Edit Cinematic mode videos on your iPad

Cinematic mode videos you record on iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models can be edited in the Photos app on your iPad. Cinematic mode applies a depth-of-field effect that keeps the focus point of your video sharp while creating a beautifully blurred foreground and background. You can change the focus point where the effect is applied, and adjust the level of background blur—or depth of field—in your Cinematic videos. You can also turn off the effect.

Cinematic mode videos can be edited on iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later), iPad Pro 11-inch (all generations), iPad Air (3rd generation and later), and iPad mini (5th generation and later).

Note: To edit Cinematic mode videos recorded on an iPhone with iOS 16 or later, make sure your iPad is using iPadOS 16.1 or later.

Turn off the Cinematic effect

In Photos, open a video recorded in Cinematic mode, then tap Edit.
Tap Cinematic at the top of the screen, then tap Done.

Repeat these steps to turn Cinematic mode back on.

Change the focus subject in a Cinematic mode video

Camera automatically identifies where to focus while you record in Cinematic mode and can automatically change focus if a new subject is identified. You can also change the focus subject manually.

In Photos, open a video recorded in Cinematic mode, then tap Edit.
White dots under the frame viewer indicate where Camera automatically changed the focus while recording. Yellow dots indicate where the focus was manually changed.
Play the video, or slide the white vertical bar in the frame viewer, to the point where you want to change the focus.
Tap the new subject, outlined in yellow, on the screen to change the focus; double tap to set automatic focus tracking on the subject.
A yellow dot appears under the frame viewer to indicate the focus was changed.
Note: You can also touch and hold the screen to lock the focus at a specific distance from the camera.
Repeat the steps above to change focus points throughout the video.
To remove a manual focus change, tap the yellow dot under the frame viewer, then tap .
Tap Done to save your changes.

Tap to toggle between automatic focus tracking and the manually selected focus points.

After you save changes, you can revert a Cinematic mode video to the original if you don’t like your edits. Open the video, tap Edit, then tap Revert.

Adjust the depth of field in a Cinematic mode video

In Photos, open a video you recorded in Cinematic mode, then tap Edit.
Tap at the top of the screen.
A slider appears below the video.
Drag the slider left or right to adjust the depth of field effect, then tap Done.

To undo the change after you save, open the video, tap Edit, then tap Revert.

Export Cinematic mode videos to your Mac

You can transfer Cinematic mode videos—with depth and focus metadata—from your iPhone to your Mac to edit in other apps.

Note: To edit Cinematic mode videos recorded on an iPhone running iOS 16 or later, make sure your Mac is running macOS Ventura.

In Photos, open the Cinematic mode video, then tap .
Tap Options at the top of the screen, turn on All Photos Data, then tap Done.
Tap AirDrop, then tap the device you want to share with (make sure the device you’re sharing with has AirDrop turned on).

Export Cinematic mode videos to an external storage device

You can export Cinematic mode videos directly to an external drive, a memory card, or other storage device.

Note: For photos and videos that have been edited, the unmodified original version will be exported.

Connect your iPad to the storage device using the Lightning or USB-C connector on iPad.
Open the Photos app, then select the photos and videos you want to export.
Tap , then tap Export Unmodified Original.
Tap your storage device (below Locations), then tap Save.

For information about editing Cinematic mode videos on your Mac using Photos, see Edit a Cinematic mode video in Photos on Mac.

For information about editing Cinematic mode videos on your Mac using Final Cut Pro, iMovie, or Motion, see the Apple Support article Edit Cinematic mode video in Final Cut Pro, iMovie, and Motion on Mac.

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