We’ve all had that moment. You open up your phone’s gallery to swipe through the family pictures you shot on your beach vacation, at the lake or on some random day with the kids.

Womp womp, they’re blurry, everyone looks caught off guard, and there’s a random guy and his dog in the background of the one good option. You poor thing. I can help.

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Use your phone’s timer

Both iPhones and Android have built-in photo timers. Using a timer, you don’t have to ask some random stranger to take a photo, which could lead to something worse. My friend handed her phone to someone to take a picture of her and her daughter, and the guy ran away with her phone.

For your iPhone:

On Android:

Stability, people

Tripods are one pro secret to getting amazing shots. No more balancing your phone on something and hoping it stays. You don’t need to be anything close to a pro to use this secret yourself.

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Get better smiles

"Say cheese" is the classic photo prompt, but it can result in fake-looking smiles. Your best bet is to make a joke about eight seconds into that 10-second timer to get everyone to smile. I like this one: "I love to go Komando!" 

Otherwise, try a word that ends with an -uh sound, like "yoga." It always works best to pick a word to make your people laugh or smile.

Clean up your pics

At a family barbecue? You might not want that beer bottle or red plastic cup spoiling your pic.

Facetune (iOS, Android) is the big app everyone’s using these days — so much so that when people think a pic is edited, they accuse it of being "Facetuned," not "Photoshopped!"

If you’re on a Mac, a touch-up tool is built right into the Photos app. 

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On a PC, you can use the new Generative Erase tool in the Windows Photos app. It uses AI to remove something you don’t like in a pic (a rando in the background) and fill it in with something you want (the sunset). 

One final word of advice: Genuine smiles and real moments always make the best photos. Encourage your family to relax. That means no more yelling "Hold still and smile," OK?

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