Photography

Ever notice the focus stays fixed when recording video on the iPhone 5s? In fact, the only iOS devices that automatically adjust focus while recording are the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. While this feature was not added to the stock Camera app on older iPhones, those with jailbroken devices can now get a piece of the action.

The free jailbreak tweak AFVideo does the trick. Normally, refocusing a video while recording on the iPhone 5s / 5c or earlier requires a tap on the screen. Once AFVideo is installed, there are no options or settings to configure. The stock Camera app will simply begin to focus automatically, on the fly while video recording is in progress.

As any photography hobbyist knows, slowing the shutter speed can produce some interesting effects. The technique is also useful in low light situations, to capture more light. The iOS app Slow Shutter! simulates this on the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch with a simple interface. Apple is running a promotion until March 28, offering free downloads of the app.

Normally, Slow Shutter! runs $1.99 on the App Store. In order to get a free copy, iOS users must redeem a gift code through the Apple Store app. The Apple Store app is free, and provides access to Apple products and mobile shopping directly on iOS devices. Once installed, follow these steps to take advantage of the promotion and download Slow Shutter! for free:

Apple has chosen ProCam 2 as its App of the Week, in the Featured section of the iOS App Store. ProCam offers a variety of souped up photography tools that normally cost $1.99. Officially titled ProCam 2 - Camera and Photo / Video Editor, users have rated all versions of the app with a total of 4.5 out of 5 stars.

ProCam is iOS 8 ready, with an extension for its custom editing tools to be used directly in the stock Photos app. The list of features is extensive, including a slew of shooting modes, manual camera controls, lenses, filters, adjustment tools and a frame by frame video timeline. To top it off, the iPhone 5s and later can get 4K video support with a $4.99 in-app purchase.

The iOS Photos app could use a boost. Knowing this, the developer of Photo Organizer has been working for some time to add new features to the stock Photos app. Now those with jailbroken iOS 8 devices can grab the latest version of the tweak, Photo Organizer 8.

Once installed, Photo Organizer 8 has no settings or options to configure. It will simply add new functionality and power to the existing Photos app. For starters, there's a sort option which can organize images by name, size, or date. This is just the beginning of what the tweak offers.

Locking out parts of the iOS Photos app is now possible thanks to the jailbreak tweak Photego. With Photego installed, a variety of photo-related functions can be secured. Once they are locked, access to these functions is only possible by using Touch ID authentication. Photego is capable of preventing album access, photo deletion, sharing, and more.

Once installed, the tweak can be configured under Settings -> Photego. In addition to a toggle that disables the tweak entirely, Photego can lock out its settings pane for unauthorized users. The list continues from there, with an option to protect images and videos from being deleted. The Recently Deleted folder can also be protected from permanent deletion, and images in the Recently Deleted folder can be prevented from recovery.