in varying degrees of severity:

14 Pro	Pixel 7
View attachment 2270048	View attachment 2270050

You see it? The Pixel is very balanced, there are different colored lights and the color of buildings can be seen through the harsh office lights, all the while the sky is closer to what you would see if you were actually standing there. The iPhone on the other hand looks like a PS3 cutscene from a Yakuza game, a complete blob of yellow-green Gotham CGI.

Unfortunately the 15 Pro exhibits the same issue, maybe there are some slight improvements but not enough. Again from The Verge 15 Pro review except this time I've included the same image with some very simple correction applied to it via Pixelmator. I'm no editor or professional photographer so you may not agree with the final output of my corrections but the point is to demonstrate that the original needs some form of correction in the first place to counter the yellow-green tinge:

15 Pro Original Output:	15 Pro Corrected:
View attachment 2270069	View attachment 2270070

Again, the correction is not perfect as I'm applying auto white balance adjustments to an already compressed jpeg, Apple's original processing could produce a much better result. Look at the overall color of the original image though, in particular the buildings and the sky. I assure you Market St doesn't look so jaundice.

Some more examples:

15 Pro	15 Pro Corrected
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Disclaimer: let's get this out of the way. The following responses are meaningless so there's no need to post them: 1) "Buy a pixel" no thanks, I'm locked in to iPhone and prefer Apple's ecosystem, it's entirely reasonable to ask for improvements to a product you're heavily invested in. 2) "iPhones are not meant for upgrading every year, don't expect radical changes" this problem has been going on for years and it never gets addressed. If Google can deliver big upgrades to both their camera hardware and software processing whilst avoiding major mishaps with white balance/color, why can't Apple? I'm not asking for magic, just some focus on white balance and color

Problem is, unless your (everyones) viewing device is calibrated, it's a pointless discussion. Every screen has its own calibration, so to my eyes (non calabrated android phone) yr adjusted pics look too heavy on the purple. As long as you have a calibrated screen the people viewing the images have a calibrated screen can we begin this discussion, & good luck with that!

 

[laszlo182]

I like the yellow tint.
However I don’t like the Deep Fusion effects in some pictures.
Apple should allow more control.

 

[cupcakes2000]

I don't see how some people here conflate warm with yellow/green...

Apple need to up their photography game, it's very obvious, but sycophants will bash you or defend Apple blindly because you're daring to criticise them.

I’m not sure anyone is conflating anything. Colour is immensely subjective. Often people don’t even see a green colour shift. To other people something warm looks over processed. Often, it depends on the situation when the photos were taken. If you try to reduce the natural yellow of sunlight on a portrait by cooling it down in WB, it’s gonna look awful. It’s supposed to be yellow.
Conversely if you try to warm up a blue hour portrait with WB, it’s not going to work. It’s supposed to be blue.

It’s subjective, and unless it’s massively over done (which can still work, depending), it will always be subjective.

Further, people don’t even see or notice some colour problems due to incorrectly calibrated (or not calibrated at all) screens.

Frankly, to deride anything in this thread as ‘defending Apple blindly’ is absurd and has no place in a civil discussion about correctable colour issues/preferences.

 

[0339327]

While I do understand disappointment when one is used to a particular product line, I often don’t get the complaining.

I was very disappointed with the 2023 Mac Pro so… I didn’t buy one. Apple has changed course over the years and that reality isn’t anything new.

So… “if you don’t like the iPhone 4, don’t buy one. If you bought one and you don’t like it, bring it back.”

 

[zakarhino]

Problem is, unless your (everyones) viewing device is calibrated, it's a pointless discussion. Every screen has its own calibration, so to my eyes (non calabrated android phone) yr adjusted pics look too heavy on the purple. As long as you have a calibrated screen the people viewing the images have a calibrated screen can we begin this discussion, & good luck with that!

I see my preface in the OP wasn't very clear, I expanded on it and changed the colors so it's easier to take notice:

I'm no editor or professional photographer so you may not agree with the final output of my corrections (some are too magenta for example) but the point is to demonstrate that the original needs SOME form of correction, albeit better than mine, in the first place to counter the yellow-green tinge. The "balanced" versions are to provide contrast and demonstrate the yellow-green tinge exists in the first place for those that don't think it's obvious

Calibrated screen or not, the yellow-green tinge is noticeable. To me it's very unpleasant and too far removed from what my eyes would see. I think a lot of people agree (as per MKBHD's camera test) and so do many camera manufacturers like Sony, Leica, Google, Samsung, etc. because as far as I've seen none of them produce images that are this tilted towards yellow-green.

Again, my 'corrected' or 'balanced' versions are not perfect examples, I just hit auto white balance in half of them and then pulled it back a bit if it looked wrong. The balanced versions are not what the iPhone SHOULD be doing, they are only meant to provide contrast so you can see what the iPhone SHOULDN'T be doing in the straight out of camera version.

