ultrawide camera

How to use Galaxy S10 camera night mode?

Samsung added the Galaxy S10 camera night mode for the main camera in the April (2019) firmware update. You can now use the dedicated camera night mode to take better photos in low-light conditions.

Update 1: Galaxy S10 camera night mode is now available for all camera lenses, including the selfie (front-facing) camera(s) following the Galaxy S10 September update.

This Galaxy S10 camera guide explains the details of the Galaxy S10 camera night mode, how to use the night mode, and differences between the night mode and the Auto (Photo) mode.

The camera night mode is available for all Galaxy S10 phones (S10, S10+, S10e, and S10 5G). In this guide, Galaxy S10 refers to all these models.

Please do NOT confuse this camera mode with the dark theme (which is also called night mode).

What is Galaxy S10 camera night mode?

On Galaxy S10 (S10, S10e, S10+, and S10 5G), you may find there was no night mode for the camera when you got the phone.

Samsung removed the night mode from the camera app since Galaxy S6 as explained in this guide.

Although Samsung claimed the Auto mode (Photo mode) is good enough and you do NOT need a dedicated camera night mode, many owners do not agree. They want to get back the dedicated night mode.

On Galaxy S10, Samsung bragged about the Bright Night feature for the S10 rear camera and did not give users a dedicated mode for it. It is supposed to help Galaxy S10 owners take nice photos in low-light conditions automatically. Apparently, the Photo mode often fails to deliver the promise.

So, in the Galaxy S10 firmware update released in April, Samsung finally added a dedicated night mode for the camera. For US versions of Galaxy S10 (all variants), the new camera mode was added with the June security update.

Yes, after 5 years (since Galaxy S5), Samsung finally realized the Auto mode (or the Photo mode) is not sufficient for taking photos in low-light conditions.

Now, on S10 (all variants), you can choose the night camera mode when you need to take photos when the light is not good.

Please note, ~~the new Galaxy S10 camera night mode is available only for the main rear camera (12MP)~~.

Update: if your Galaxy S10 was updated to September (2019) security patch, then the nigh camera mode is available for all camera lenses as explained in this guide. You can even use the camera night mode when taking selfies with the front camera.

How to access and use the camera night mode?

You can access the camera night mode like other camera modes.

On the Galaxy S10 camera app interface, as shown in the screenshot below, the default camera mode is Photo (aka Auto) mode (or the last used camera mode if you enable the option in Galaxy S10 camera settings).

You can swipe left as illustrated to access the new camera night mode.

As … Read the rest

How to set photo size on Galaxy S10, S10e, S10 5G, and S10+?

simon · 11 Comments

You can adjust the photo size on Galaxy S10, S10e, S10 5G, and S10+ to make sure the photo is good for the intended usages, e.g., to show on a TV screen, or to print on photopapers, or to use it for a design project.

Unfortunately, Samsung removed the option to explicitly set photo size on Galaxy S10, S10e, S10 5G, and S10+. You have to implicitly set photo size through the aspect ratio settings.

This Galaxy S10 camera guide explains the available photo sizes and how to set photo size on Galaxy S10, S10e, S10 5G, and S10+

Why you may want to set or change photo size?

The requirement for a photo to be shared with others on the phone or to be printed on the photobook is surely different.

The size of a photo includes two factors:

Aspect ratio.
The number of pixels (resolution).

For the aspect ratio, the Galaxy S10 camera supports the following aspect ratios: 4:3, 16:9, 1:1, and 19:9 (full), as explained in Galaxy S10 camera settings.

The 4:3 aspect ratio is good for printing and for old monitors. The native aspect ratio of the rear camera sensors on all Galaxy S10 phones is close to 4:3.

Therefore, among all aspect ratios, the 4:3 aspect ratio can have the maximum pixels. You can imagine photos with all other aspect ratios are just cropped from the 4:3 one (as illustrated in the picture below).

The 16:9 aspect ratio is ideal for most TV screens and modern monitors. Because of 4:3=16:12, a 16:9 photo crops the 4:3 photo in the height direction and maintains the width.

The 1:1 aspect ratio is mostly used by designers and some social networks. As 1:1=3:3, a 1:1 photo on Galaxy S10 crops the 4:3 photo in the width direction and maintains the height.

The 19:9 (aka full) ratio matches the Galaxy S10 phone screen. All 4 Galaxy S10 models have a screen with an aspect ratio of 19:9. A 19:9 photo on Galaxy S10 also crops the 4:3 photo in the height direction and maintains the width, like the 16:9 one.

