Camera
What this is for
The in-app camera takes photos and records video without leaving the app, and puts the file where you want it. Opened from the programs menu or a widget it stays open for several shots; opened for one job, such as a photo into a folder, it takes one shot and returns.
In this order
- Open the camera from the programs menu, from a camera widget, or with the Take photo command inside a folder. The first time, allow the camera when asked - without it the camera closes. The label 2 says where the shot will be saved.
- Frame the shot on the viewfinder 1: tap to focus, pinch or double-tap to zoom. The zoom pills 11 and the slider 12 set an exact value, the light 8 helps in the dark, and the shooting profile 9 prepares the camera for night, portrait, macro and more.
- Where the Photo and Video tabs 13 are shown, pick the mode first, or swipe sideways. In video mode the microphone 7 decides whether sound is recorded.
- Open Adjust camera 10 for the self-timer, grid, frame shape, resolution, exposure, white balance and HDR (19 to 26). Cancel 27 drops the changes, Apply 28 keeps them.
- Press the big round shutter 16: a photo is taken, or the recording starts and the next press stops it. With a self-timer a countdown 5 comes first, and a recording shows its time 4 and a Pause button 15.
- In the stay-open camera the shot is saved at once and a thumbnail 14 of it appears: tap it to look, or press Send to 17 to pass the shot on, then keep shooting. The lens button 18 switches to another camera.
- Press Close 6 when you are done. A camera opened for one job closes by itself after the shot and hands it back.
The elements
Viewfinder and overlays
1ViewfinderThe live picture from the camera, with gestures for focus, zoom and switching.
It shows what will be saved. Tap a spot to focus there; a ring appears where the camera can do it. Double-tap to jump between 1x and the lens maximum, and pinch to zoom smoothly. A swipe up or down switches to another lens on a phone with several, and a swipe left or right switches between Photo and Video where the tabs are shown.
The shape of the frame follows Aspect ratio in the camera settings, and the grid, when it is on, is drawn over it. The screen is locked to portrait and stays awake; when you turn the phone only the icons turn.
2Save destinationNames the folder the next shot will be saved into.
It appears next to the close button only when the camera knows a name. In the stay-open camera it is the folder you chose for camera photos, or for video recordings in video mode, and the Camera folder of the phone when you chose none. When the camera is opened from a folder, it shows that folder.
3Scenario labelTells why the camera was opened, when it was opened for a specific job.
It appears above the zoom pills only when another screen opened the camera for a task, for example Text recognition. For a plain photo or video nothing is shown there.
4Recording timerShows how long the current recording is.
It appears at the top, with a red dot, only while a video is being recorded. The time stops counting while the recording is paused and goes on when you resume.
5Self-timer countdownA big number counting down to the shot.
It appears only after you press the shutter with a self-timer set. The shutter is disabled while the number counts down, and then the photo is taken or the recording starts. Leaving the screen cancels the countdown.
Top bar
6CloseLeaves the camera.
In the stay-open camera everything shot so far is already saved, and a recording in progress is stopped and saved. When the camera was opened for a single job, Close cancels that job and no picture is returned.
7MicrophoneSwitches the sound of the next video on or off.
It appears only in video mode. The icon shows whether the microphone is on or crossed out, and it is on at first. The first recording with sound asks for the microphone permission; if you refuse, the video is recorded without sound and a message says so. Decide before you press record: the choice does not change a recording that is already running.
8FlashTurns the camera light on for dark scenes.
It appears only when the lens in use has a flash unit. The light stays lit like a torch until you turn it off, for photos and for video, and it goes off by itself whenever the lens changes.
9Shooting profilePicks a ready recipe for the shot: night, portrait, selfie, macro, sport or document.
It appears only in photo mode and only when the phone offers a profile besides Normal. A tap opens a menu of the profiles the lens in use can deliver, and the icon of the button shows the active one: Normal, Document (main lens, 1x and the light on, for pages and screens), Night, Portrait, Selfie (switches to the front camera), Macro, and Sport (a short exposure that freezes motion; frames get darker in low light, and a message says so).
Choosing the active profile again turns it off. The tooltip of the button says Manual when you have moved exposure or white balance off automatic in Normal. Each lens remembers its own profile.
10Adjust cameraOpens the dialog with the finer camera settings.
The dialog, described in the last group, holds the self-timer, the grid, the frame shape, the resolution, exposure, white balance, manual ISO and shutter, and HDR. A row the phone cannot deliver is left out. The button is there as soon as the camera is ready.
Zoom and mode
11Zoom presetsQuick zoom steps in the values you know from other cameras.
It appears only when the lens can zoom. Tap a value to jump there; the value that matches the current zoom is highlighted. The numbers are equivalents of the main lens, so an ultra-wide reads 0.5, and a value in amber marks the optical limit of the lens. The first pill can switch to another lens that gives a wider view. A lens with no zoom range of its own, such as an ultra-wide, shows one pill per rear lens instead, and a tap switches the lens.
