If you own a smartphone, you probably already know how to take a panoramic photo. It’s a great way to capture a sprawling landscape, like the sun setting over the coast. But did you know your panoramic photos don’t have to be horizontal?
It seems pretty obvious once you hear about it, but many people aren’t aware that you can actually take a panoramic photo vertically. Not only does this feature make your photos look epic; it also allows you to fit tall buildings, trees, and monuments into one frame. It’s one of those little-known smartphone tricks and it’s really easy to do. Here’s how:
Vertical Panorama for iPhone users
- Open the camera app
- Swipe right to “PANO” mode
- Hold your phone horizontally
- Press the camera button
- Follow the arrow to shoot the image
- Tap “Done” when complete
Vertical Panorama for Android users
(Pixel or Nexus)- Open the camera app
- Under the menu, go to “Panorama”
- Tap “Vertical”
- While taking the photo, hold the target circle over the gray dot on the screen until it disappears
- Move the camera to the next gray dot and repeat until there are no more gray dots
- Tap “Done” when complete
A Couple Extra Vertical Pano Tips:
- Stand close to your subject so there’s less foreground to make tall subjects, like buildings, look extra heightened
- Capture things both in front of you and behind you by starting with your arms outstretched and the camera in front of you, then reach your arms over and behind your head as you shoot:
