| Photo: AB Ferguson |
There is a common saying in the world of photography: the best camera is what is with you. After all, it does not matter if you do not have anything when you have nothing, you do not have any difference with the fans of the camera fans. These days, almost everyone has a camera with them as a constant smartphone. If you want to maximize image quality with your pocket-shaped camera, there are some settings that you want to adjust.
Stick to the main camera
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| The main camera of your phone will give you the best image quality. |
Most smartphones have two or three separate cameras at the back and on the front side, each is equipped with sensors of different -sized sizes. The main camera uses the largest sensor, which offers the highest resolution and best light-acted abilities. Therefore, when the image quality is important, you are better than using the main camera instead of other options.
Most cameras will open the main camera when you launch the camera app. If you are not sure, make sure that 1x focal length is selected. If you want Separate area of view (How much you see a scene), stick to predetermined options, such as 0.5x or 2x. Pinching to zoom depends on digital cropping and enlargement, reduces quality.
Shoot in raw or haik
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| Shooting Raw Shooting will give you more flexibility when editing your images. |
Some phones will allow you to use raw file types. While the raws of most phones are still stitched together with several exposure, they usually preserve more image data and apply low processing, which gives you more flexibility when editing. If you know that you want to edit your phone photos before sharing them, using the raw file type will give you more control and will help you get more from your files.
Use manual/pro mode
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| Even if your phone does not have manual mode, it can provide quick control for brightness, shade and white balance. For example, Pixel 9A, allows you to place those controls on the edge of the app. |
While the phones usually do a very good job of handling the exposure, they do not sometimes remember the mark or do not produce what you imagine. Most will offer quick exposure compensation or glow adjustments without getting into different settings, but this may not be enough. Many phones provide some variety manual or pro mode. Those modes allow you to change the settings like ISOShutter speed and white balance, gives you more creative control over your images.
ISO is a particularly useful setting to adjust, as it can significantly affect the image quality. When you are working with enough light, prioritizing a low ISO will help you get a cleaner image with minimal noise, thus improvement in overall image quality. Just keep in mind that you will need high ISO in low-light conditions.
Explore third-party camera apps
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| Even Procam X Lite App (a free version of Procam X) provides more control over settings than providing the most default apps. |
Finally, some phones do not offer manual controls either, or they can be very basic and limited. Similarly, you may want to bypass automatic image processing from your phone’s original camera app. If so, a third-party camera app can be helpful. There are plenty of options, including Procamx, OpenCamera, Proshot, Procamera, Halide Mark II and more.
Choose full aspect ratio
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Choosing 4: 3 aspect ratio will help you catch the entire image without automatic crop. Google Pixel 9A, like several phones, misses it. |
Phone sensors usually use 4: 3 aspect ratio, but your phone’s camera app probably offers other options, such as 16: 9. Those ratio results from cropping, however. Sticking with 4: 3 allows you to use full sensor, which gives you more flexibility after the fact and helps you get as much as possible from that small sensor.
Rely on default resolution
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| Nothing offers the phone 3A 50MP settings, but it misses up to 12MP. |
Some smartphone companies flaunt their high-resolution cameras, but their phones do not use those proposals until you change the settings. For example, Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is capable of 200MP photos. But the camera app is usually not set to that maximum resolution by default.
It can be attractive to switch to that high resolution when trying to maximize the quality, it is not always the best idea. After all, the default resolution is set in that way for a reason, and you cannot get better image quality from those high proposals. This is because most of the maximum megapixel mode will not benefit Pixel Bining This helps reduce noise in lower-resolution mode, so you may not actually end up more detail.
final thoughts
Even though the phone cameras have become quite good, they do not match the quality of the most dedicated cameras, especially in low-light situations. However, by adjusting the above settings, you may be able to tease more quality, which can help you get the most from your on-hand camera. Just don’t forget that general photography theory also applies.
