iPhone & Samsung Camera Settings for the Northern Lights

Before you start: the setup that matters most

Settings come second. These four things make a bigger difference to phone aurora photos than any slider:

1. Keep the phone perfectly still. A small phone tripod is ideal, but a rock, car roof or backpack works. Phones only allow their longest exposures when they detect they're stable.
2. Use the self-timer (3 or 10 seconds on iPhone, 2 seconds on Samsung) so tapping the shutter doesn't shake the shot.
3. Get away from lights. Streetlights and towns flood a long exposure with orange glow. See moonlight and light pollution.
4. Turn off the flash and wipe the lens. A fingerprint smear turns every light into a hazy blob, and cold can fog the lens if you bring the phone out of a warm pocket.

iPhone settings for the northern lights

These steps apply to iPhone 11 and newer, which all have Night mode. Older iPhones need a third-party long-exposure app.

Step by step

1. Open the Camera in Photo mode and use the main (1×) lens. It gathers the most light. The 0.5× ultra-wide fits more sky but is noisier on most models.
2. Turn the flash off and Live Photos off (the concentric-circles icon).
3. Mount the phone and start Night mode. In darkness, the yellow moon icon appears automatically. Tap it to open the exposure slider.
4. Drag the slider to Max. Handheld, Night mode tops out at a few seconds. On a tripod, the iPhone detects that it's stable and offers up to 30 seconds.
5. Tap the sky to focus. Tap on the aurora or a bright star rather than the dark foreground. Hold your finger down to lock focus and exposure (AE/AF Lock).
6. Lower exposure for bright aurora. After locking, drag the sun icon down slightly so bright curtains don't blow out to white.
7. Set the timer (3 or 10 s) and take the shot. Keep still until the countdown finishes.

ProRAW: worth it if you have it

Pro models from the iPhone 12 Pro onward can shoot Apple ProRAW. Turn it on under Settings → Camera → Formats, then tap RAW in the Camera app. RAW files look flat straight out of the camera, but they hold much more detail in the highlights and shadows, and you can fix white balance afterwards. RAW support and how it works with Night mode vary by model, so try it on a dark night at home first.

Fast-moving aurora on iPhone

During a strong display, a 30-second exposure blurs dancing curtains into a smooth glow. Drag the Night mode slider down to 3–10 seconds to keep the rays and structure sharp. For movement, record a video in Night mode-friendly conditions, or use Time-lapse on a tripod.

Samsung Galaxy settings for the northern lights

Samsung gives you more manual control than iPhone, through Pro mode. On recent Galaxy S models you'll find it under Camera → More → Pro. Many A-series phones have it too, sometimes with a shorter maximum shutter speed.

Pro mode step by step

1. Open Pro mode and use the main lens.
2. ISO: start at 1600. Use 800 for bright aurora, and up to 3200 if it's faint. Phone sensors get noisy above that.
3. Shutter speed (S): start at 8–10 seconds. Go shorter (2–5 s) for fast curtains, longer (15–20 s) for faint, still glows. Many Galaxy S models allow up to 30 seconds.
4. Focus (MF): switch to manual and slide it to the mountain/infinity end, then pull back very slightly. Zoom in on a bright star on screen and adjust until it's a sharp point.
5. White balance (WB): set around 3500–4000K for natural greens. Auto often turns the sky purple or muddy.
6. RAW copies: in camera settings, turn on RAW copies for Pro mode, so you keep a DNG file for editing.
7. Timer: set 2 seconds and shoot.

Expert RAW and Night mode

Many recent Galaxy S phones support Samsung's free Expert RAW app (from the Galaxy Store). It blends several frames into a cleaner RAW file, and on some models it includes an Astrophoto mode for long exposures. If you'd rather not touch manual settings, standard Night mode (under More) does a decent automatic job on moderate to bright aurora. Hold the phone very still, or use a tripod.

Cheat sheet: settings by aurora type

Common mistakes (and quick fixes)

• Blurry stars: the phone moved, or focus missed. Use a tripod and timer, and on Samsung, refocus manually on a bright star.
• Grainy, noisy sky: ISO too high. Lower the ISO and lengthen the exposure if the aurora is slow.
• Washed-out white aurora: overexposed. Shorten the exposure or lower the exposure compensation.
• Orange or purple sky: light pollution or auto white balance. Move somewhere darker and set WB manually.
• Battery dies fast: cold drains lithium batteries. Keep the phone in an inside pocket between shots and carry a power bank.

Editing your aurora photos on the phone

A light touch goes a long way. In Photos (iPhone) or Gallery (Samsung), or in Lightroom Mobile for RAW files:

• Bring highlights down to recover detail in bright curtains.
• Raise shadows a little to show the landscape.
• Adjust warmth/temperature until the greens look natural, not neon.
• Apply gentle noise reduction, and avoid heavy sharpening, which makes grain worse.

Ready for a real camera? Our aurora photography settings for beginners covers DSLRs and mirrorless cameras. And to make sure there's something to shoot, check the northern lights forecast for October 2026.