The cropping relationship between the 4 aspect ratios is illustrated in the following picture.

Please note, the above discussion is only for the rear cameras on Galaxy S10.

The front camera(s) on Galaxy S10 has a native aspect ratio close to (slightly smaller than) 3:2. This means for aspect ratios larger than 3: 2 (i.e., 19:9 and 16:9), the photos are cropped in the height direction. The photos with an aspect ratio smaller than 3:2 (i.e., 4:3 and 1:1) are cropped in the width direction.

For some unknown reasons, Samsung removed the options to set up the number of pixels for the photos on the Galaxy S10. Once you set the aspect ratio, the size of the photo will be fixed at the maximum number of pixels.

How to set photo size on Galaxy S10, S10e, S10 5G, and S10+?

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Galaxy S10 camera settings explained

simon · 15 Comments

To use the camera effectively (to get the best possible photos) on Galaxy S10, you need to understand Galaxy S10 camera settings and know how to adjust the Galaxy S10 camera settings.

Some of the camera settings on Galaxy S10, S10+, S10e, and S10 5G are intuitive. But some are hidden under other settings/entries.

This Galaxy S10 camera guide explains the Galaxy S10 camera settings and shows you how to use them.

Because the camera app in Galaxy S10, S10e, S10+, and S10 5G are almost identical, this guide applies to all 4 Galaxy S10 models although only Galaxy S10 is normally referred to.

Why do you need to understand the Galaxy S10 camera settings?

Samsung revamped the camera app in Galaxy S10 as part of the brand new One UI for Galaxy phones with Android Pie (Android 9.0).

So, if you just migrated to Galaxy S10 from other Android phones, or from Samsung Galaxy phones with Android Oreo or older versions, you are facing a very different camera app.

Compared to other Samsung Galaxy phones with Android Oreo (Android 8.0), there are many changes in Galaxy S10 camera app as explained in this guide. Some changes are reasonable and make things better. But a few changes may be undesirable.

To fully utilize the features packed in the Galaxy S10 cameras so that you can get the best possible photos, you need to adjust some Galaxy S10 camera settings depending on the situation.

For example, you should enable shape correction for the ultrawide camera to reduce the distortion. But the option is not enabled by default in the camera app.

How to access Galaxy S10 camera settings?

In the Galaxy S10 camera app, you can tap the Settings icon, as shown in the screenshot below, to open Galaxy S10 camera settings.

For the meaning of other buttons in the Galaxy S10 camera app interface and how to use gestures in the camera app, you may check this guide.

Galaxy S10 camera settings explained

After tapping the camera settings icon in Galaxy S10 camera app, you will get the following Galaxy S10 camera settings.

Please note, if you are in a camera mode other then the Auto mode, or the front camera is active, some entries in the camera settings will be greyed out. These grayed out entries are NOT relevant to your current camera mode or camera.

Samsung divided Galaxy S10 camera settings into 4 categories:

Intelligent features. These features, scene optimizer, shot suggestions, and flaw detection, intend to make your camera smart and therefore help you get the best possible photos automatically if enabled.
Pictures. This section includes settings for photos including motion photos, the action for holding the shutter button and photo save options.
Videos. The settings in this section are about videos including rear video size, front video size, advanced recording options, and video stabilization.
Useful features. Everything else is included in the section of useful features. They include HDR,

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How to use Galaxy S10 Camera app?

simon · 8 Comments

Mastering Galaxy S10 Camera app is essential for taking the best photos with cameras on Galaxy S10, S10e, S10+, and S10 5G.

Samsung significantly changed the Camera app in One UI with Android Pie. So, even for seasoned Samsung Galaxy phone users, there are some new features of the Galaxy S10 Camera app, and of course, there are many removed features.

This Galaxy S10 camera guide explains the new features of the Galaxy S10 Camera app, the components of the camera app interface (UI), and how to use gestures in Galaxy S10 camera app.

Please note, in Android 10 update for Galaxy S10, S10+, and S10e, the Camera app was updated as well. You may check this guide for a few new features in the camera app.

New features of Galaxy S10 Camera app?

