How to Export iPhone Portrait Photos with Depth Data Preserved

2 minute read

Introduction

As an iPhone 15 user, I frequently use Portrait Mode for my photos. It allows me to adjust the focus and depth of field after taking the shot. However, I encountered some difficulties when trying to export these photos to an external hard drive for backup, as the depth data would be lost after exporting. What’s even more frustrating is that I couldn’t find a clear solution online. After trying various methods, I discovered two ways to export portrait photos with depth data intact, allowing them to be re-imported to an iPhone for further editing.

Device: iPhone 15 Pro

iOS Version: 17.2.1

TL;DR: Disable the portrait effect before exporting, or export “All Photos Data” to a MacBook

Method 1: Turn Off Portrait Mode Before Exporting

Though odd, it seems that the depth data can only be preserved in the exported image when the portrait effect is turned off. Here’s how to turn off portrait effect and export the image:

Disable Portrait Effect

Tap Edit to open the photo editor. Tap the Portrait button at the top or slide the aperture scale all the way to the right until you see OFF, and then tap Done.

A faster way to disable portrait effect is by tapping the portrait dropdown menu at the upper left corner and select Portrait Off . (Both ways disables the portrait effect temporarily, and can be applied again later.)
Save to Files

Export the image and save it to an external hard drive or cloud storage.

The image exported after turning off portrait effect is larger in size since it contains the depth information.
Re-import the Image into the Photos App for Editing

Choose Save Image or download it from cloud storage to re-import it into the Photos app.
Re-enable Portrait Effect

Enable portrait effect by using either of the two methods mentioned above. The original aperture setting and focus point are preserved. (The white dot denotes the original aperture size.)

Note that the yellow focus box will be fixed at the lower left corner (likely a bug). However, the focused spot should remain the same as in the original image, and can still be adjusted.

Method 2: Export “All Photos Data” to a MacBook

This method allows you to preserve depth data by exporting two versions of the image: one with depth data and the other without it. However, this method only works when exported via AirDrop. It does not work when saving to files.

Export the Image

Select Options and choose All Photos Data.
Export to MacBook via AirDrop

Choose the device you want to export to in AirDrop contacts. On your Mac or MacBook, accept the file transfer and select Save to Downloads.
Locate the Image File

In the saved folder, you will find two files:
- A smaller image with the portrait effect applied but without depth data.
- A larger image file without the portrait effect but containing the depth data.

By following this guide, you can easily export iPhone portrait photos with the depth data preserved for future editing. Feel free to contact us if you know of better ways to achieve this on iOS 17.2.1 or newer versions.

This is a guest post written by @J1soon.