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iPad User Guide

Edit photos and videos on iPad

After you take a photo or video, use the tools in the Photos app to edit it on your iPad. You can adjust the light and color, add a filter, and more.

When you use iCloud Photos, any edits you make are saved across all your devices.

Tip: To choose the background color of Edit mode—for example, to set it to always be dark—see Set the background color of Edit mode.

Adjust light and color

  1. Go to the Photos app 👁 Image
    on your iPad.

  2. Tap a photo or video to open it, then tap 👁 the Edit button
    .

    👁 The Edit screen of the Photos app showing a photo in the center. To the left of the photo are the Adjust, Filters, and Crop buttons; Adjust is selected. To the right of the photo are buttons for editing effects and a slider to adjust each effect level.

  3. Tap Adjust.

  4. Swipe left under the photo to view the lighting adjustments you can make—for example, Exposure, Brilliance, Highlights, and Shadows.

  5. Tap the lighting setting you want to edit, then drag the slider to make precise adjustments.

    The level of adjustment you make for each lighting setting is indicated by the outline around the button, so you can see at a glance which lighting settings have been increased or decreased. Tap the lighting button to switch between the edited photo or video and the original so you can see the difference your edits made.

  6. Tap Done to save your edits, or if you don’t like your changes, tap Cancel, then tap Discard Changes.

Tip: Tap 👁 the Enhance button
to automatically enhance light and color in a photo or video.

Change the Photographic Style of photos captured on iPhone 16 or later

If you take a photo with an iPhone 16 or later, you can change or edit the Photographic Style in the Photos app.

  1. Go to the Photos app 👁 Image
    on your iPad.

  2. Open a photo taken with an iPhone 16 or later, then tap 👁 the Edit button
    .

  3. Make sure Styles is selected on the left side of the screen, then do one of the following:

    • Choose a style: Tap a style or slide to select one of the style options on the right side of the screen.

    • Adjust the tone and color: Tap 👁 the Styles Chooser
      ,       then slide your finger on 👁 the Styles Chooser
      to simultaneously adjust the tone and color. Drag your finger on the slider below to adjust the intensity level.

      As you make adjustments, the values for tone, color, and intensity are shown at the top of the screen. Tap the round arrow to reset these values.

  4. Tap Done.

Apply filter effects

  1. Go to the Photos app 👁 Image
    on your iPad.

  2. Open a photo or video, then tap 👁 the Edit button
    .

  3. Tap 👁 the Filters button
    on the left side of the screen to apply filter effects such as Vivid or Dramatic.

    To remove a filter that was applied when you took the photo, choose Original.

  4. Tap a filter on the right side of the screen, then drag the slider to adjust the effect.

    To compare the edited photo to the original, tap the photo.

    👁 The Edit screen in the Photos app with a photo in the center. On the left side of the screen are the Adjust, Filters, and Crop buttons; Filters is selected. On the right side of the screen are the filter options and a slider to adjust the level of the filter effect.

  5. Tap Done to save your edits, or if you don’t like your changes, tap Cancel, then tap Discard Changes.

Note: For photos taken with an iPhone 16 or later, use Photographic Styles instead of filters to give your photos a customized look. See Change the Photographic Style of photos captured on iPhone 16 or later.

Copy and paste edits to multiple photos

You can copy the edits you made to one photo (or video) and paste them onto another photo, or a batch or photos, all at once.

  1. Go to the Photos app 👁 Image
    on your iPad.

  2. Open the photo or video that contains the edits you want to copy.

  3. Tap 👁 the More button
    ,     then tap Copy Edits.

  4. Review and turn off any edits you don’t want to copy, then tap Copy.

  5. Tap 👁 the Back button
    to return to your library.

  6. Tap Select, then tap the thumbnails of the photos you want to paste the edits onto, or open a single photo or video.

  7. Tap 👁 the More button
    ,     then tap Paste Edits.

Note: Photos automatically adjusts the white balance and exposure of the edited photos to create a better match and make the photos look even more similar.

Add stickers, text, and more

  1. Go to the Photos app 👁 Image
    on your iPad.

  2. Tap a photo to open it.

  3. Tap 👁 the Edit button
    ,     then tap 👁 the Markup button
    .

  4. Tap 👁 the Add Annotations button
    to add stickers, captions, text, shapes, or even your signature.

  5. Tap 👁 the Done button
    to save your edits.

Set the background color of Edit mode

By default, the background of Edit mode matches the light or dark appearance of your iPad. You can change the background color of Edit mode—for example, set it to always appear dark if you prefer to edit photos against a dark background.

  1. Go to the Photos app 👁 Image
    on your iPad.

  2. Tap a photo or video to open it, then tap 👁 the Edit button
    .

  3. Tap 👁 the More button
    ,     tap Appearance, then do one of the following:

    • Match edit mode to the light or dark appearance of your iPad: Tap System.

    • Make Edit mode always appear dark: Tap Dark.

    • Make Edit mode always appear light: Tap Light.

Remove distractions using Apple Intelligence

With Apple Intelligence,* you can use the Clean Up tool to help identify and remove distracting objects in a photo. See Remove distractions from your photos.

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