A must read for the best shots taken on phones. Just a day ago, Google released the second beta of Android 16. While some features are more incremental, several specifically target photographers. These updates give them more control and creative leeway directly from their pockets. Let’s explore the details in this update. It is likely to greatly enhance the mobile photography experience.
Hybrid Exposure Control: The Best of Both Worlds
Among the biggest additions is a hybrid exposure mode. Imagine wanting to achieve a certain look. You manually set your ISO and shutter speed. These are important settings when you want to control noise and motion blur. But what about the other exposure settings? Android 16 enables this. Set ISO and shutter speed manually. Then, let the intelligent built-in algorithms optimize the other exposure parameters. This is significant for photographers who desire granular power over core creative settings. They can still attain a perfectly exposed shot thanks to computational innovations.
It is a brilliant hybrid approach. You can focus on the aspects of your photographic vision that are most important. You do not need to worry about every single setting each time. Also, manual control of ISO means you can better manage image noise in low light situations.
Custom White Balance: Get More Accurate Colors
White balance settings are now part of Android 16 beta. Color accuracy is paramount in photography. The Android 16 beta provides advanced white balance settings. No more limitations of presets like ‘sunny’ or ‘cloudy’. Now, you can fine-tune both the color temperature and hue. This level of control allows you to precisely adjust your white balance to match challenging lighting conditions. This means colors are as accurate and vibrant as possible directly from the camera. Forget struggling with unwanted color casts. Avoid spending excessive time in post-processing to correct white balance issues. This is about getting it right in-camera.
Ultra HDR HEIC Support
Finally, Android 16 beta adds support for Ultra HDR images via the HEIC container format (High Efficiency Image Container). HEIC already conserves storage without sacrificing quality. Now, this is even more enhanced with Ultra HDR. Ultra HDR HEIC files transcode your content for excellent appearance on both older and newer displays. The magic is in the metadata. They contain an ‘amplification map’. On standard displays, they appear as conventional photos. But on newer devices with high dynamic range (HDR) screens, you will see the full benefit. Expect more vivid colors, brighter highlights, and darker shadows. These show more detail than previously possible.
This is a smart advancement. Your photos are future-proof. They will look good now. They will look even better as display technology improves. It is about capturing the full dynamic range in the scene. It is also about preparing for the screens of tomorrow.
Get the Beta: Pixel First
The first public beta of Android 16 is now rolling out to Google Pixel smartphones. This starts with the Pixel 6, and includes Pixel tablets. If you have a compatible device and are eager to test these new photography features, visit the Android beta program and participate.
