After the beginning of the smartphone era and the advent of social networks, manufacturers of cell phone They managed it phone cameras Grab the attention of users year after year with Android and iPhone versions.
Depending on the company or if a third party app is used, cameras on mobile devices have the technology and features to do so Narrowing the gap with traditional reflex cameras.
All smartphone cameras consist of three basic parts. The first is lens Points the light at the camera. The second is sensor which converts focused photons of light into an electrical signal. And the third is Programming Which converts those electrical signals into an image to post on Instagram, for example.
But to achieve that outstanding shot, to share it, and to create the necessary interactions, certain aspects of the camera configuration must be considered, such as Lightningthe scene modes and the to express.
the next, Tricks, tips and advice To take advantage of the cell phone’s camera Take perfect photos.
Adjust focus and exposure
Smartphone cameras go a long way in a short time, and most phones offer some focus and exposure control for your shot. if it is Manual focus Available, usually activated by tapping on the screen, at the point where you want the camera to focus.
You should also check your phone’s camera settings. If you have a choice Active facial recognition It will automatically search for faces in the scene, helping to avoid shots that look out of focus.
Then there exposureor the amount of light allowed into the frame.
For example, in the default iPhone camera app, it allows a single tap on the screen to enable Approaching. By holding down and dragging the slider that appears on the side or top of the screen, we can also Adjust the exposure level. This same standard applies to the camera of Android cell phones.
Use HDR mode
known as High dynamic range o High Dynamic Range, this essential feature of smartphone camera apps brings out the details in the darkest and lightest parts of your image and creates Better color balance in general.
This technology is particularly suitable for capture landscapes and portraits, especially when there is a wide band between the darkest and lightest parts of the image. This is because pictures of the sky, earth, and mountains have a lot of contrast.
However, keep in mind that the camera with Active HDR will take a few extra milliseconds to take a shot, so you should avoid using it on occasions when the subject is moving quickly or when you can’t keep the phone steady.
Regardless of the brand and model of the device, cameras usually include, by default, “HDR mode prominently somewhere on the screen. It is also possible to activate it from the settings, which means that it will be activated every time it can come in handy.
Use natural light whenever possible
the a light It’s one of the most important factors in any photo, although many devices have technology to make the most of the lighting in situations where there isn’t any.
cameras Motorola you have in Quad Pixel A feature that combines four pixels into a single pixel to take advantage of low-light environments. while the Samsung They can detect low light and combine their pixels, creating blocks of nine pixels. or the Xiaomi with Pixel grouping That combines the pixels of a sensor into a single super pixel. In all cases, lighting is best used by software.
No matter the equipment, the ideal is to always set your goals the same Well lit from the front And not shaded by strong light from behind. Of course, this isn’t always possible with fast shots.
Using artificial light can also work, though you have to be a little more careful.
if it was night sceneFor example, your subjects should be closer to the brightness of artificial lights rather than deeper in shadows, and make sure their faces are as well lit as possible.
Use the flash It can help, but keep in mind that it does not have as much power as a conventional camera and can ruin a good photo, because this artificial light source limits the amount needed. If you have time, try one shot and one without the flash to see the difference.
Set capture mode
One area where mobile photographers still lag behind dedicated cameras is in their motion sensitivity. Even a slight shake can make a photo look like it was taken on a rocking boat, while a dslr The most professional is best suited for this type of movement.
Therefore, it is important to reduce camera shake as much as possible. buy a tripod It may seem excessive, but you can choose small and inexpensive tripod models designed specifically for smartphones.
If you don’t want to get a tripod, use whatever is available: a wall, a friend’s shoulder, or even your other arm. Keeping your shot steady is especially important in low-light conditions, when exposure times may be longer.
Apply the rule of thirds
There is an old photography trick that has been around for years that can be applied to smartphone cameras: rule of thirds. The image is divided into nine equal blocks that form a three by three grid for a good composition.
To take the desired photo, you will have to try to get the most interesting parts of your photo (like a line of trees or a group of faces). near the corners of these sections, where the imaginary grid lines meet. This rule applies to taking photos of friends in a bar or a particular landscape.
In the era of smartphone instant photography, almost every camera has this tool called Guide Lines or “network”. For example, it can be activated on Android from Settings or Configuration pane. Whereas in iOS the option is in the path Settings > Camera > Configuration > Network.
Take pictures in burst mode
Most phones have it burst modea feature that is activated on both Android and iPhone by holding down the shutter button in photo mode.
This tool can be very useful as it provides a file A collection of different images to choose from, and can be useful in almost any situation. This way, there are more chances to find the most specific image with the highest level of detail.
Edit photos on the fly
Besides the photo gallery and editing apps offered by Apple and Google, there are alternatives like Snapseed, Adobe Photoshop Express, and VSCO They can further improve good photos. You can add filters, adjust colors, straighten images, and more. Also keep an eye out for “one-click” fixes that enhance your photos with minimal effort on your part.
Some photo editing apps import photos taken by the camera, while others have their own built-in camera component. Which brings us to our next tip.
in matters of plurality filtersInstagram can “save” poor quality photos with a few tweaks. The application includes a large number of editing tools and adjustments, which makes it one of the best applications in terms of image editing that can be had on a cell phone.
Explore the default camera app
Even with so many third-party camera apps to choose from, it’s worth exploring everything default app on your phone to submit.
For those with an Apple cell phone, and running iOS, the built-in camera comes with a selection of live filters that you can choose from (tap the icon in the upper right corner to view it). In turn, the situation painting For an immediate effect of depth of field (where the subject remains sharp but the background is blurred).
On Android, the camera app will vary depending on the phone manufacturer. The main ones – Samsung, Motorola, Redmi, Xiaomi or Oppo – include customization layers that allow, among other things, to add a light filter so that colors look good no matter what kind of light you’re dealing with. There are also different beautification options for faces.
For their part, the cameras of premium Samsung and Motorola phones, such as the S22 Ultra series or the Edge 30 Ultra, you can directly choose the filter or color and contrast settings even while taking the photo.
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