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Some photo and video questions

Rgarner

Android Expert
Why is it that photos can compensate for light level and videos cannot? Is there a way to hold a phone really steady to make pictures more detailed and less blurry? Why are screenshots saved separately from DCIM? What are the best tools for a not even amateur to do some photo editing/improvement, such as reducing glare and removing unwanted elements?
 
So let's do these one a a time ....

Why is it that photos can compensate for light level and videos cannot?

They do, but not in the same way. When you take a still photo, the camera uses it's sensor to display the way an image will be saved. You see, a camera phone is basically a lens and a sensor. Unlike traditional film cameras, there is no shutter, or iris and the film speed it determined by the size and sensitivity of the sensor. So, when you take a picture, you are simply turning the sensor on so it captures the intensity and color of the light of each pixel. Then software takes over and balances it based on what the human eye finds most pleasing, converting the image to whatever format the software tells it to.

Videos do the same thing, but because a video is simply a lot of still images presented in sequence, in order to do that for EVERY frame, you'd either need symmetrical sensors (one for reading and one for capturing) or exposure is determined by key frames. Key frames are a frame in a video sequence chosen to determine the subsequent frame's exposure until the next key frame. If it's implemented well, it produces decent results. Of course if the lighting conditions are unusual, like low light situations or rapidly changing levels of light, a typical phone may not be able to interpret properly or keep up with the changing exposures.

Is there a way to hold a phone really steady to make pictures more detailed and less blurry?

Either a tripod or a gimbal. The first is a tried and true old school method, but you have to be stationary and carry it with you. A gimbal, on the other hand, is a high tech solution that provided gyroscopic stability to those with shaky hands.

Why are screenshots saved separately from DCIM?

DCIM stands for Digital Camera IMages and since screenshots are not taken through the lens, they get saved elsewhere. If you want screenshots in your DCIM folder, I'm sure there's an app out there that can do that.

What are the best tools for a not even amateur to do some photo editing/improvement, such as reducing glare and removing unwanted elements?

On the phone or PC? Most phones do come with some basic image editing, but it's usually just hokey filters and some exposure/color balance. All of that you can to online with Google Photos in a web browser, too. For more advanced users there's the grandaddy of them all ... Photshop. but that's expensive and complicated. You could try the free alternative called Gimp which is a favorite of Linux users.

You could check out some of these reviews, but to do any decent photo editing, you're going to need to understand at least the basics of image construction and manipulation.
 
Why is it that photos can compensate for light level and videos cannot?

Shutter speed I guess. Low light levels with photos can use a long shutter time, videos can't do that so much if they're recording at 30 or 60 FPS, etc. Usually there is light compensation for videos, unless the device you've got is really crappy.
Is there a way to hold a phone really steady to make pictures more detailed and less blurry?

With a real camera you might use a tripod, and I believe you can get phone holder adaptors screwing onto a tripod. But you could find the nearest solid surface, like a wall or table or chair or something, and place and position the phone on that, and maybe use the self-timer so you don't have to touch and possibly jiggle the phone when the picture is actually taken, result sharp pictures in low light.

Why are screenshots saved separately from DCIM?

On the phones I've had screenshots are stored in the /Screenshots folder. Myself, I want DCIM just for photos taken with the camera, and prefer other sources of images in separate folders and not all mixed together.
What are the best tools for a not even amateur to do some photo editing/improvement, such as reducing glare and removing unwanted elements?

I use what comes with my Huawei Mate 10.
 
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I would think the S5 would have some kind of video compensation, but with a relatively high frame rate, that might not be possible. Still, wouldn't the software be able to fix that later? How much would a gimbal cost? Is it easy to use? I'm sorry to put that many questions in one thread, but I guess I've been saving them up for a while.
 
The best videos are when the light levels are fairly high and you don't move the camera (phone) too quickly. If you are getting bad results you might want to make sure you don't have some oddball setting turned on. Reset everything to default and then give the video capabilities a test in good conditions.

The gimbals I've seen start around $60, but those are the "cheap" ones and won't give you the best results.

https://www.omnicoreagency.com/best-smartphone-gimbal-stabilizers/
 
some basics of photography and photo editing are important to understand while taking photos from phone are camera .check the light effects you can choose the different light hours according to your requirement while editing you can add effects ,stickers ,you can set exposure etc
 
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