Compared to the Camera app in Galaxy S9 (prior to Android Pie update) and older Galaxy phones, Galaxy S10 Camera app has some new or changed features including:

There is no dedicated video recording button. Video recording is a camera mode. So, you cannot use the Pro mode to record videos anymore.
The shutter button does not have the zoom function. You cannot drag the shutter button to zoom. You can use the pinch/spread gesture or rear camera selection buttons to zoom in/out.
Camera modes are located on the bottom (above the shutter button) in the portrait orientation, and the orientation does not change when you hold the phone in landscape orientation.
AR Emoji is not listed as a camera mode. It has a dedicated button in Galaxy S10 camera app interface.
The Bixby Vision and AR Emoji buttons are located on the top of the screen.
Galaxy S10 Camera setting button is located on the top (below the Bixby vision and AR Emoji).
The Auto camera mode is renamed as Photo mode.
New scene optimizer button was added on the preview window.
For supported camera modes, you can now change the aspect ratio of the photo (and photo size) without navigating to Galaxy S10 camera settings.
You cannot adjust the resolution of the photo directly. You can only adjust the aspect ratio of the photo. Each aspect ratio has a fixed resolution. You may refer to this guide on how to set photo size on Galaxy S10.
New Galaxy S10 camera night mode.

Please note, only the official Samsung Camera app can fully utilize the advanced features of Galaxy S10 camera sensors. Third-party camera apps can use the basic features of the sensors.

Components of the Galaxy S10 camera app

Once you launch the camera, by default, you can find the following 14 items in the camera app interface as shown in the screenshot below.

Bixby Vision.
AR Emoji.
Galaxy S10 camera settings button.
Flash.
Timer.
Photo aspect ratio/size settings.
Galaxy S10 camera effects (filters).
Camera lens selection.
Scene optimizer.
Galaxy S10 camera models.
Shortcut to Gallery app.
Shutter button.
Front/rear cameras switch.
Preview screen.

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Top 10 new features of Galaxy S10

simon · Leave a Comment

As Samsung’s flagship smartphones in 2019, Galaxy S10 (include Galaxy S10e, Galaxy S10+, and Galaxy S10 5G) packs the latest technology Samsung has or can access. So, you can expect some exciting new features of the Galaxy S10.

It is impractical to discuss all new features of Galaxy S10 in one post because of the long list of the new features of Galaxy S10. For the hardware specifications, you may check this post. For Galaxy S10 layout, you may check this guide.

In this post, we will explain the top 10 most exciting new features of Galaxy S10 most owners will enjoy: Dynamic AMOLED with HDR 10+, Infinity O display, ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner, Bixby Routine, ultrawide camera, wireless PowerShare, Android Pie and One UI, Digital wellbeing, recording 4K UHD video with HDR 10+, and fast wireless charging 2.0.

Of course, Galaxy S10 is far from perfect. There are also some disappointing and missing features of Galaxy S10 as discussed here.

The most exciting new feature of Galaxy S10: Dynamic AMOLED with HDR10+

Samsung flagship phones traditionally have the best display. No other smartphone makers can match Samsung when the display is discussed.

In Galaxy S10, Samsung updates its Super AMOLED to Dynamic AMOLED.

So, All four Galaxy S10 devices (Galaxy s10e, Galaxy S10, Galaxy s10+, and Galaxy S1o 5G) all have a Dynamic AMOLED screen.

This AMOLED is somewhat different (and better) from the screen in Galaxy S9 and other Galaxy phones.

In a nutshell, the Dynamic AMOLED on Galaxy S10 supports:

Higher brightness (up to 1200 nits peak luminance). You can use the screen even directly under the sunlight.
Larger dynamic range. From black to white, you can see more “colors”.
HDR10+. In addition to static dynamic metadata, HDR10+ also supports dynamic metadata. Therefore the brightness boundaries can be set and changed on a frame-by-frame basis. Galaxy S10 (all models) is the only smartphone certified with HDR10+ up to now (February 2019).
Lower blue light emission. You will feel more comfortable to use the screen in all lighting conditions. Galaxy S10 screen (all models) was certified by TÜV Rheinland.

Dynamic AMOLED is probably the most exciting new features of Galaxy S10. It is available in all four models: Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10e, Galaxy S10+, and Galaxy S10 5G.

The most innovative workaround of Galaxy S10: Infinity O display

All smartphone manufacturers are working hard to reducing the bezels.

But there is a limit because of the front-facing cameras.

So far, to solve this problem, other smartphone manufacturers follow iPhone X: using a notch, which can be quite ugly (subjective).

Samsung finds an innovative workaround for this issue: punch a hole for the front-facing cameras. It looks far better than the notches.

And in Galaxy S10, Samsung calls it infinity O display. All 4 Galaxy s10 models use infinity O display. Galaxy S10+ and Galaxy S10 5G get a bigger (and elongated) “hole”.

If you are not a fan of the punched hole, … Read the rest