A photographing preview method, wherein the method is applied to an electronic device comprising a camera, and the method comprises: starting the camera, and displaying, by the electronic device, a first viewfinder frame, wherein the first viewfinder frame is configured to display a first preview picture, and a zoom magnification of the camera corresponding to the first preview picture is a first magnification; receiving a first operation that is input by a user and that is of increasing the zoom magnification of the camera; in response to the first operation, displaying, by the first viewfinder frame, a second preview picture, wherein a zoom magnification of the camera corresponding to the second preview picture is a second magnification, and the second magnification is greater than the first magnification; and if the second magnification is greater than or equal to a first preset magnification, wherein the first preset magnification corresponds to a high zoom magnification factor, further displaying by the electronic device, a second viewfinder frame, wherein the second viewfinder frame is configured to display a third preview picture, and a viewfinder range of the camera corresponding to the third preview picture is greater than a viewfinder range of the camera corresponding to the second preview picture, wherein the second viewfinder frame further comprises a marker frame, and the marker frame is used to identify a picture that is in the third preview picture and whose viewfinder range is the same as that of the second preview picture; characterized in that: when the second magnification is switched to be greater than a second preset magnification, wherein the second preset magnification is greater than or equal to the first preset magnification, the third preview picture is an image obtained after the original image captured by the camera corresponding to the third preview picture is cropped and when the second magnification is switched to be smaller than a second preset magnification and greater than the first preset magnification, the third preview picture is an image obtained after the original image captured by the camera corresponding to the third preview picture is not cropped. starting the camera, and displaying, by the electronic device, a first viewfinder frame, wherein the first viewfinder frame is configured to display a first preview picture, and a zoom magnification of the camera corresponding to the first preview picture is a first magnification; receiving a first operation that is input by a user and that is of increasing the zoom magnification of the camera; in response to the first operation, displaying, by the first viewfinder frame, a second preview picture, wherein a zoom magnification of the camera corresponding to the second preview picture is a second magnification, and the second magnification is greater than the first magnification; and if the second magnification is greater than or equal to a first preset magnification, wherein the first preset magnification corresponds to a high zoom magnification factor, further displaying by the electronic device, a second viewfinder frame, wherein the second viewfinder frame is configured to display a third preview picture, and a viewfinder range of the camera corresponding to the third preview picture is greater than a viewfinder range of the camera corresponding to the second preview picture, wherein the second viewfinder frame further comprises a marker frame, and the marker frame is used to identify a picture that is in the third preview picture and whose viewfinder range is the same as that of the second preview picture; characterized in that: when the second magnification is switched to be greater than a second preset magnification, wherein the second preset magnification is greater than or equal to the first preset magnification, the third preview picture is an image obtained after the original image captured by the camera corresponding to the third preview picture is cropped and when the second magnification is switched to be smaller than a second preset magnification and greater than the first preset magnification, the third preview picture is an image obtained after the original image captured by the camera corresponding to the third preview picture is not cropped.