2023 Author: Gordon Kinson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-06-01 01:17
Whenever you browse the grid of photos and videos in the Photos app, whether you're in the Photos, Albums, or Search tab, all your media appears in tiny square thumbnails. But such a presentation is not always convenient.
What is it for?
The fact is that the image can have a different aspect ratio: 4: 3 or 16: 9, the video can be slow-motion or normal, the photo is portrait or panoramic. But the Photos app makes no distinction between the two when it comes to displaying shots in a three- or five-element grid. Thus, each image and clip is squeezed into symmetrical thumbnail previews with a 1: 1 aspect ratio in typical Apple style. Even media files that you crop in a 10: 8, 7: 5, 5: 3, 3: 2, or custom ratio will display 1: 1 in the preview.
The problem with the grid of squares is that you can't immediately tell if a photo or video is in portrait or landscape orientation, or what aspect ratio they have. Therefore, if you are looking for a particular image or clip, shot vertically with an aspect ratio of 16: 9 or horizontally 4: 3, then you will not see it right away. But in iOS 14, Apple changed its approach.
In the Photos app in iOS 14 (a detailed overview of new features), you can sort and filter media content and even add captions to it. But when it comes to viewing it in a grid view, we see all the same squares in the default view. But now you can change this view and see the elements with the original aspect ratio and orientation.
How to switch Photo to native aspect ratio
Whenever you are viewing a grid that is three or five elements wide in Photos, click the ellipsis (•••) icon in the upper-right corner, then select Aspect Grid from the menu that appears.
All photos and videos in the grid will be displayed in the correct aspect ratio, and not just in squares, and the correct orientation will also be taken into account. This allows you to quickly find portrait or landscape shots, images and videos captured in widescreen mode, as well as standard aspect ratio media or custom cropping.
White space will separate photos and videos in light mode, and black space will fill the void in dark mode. Thus, the overall picture will not look as correct and symmetrical as the square grid, but you will still be able to see the entire contents of your media.
Changing the look of the grid doesn't affect the entire Photos app - it only saves your selections for the tab you're on. Therefore, if you switched to the Aspect Ratio Grid option in the Photos tab, you will still see a square grid in the Albums and Search tabs, unless you also changed the grid display format there. But if you change the view in a specific album or folder, you will see the changes in all other albums and collections in that tab.
Return to a square grid
As soon as you change the appearance of the grid, it will immediately take the required form. Therefore, every time you go back to Photos and view a grid three or five elements wide, you will see the original images and videos in the correct aspect ratio and orientation.
To return to the symmetrical view with squares, click the ellipsis (•••) icon in the upper right corner, then choose Square Grid from the Action menu.
Again, changing the grid view applies only to the tab you are currently on, so if you changed it for Photos, and in Albums and Search you also want to return to the squares, then there too you will need to configure this parameter.
See also:
- How to sign photos in the Photos app on iPhone for easier searching.
- In iOS 14, at the top of the screen, a green or orange indicator lights up: what are they for?
- Tap on iPhone Cover - Take a screenshot: How to bind actions to tap on the back of an iPhone.