12Zoom sliderSmooth zoom between the presets, with the exact value beside it.
It appears only when the lens can zoom. Drag it to any value; the number to its right shows the current zoom, for example 2.5x, and the presets follow. It moves also when you pinch or double-tap the viewfinder.
13Photo and Video tabsSwitches between taking photos and recording video.
They appear only in the stay-open camera, and only when both photo and video are available. The active tab is bold. A tap switches at once, and a sideways swipe on the screen does the same. The tabs are locked while a recording runs.
Video mode changes the screen: the shooting profile button hides, the microphone button appears, the shutter becomes a record button, and Full screen is not offered as a frame shape, because a video is recorded as 16:9.
Shutter row
14View last captureA small picture of the last shot; a tap opens it.
It appears only in the stay-open camera after the first save, and it is hidden while a recording runs. A tap opens the last photo or video in the app's own viewer or player, and closing that returns you to the camera. The frame of the picture flashes briefly when a new shot is stored, which is the confirmation of the save.
15PauseHolds the recording and carries on in the same file.
It appears only while a video is being recorded, in the place of the thumbnail. Tap once to pause: the icon turns into Resume and the timer stops. Tap again to continue.
16Take photoTakes the photo, or starts and stops the recording.
In Photo mode it takes a photo. In Video mode it shows a red dot; the first press starts the recording, the button turns into a red square, and the next press stops it. With a self-timer a countdown comes first. The button is grayed out until the camera is ready, and for a moment after each shot.
In the stay-open camera the file is saved to the destination shown at the top and the camera is ready for the next one. When the camera was opened for one job, it closes after the shot and hands the file back.
- Shortcut
- Enter / D-pad center
17Send to..Sends the last photo or video on to another place or app.
It appears only in the stay-open camera after a shot has been saved, and not while a recording runs. It opens the Send to menu for the last saved file, so you can pass the shot on without leaving the camera.
18Switch cameraFlips to the next camera of the phone.
It appears only on a phone with more than one camera. Its icon and the small label beside it name the lens in use: Front, Ultra-wide, Wide, Tele or Macro. After a switch the camera needs a moment to restart, the light is off, and the zoom row is rebuilt for the new lens. Each lens remembers its own profile, white balance and manual settings. A swipe up or down on the viewfinder does the same.
Adjust camera dialog
19Self-timerDelays the shot, so you can step into the frame.
Choose 0, 3, 5 or 10 seconds. With a delay set, the shutter starts a countdown, and the photo is taken or the recording starts when it reaches zero. It takes effect when you press Apply.
20GridDraws a grid of thirds over the viewfinder to help with composition.
Two vertical and two horizontal lines divide the frame into nine parts, which helps to keep the horizon level and to place the subject off center. The grid is only a guide and is not saved into the photo. The choice is remembered for the next time.
21Aspect ratioChooses the shape of the frame: 4:3, 16:9 or Full screen.
The choice changes both the live picture and the saved file. It is remembered for the next time, and 16:9 is the first choice. Full screen fills the screen and is saved cut to that shape; it is offered for photos only, because a video is recorded as 16:9. A row without choices is hidden.
22ResolutionPicks the size of the photo in pixels.
The list holds only the sizes that fit the chosen frame shape, so a value in it is never ignored. Larger sizes keep more detail and take more space. The row is hidden when the phone offers no choice.
23ExposureMakes the picture lighter or darker.
Drag the slider below zero for a darker picture and above zero for a lighter one; the value beside the label shows the step. The preview follows while you drag. The row is hidden when the lens does not support it. Moving it away from zero turns the Normal profile button into Manual.
24White balanceCorrects the color cast of the light: Auto, Daylight, Cloudy and others.
Auto lets the camera decide. A fixed value, such as Incandescent, Fluorescent, Warm fluorescent, Daylight, Cloudy, Twilight or Shade, helps when the light has a clear color. The row lists only the modes the phone supports and is hidden when there is no choice; the preview follows at once.
25Manual ISO and shutterLets you set the ISO and the shutter time yourself.
The row appears only on a phone that allows it. Turning it on shows two sliders: ISO, the sensitivity to light, and Shutter, the exposure time. The preview changes while you drag. Turning it off hands both back to the camera.
26HDRMerges several exposures to keep detail in light and dark areas.
The row appears only on a phone whose camera offers HDR. The preview follows when you change it, and the setting stays for the shots that follow.
27CancelCloses the dialog and puts back what you had before you opened it.
Everything you tried in the dialog, also the live preview of exposure, white balance, HDR and manual ISO and shutter, goes back to the values from before.
- Shortcut
- Esc
28ApplyKeeps the changes and closes the dialog.
The self-timer, grid, frame shape and resolution take effect now, together with the changes that were already visible in the preview. The grid and the frame shape are remembered for the next time.
- Shortcut
- Enter