Smartphone Fundamentals

How many hidden Camera app features are new to you?

My awesome editor at Popular Photography, Dan Bracaglia, reached out with an idea: what sort of photo fundamentals could be covered that related to the computational photography space? The first thing that came to mind was the AI-boosted cameras we all carry around these days. iOS and Android devices can do amazing things, but many of the core features are hidden behind sparse or invisible interface elements. The article is now online: Unlock your smartphone camera’s hidden features.

What sorts of fundamentals and hidden features are we talking about? One of the best examples is one that numerous people I know didn’t realize was a feature, even though it’s been in the iPhone’s Camera app since the beginning: touch a spot to set focus and meter the exposure, and then hold your finger there. After a second, the focus and exposure are locked (you’ll see an “AE/AF Lock” badge appear), leaving you to recompose the shot without having to reset those values.

There are also many ways to quickly launch the Camera app on both the iPhone and Android devices (I used the Pixel 6 Pro for examples in the article, since that’s the Android phone I have at hand). On the iPhone, swipe right on the Lock Screen to open the camera immediately. On the Pixel, after it’s unlocked, double-press the power button to launch the Camera.

There’s more to be found at the article. Did I miss anything? Reply to this email and let me know!

A Request

From the beginning*, I’ve envisioned this newsletter as more than just a vehicle to announce new Smarter Image columns, but with my workload on other projects this summer, I’ve been happy to keep it limited. Maybe it’s the approach of autumn, invigorating my sleepy summer brain cells, but I’m thinking it’s time to start expanding what I can offer in this space.

I’m not asking for money (well, I’m a full-time freelance writer, so by definition I wouldn’t turn down money). I would, however, like your help in broadening the readership. I’d appreciate it if you could recommend Photo AI to friends and colleagues who would benefit from getting regular insight into the computational photography field. Click the Share button below to forward it to someone via email or share in social circles. [Although in my preview, Substack doesn’t activate the button, so I’m typing this on faith that it will work.] Thanks!

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*I can never type “In the beginning…” without thinking of Jacobs in the 1982 movie Airplane II The Sequel saying, “First the earth cooled. And then the dinosaurs came…!”