Phone camera settings for slab photos

Updated 2026-10-26

Your phone is more than good enough for slab photos. A few settings make the difference.

Turn these on

• Grid. Helps you keep the slab straight. On iPhone it's under Settings, Camera, Grid.
• The 2x or 3x lens. Stand a bit further back and zoom optically. The wide lens bends straight edges up close.
• Focus lock. Press and hold on the label until you see AE/AF Lock on iPhone, or tap to focus on Android.

Turn these off

• Flash. It reflects straight off the case.
• Portrait mode. It blurs the edges of the slab.
• Heavy filters. They change the colors of the card, and buyers notice.

Exposure

If the label looks blown out, drag the exposure down a little after focusing. On iPhone, slide the sun icon next to the focus box.

Take a few

Take three or four shots, moving the slab slightly between each. One of them will be free of reflections. Then drop the best one into Grailshot.