 

[Aneres11]

Amen to this post. The yellow sheen on photos has been a problem for years. The post shows it well and the people jumping to its defence is typically hilarious for MR.

Shame there’s little improvement.

 

[JH101]

I’m not sure anyone is conflating anything. Colour is immensely subjective. Often people don’t even see a green colour shift. To other people something warm looks over processed. Often, it depends on the situation when the photos were taken. If you try to reduce the natural yellow of sunlight on a portrait by cooling it down in WB, it’s gonna look awful. It’s supposed to be yellow.
Conversely if you try to warm up a blue hour portrait with WB, it’s not going to work. It’s supposed to be blue.

It’s subjective, and unless it’s massively over done (which can still work, depending), it will always be subjective.

Further, people don’t even see or notice some colour problems due to incorrectly calibrated (or not calibrated at all) screens.

Frankly, to deride anything in this thread as ‘defending Apple blindly’ is absurd and has no place in a civil discussion about correctable colour issues/preferences.

And to add to this, allot of Males (like who mainly are on this site) may have varying degrees of colour blindness, which gets worse with age. So, you also need to test individuals as well have calabrated devices 😎

 

[JH101]

I see my preface in the OP wasn't very clear, I expanded on it and changed the colors so it's easier to take notice:



Calibrated screen or not, the yellow-green tinge is noticeable. To me it's very unpleasant and too far removed from what my eyes would see. I think a lot of people agree (as per MKBHD's camera test) and so do many camera manufacturers like Sony, Leica, Google, Samsung, etc. because as far as I've seen none of them produce images that are this tilted towards yellow-green.

Again, my 'corrected' or 'balanced' versions are not perfect examples, I just hit auto white balance in half of them and then pulled it back a bit if it looked wrong. The balanced versions are not what the iPhone SHOULD be doing, they are only meant to provide contrast so you can see what the iPhone SHOULDN'T be doing in the straight out of camera version.

One thing I have noticed on iphones (don't know if you've checked) is the screen is set to be very warm by default. This can be turned off and makes the images more cool. (you may have done this, just to iterate my calabration point)

 

[Oohara]

I have to agree. I'll often be disappointed that otherwise very good photos from my iPhone camera have that warm tint. The most typical scenarios are outdoor shots on overcast days where almost everything will look a bit yellow, and family type photos quickly snapped at someone's birthday or a dinner or whatever, where faces will look almost as if coated with some kind of foundation cream.

Meanwhile my girlfriend's Android phone - which used to be a Huawei Mate 10 Lite and now is a Pixel 6A - almost always comes out on top in these situations. My photos will be more detailed, but hers have more natural color and generally just more life to them, so they're usually what we end up using unless they're just too blurry which does happen.

Just like you I'm 100% happy with my iPhones in every other regard. The general iOS vs Android bla bla discussion is totally irrelevant in this case. I'm also happy with the camera much of the time. For example outdoors/nature shots in good lighting, there my camera completely destroys anything my girlfriend's phones can produce.

But this color thing does annoy me, and it has for years. I'm coming at this from an "out of the box experience" perspective, that's where the comparison lies - I want to be able to just use the stock photo app because of how it syncs to the rest of iOS without me needing to fiddle with stuff, so I don't care about third party camera apps (though when I'm really setting up a shoot for whatever reason, I will sometimes use them). And I don't want to have to adjust my photos after I take them, unless I'm setting up a shot for some very specific reason where the quality will be super important. I'm talking about everyday use.

Out of the box vs out of the box, my iPhones vs her Androids, her shots in the above mentioned scenarios will usually have more natural colors. Both she and I and both our families and friends who have commented on our photos agree with this. And this is including a very low budget Android phone, the Huawei Mate 10 Lite. I won't get into a word battle with those who say this is subjective, it's really not that important to me, but to us, the warmer colors of the iPhone photos look clearly less natural. I mean people will notice it, over and over.

I get that Apple will never do something like this, but what I'd really love is to just have a setting for less warm colors in those situations. Not sure if something like that would be technically possible, but since it's possible to achieve with balance adjustments afterwards I suspect it would be. Then everyone could just choose based on their subjective preference.

As it stands, I'm not outraged or anything, I don't need my money back, I don't need to be rescued from any "walled garden" or any of that crap; I love my iPhones 99% of the time, and their cameras most of the time. But maybe 25% of my photos shot in everyday life for the past 7 years have looked unnaturally warm/yellowish compared to all my girlfriend's Android phones, and I just wish it weren't so.

 

[MarkNewton2023]

It is not a deal breaker for me. If you are not happy with it or iPhone 15 camera color quality not working for you, I suppose there are other alternative brands that fits with your color quality preference. I wish the best to find it!

 

[TJ82]

If you think that’s bad you should see my 12 Pro Max - looks like someone badly dehydrated urinated over the shots!

Happy to sell this trash off and move to the 15 PM, should be a big upgrade cam quality wise even if still a long way to go for Apple in terms of colour and exposure.

