Smartphones And Mobiles
Get your hands on the stock version of Android 4.4 KitKat and you'll find there's a new camera app for recording your life on the move. It's not a revolution in photo-snapping technology, but there are some neat new features that you should make yourself aware of.
We've also covered a few of the options that have been carried over from 4.3 that you might not know about. If you're using 4.4 KitKat on a Nexus 5, check out our review too. You can launch the camera from the apps page or by swiping right on the lock screen.
The headline feature in the new camera app is the HDR+ mode, which gives you a better colour and saturation balance in return for a few milliseconds' extra lag (as the camera takes several snaps that it can then combine).
Tap the settings circle in the app and you'll find the HDR+ option over on the left. It's certainly not the option to reach for if you're trying to take a quick snap, but if you have time to compose your picture you can get more impressive results with HDR+ switched on. Of course the quality of the app is only half the story -- you'll also be relying on the quality of the lens in your device.
The settings within the camera app are by-and-large the same as they were in Android 4.3, but if you're making the jump from a different version of the mobile OS then they are worth flagging up.
Tap the settings circle to access them: modify the exposure setting to let in more or less light and head to the more options page (follow the icon that looks like a row of sliders) to access the white balance options: incandescent, fluorescent, auto, daylight and cloudy are the ones you can pick from, helping you to avoid a strange-looking colour cast on your pictures. There's a camera timer countdown option too, in case you want to get in a shot with all of your pals.
There are scene modes in the Android 4.4 KitKat camera too, carried over from the previous version: action, night, sunset and party are the options to choose from here, which should cover you for most situations.
The effectiveness of these mode settings can be a little hit and miss in our experience, but there are times when they do make a substantial difference in the quality of your finished photo. Note that choosing a specific scene setting will override the flash setting you've configured, so you might find your phone or tablet blasting out light when you weren't expecting it.
Google's photo storage and editing services are all over the place. Google+ has more or less taken over from Picasa, but the provision of both Gallery and Photos apps in Android 4.4 KitKat can be a little confusing.
The Google-owned Snapseed is still available as a separate app on Google Play, but now most of its features are in the aforementioned Gallery app (with some of them in Photos too -- told you it was confusing). All that preamble is a long-winded way of saying you can apply edits to your photos very easily: open up a picture in the Gallery and tap the pencil icon to make changes. It's non-destructive, which means you can undo all of your changes in one swoop if you need to.
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Smartphones And Mobiles
How to get the best photos from Android 4.4 KitKat
Get your hands on the stock version of Android 4.4 KitKat and you'll find there's a new camera app for recording your life on the move. It's not a revolution in photo-snapping technology, but there are some neat new features that you should make yourself aware of.
We've also covered a few of the options that have been carried over from 4.3 that you might not know about. If you're using 4.4 KitKat on a Nexus 5, check out our review too. You can launch the camera from the apps page or by swiping right on the lock screen.
1. HDR+ your life
The headline feature in the new camera app is the HDR+ mode, which gives you a better colour and saturation balance in return for a few milliseconds' extra lag (as the camera takes several snaps that it can then combine).
Tap the settings circle in the app and you'll find the HDR+ option over on the left. It's certainly not the option to reach for if you're trying to take a quick snap, but if you have time to compose your picture you can get more impressive results with HDR+ switched on. Of course the quality of the app is only half the story -- you'll also be relying on the quality of the lens in your device.
2. Check your settings
The settings within the camera app are by-and-large the same as they were in Android 4.3, but if you're making the jump from a different version of the mobile OS then they are worth flagging up.
Tap the settings circle to access them: modify the exposure setting to let in more or less light and head to the more options page (follow the icon that looks like a row of sliders) to access the white balance options: incandescent, fluorescent, auto, daylight and cloudy are the ones you can pick from, helping you to avoid a strange-looking colour cast on your pictures. There's a camera timer countdown option too, in case you want to get in a shot with all of your pals.
3. Set the scene
There are scene modes in the Android 4.4 KitKat camera too, carried over from the previous version: action, night, sunset and party are the options to choose from here, which should cover you for most situations.
The effectiveness of these mode settings can be a little hit and miss in our experience, but there are times when they do make a substantial difference in the quality of your finished photo. Note that choosing a specific scene setting will override the flash setting you've configured, so you might find your phone or tablet blasting out light when you weren't expecting it.
4. Edit on the go
Google's photo storage and editing services are all over the place. Google+ has more or less taken over from Picasa, but the provision of both Gallery and Photos apps in Android 4.4 KitKat can be a little confusing.
The Google-owned Snapseed is still available as a separate app on Google Play, but now most of its features are in the aforementioned Gallery app (with some of them in Photos too -- told you it was confusing). All that preamble is a long-winded way of saying you can apply edits to your photos very easily: open up a picture in the Gallery and tap the pencil icon to make changes. It's non-destructive, which means you can undo all of your changes in one swoop if you need to.
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The HTC One M9 is one of the most desirable phones of the year. Its beautifully-crafted alluminium body makes it the perfect mobile to show off. However, it does a whole lot too. As well as running Android 5.0 Lollipop, it has a new version of the custom...
- How To Score The $3 Camera+ Iphone App For Free
You can download the advanced camera and photo editing app for free via just a short trip to the Apple Store app. iPhone users looking for a more versatile and powerful camera app than Apple's default one can now grab a good one for free. Camera+...
- Lg G2 Tips And Tricks
The LG G2 is one of the best Android smartphones of the year 2013, and why not, it does have a lot of potential against the other smartphones in the current Android smartphone market, but are you making the most out of it, or just using it as any other...
- Nokia Lumia 925 Tips And Tricks
The Nokia Lumia 925 is the slimmer, prettier version of the Lumia 920. It has a great camera, Windows Phone 8 and is dead easy to use. There are some tweaks needed to get the best out of it, though. Here are our top Nokia Lumia 925 tips and tricks. ...