Connect the camera to your iPad with a USB data cable.
Last updated on
Nov 10, 2026
Learn how to connect a camera to your iPad and capture photos directly into Lightroom.
Connect a supported camera to your iPad with a USB cable and capture photos straight into Lightroom. Adjust camera settings, preview with live view, and edit photos as they arrive.
To shoot tethered, you need an iPadOS 18-compatible iPad. These iPad models, and later models, support a direct USB-C camera connection:
- iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation, 2018)
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation, 2018)
- iPad Air (4th generation, 2020)
- iPad mini (6th generation, 2021)
- iPad (10th generation, 2022)
Note
Make sure your iPad has enough available storage for the photos you capture. The space you need depends on file size and the number of photos, especially when you shoot RAW files. If you sync photos to the cloud, your subscription plan’s cloud storage applies.
Connect your camera
In the dialog that appears, select Start tethered session.
In the Tethered Capture Settings dialog, select your session options, and then select Begin session:
- Session: Enter a name for the session.
- Template: Select a template for photo file names.
- Destination: In the Add to dropdown, select where to add captured photos. Select an existing album, or the Create album icon to create an album.
- Presets: Select a preset to apply to new photos. Toggle on Apply edits to next shot to use the selected preset in all photos captured in the same session.
- Keywords: Add keywords to every photo in the session.
- Auto Advance: Toggle on to automatically display the most recently captured photo. Toggle off to continue reviewing the selected photo as you shoot.
To change the settings later, select the Session Settings tab in the Tethered Capture panel.
In the Tethered Capture panel, check the camera name and Connected status.
Change camera settings
In the Tethered Capture panel, select the Camera tab.
Select a setting to change it:
- Focus: Sets the camera’s focus mode, such as autofocus or manual focus.
- Shutter: Sets the shutter speed to control how long the sensor is exposed to light and how motion appears in the photo.
- Aperture: Sets the lens opening to control the amount of light entering the camera and the depth of field.
- WB: Sets the white balance to match the lighting conditions or create a warmer or cooler look.
- ISO: Controls the photo’s brightness. Higher values can help in low light but may increase image noise.
- File Format: Sets the file format for new photos.
You can also enable Histogram to check the correct Exposure.
To view more options such as Image Quality, AF/MF, and Shooting Settings, scroll to Additional Camera Settings. The settings you can change depend on your connected camera.
Preview and capture photos
In the Tethered Capture panel, toggle on Live view. The preview shows a LIVE badge and a Focus frame.
To adjust Focus, do one of the following:
- Select the Eye icon, and then select AF to autofocus.
- Select the arrows on either side of AF to move focus nearer or farther in smaller or larger steps.
Select the Camera icon to capture the photo.
View the new photo in your session. Photos you capture appear in the Filmstrip as they arrive.
To edit a photo in your session, select the Edit icon.
Adjust the photo in the Edit panel, with features such as Light, Color, Effects, Detail, and Optics.
Add different Presets, adjust Crop and geometry settings, or apply Masking as needed.
To end a session, select End Session in the Tethered Capture panel, and then select Confirm in the End Tether Session dialog.