 

[AppZ.Zero]

Same for iOS17. New features? Where?

 

[applepotato666]

That yellow/blue is white balance, and it’s relative. The white balance has to be set differently depending on scene or lighting in order to match what our eyes see. The easiest way to solve the problem is to change the white balance in any capable editing program to whatever suits your tastes. (You obviously prefer the strict neutral, but some prefer a warmer setting.)

Cameras’ auto white balance settings are rarely perfect, even on high end mirrorless bodies. While it can be set manually, ballpark is usually good enough when you can go back and tweak it

Exactly. I much prefer the warmer look in almost any photo I take. Most people prefer a warmer look because it's just more joyous and lively (more like we tend to remember the stuff we bring our cameras out for!), and way more suitable for portraits/photos of people which is what people use the iPhone camera for. I've found most Androids' color science makes people's faces look unnaturally pale, flat and unflattering. But neither is accurate or inaccurate.

That said I don't find it overblown and I can tune it down in a pinch right from the editor in the Photos app when it doesn't exactly nail it. Also, I find the Cool photographic style perfectly compensates especially if you tune it a bit. I reduce the warmness to -50 and Tone to around -20 and shots turn out very similar to the color science the iPhone 8/X generation used to have. You can even set a photographic style as your default.

What I dislike with the newer generations is the ridiculous over brightening of faces when lighting is less than ideal or especially if backlit. It stips all contrast from faces because it hightens the brightness so much and that's why I shoot with an app that gives me RAW output in those scenarios.

 

[nvmls]

The pixel is objectively better at photos, has been for a while now. I still prefer iOS, but Apple dropped the ball on picture quality.

 

[Jamo12]

I hear a lot of what you are saying, but you have a finely controllable feature to make the photos less yellow by default.

Now if you want to make the argument that it should be better to begin with, that’s fine, but it is good to know that this exists.

If somebody can help me with what it is called, that would be great. You can access it by clicking the arrow at the top of the camera screen.

 

[Oohara]

View attachment 2270389I hear a lot of what you are saying, but you have a finely controllable feature to make the photos less yellow by default.

Now if you want to make the argument that it should be better to begin with, that’s fine, but it is good to know that this exists.

If somebody can help me with what it is called, that would be great. You can access it by clicking the arrow at the top of the camera screen.

This looks awesome, had no idea about that - but I can’t find it in my camera app. Is it a Pro only feature? I used to have a 12 PM but sold it and got a vanilla 12 because I developed a wrist injury and needed the lightest phone possible.

Attached are the options I get when I tap that arrow.

 

[StudioMacs]

Just for reference, here's a cityscape taken with a Leica Q2. A different league of camera, yes, but similar to the Pixel it can capture plenty of yellow and orange city lights without too much compromise on the color integrity of the sky and pure white lights:

None of your photos include skin tones. People are the number one subject in iPhone photos.

 

[Jamo12]

This looks awesome, had no idea about that - but I can’t find it in my camera app. Is it a Pro only feature? I used to have a 12 PM but sold it and got a vanilla 12 because I developed a wrist injury and needed the lightest phone possible.

Attached are the options I get when I tap that arrow.

Apparently, it’s a iPhone 13 and up feature. iPhone 12 (even pro) do not have it

If you got a 13 mini, you would be able to get it and have a light phone…

It is called Photographic Styles.

 

[TracerAnalog]

OP, why don’t you shoot in raw like a sane person and apply your own color grading? Just saying… 🤓

 

[ric22]

OP, why don’t you shoot in raw like a sane person and apply your own color grading? Just saying… 🤓

I think a lot of us expect more from Apple without having to go to that length.

 

[OneBar]

Coming from a photography background, shooting on several dslrs, a couple film cams, and 4 different iPhones, your Pixel shots and the rest of the Android examples all skew hard blue. They're anything but neutral. Your corrected iPhone shots vary minutely from the original versions. But you should never expect a shot from any camera to not require post processing. Ever. Film, dslr, mirrorless, or phone. Shoot RAW and edit. If it's worth taking, it's worth massaging.

 

[Expos of 1969]

This looks awesome, had no idea about that - but I can’t find it in my camera app. Is it a Pro only feature? I used to have a 12 PM but sold it and got a vanilla 12 because I developed a wrist injury and needed the lightest phone possible.

Attached are the options I get when I tap that arrow.

I have it on my SE 3. Click the 3 yellow or white squares option

 

[headlessmike]

I have it on my SE 3. Click the 3 yellow or white squares option

It isn't there on older phones (12 series and older). The SE 3 has the same chipset as the 13 series, which is why you are seeing it.

 

[Supermallet]

Why not use a third party app like Halide that gives you more control? I have have a Halide widget on my Lock Screen so I can access it from anywhere in the phone by swiping down from the top and clicking on it. If you’re getting a 15 Pro, you can set the action button to a shortcut that opens to Halide or your preferred third party app.

As for Apple, have you used the feedback submission form?