SMART CAMERA 2.0 SMILE : STUDENTS

 

EVEN if you don't have the latest and greatest smartphone, the tools for your photography can go beyond the more commonly used ones like the portrait and lowlight modes.

With a reasonably up-to-date operating system, you can have voice-activated photo sessions create wide-screen images, record video at different playback speeds and visually search the Internet.

The extra feature set depends on the camera software you're using, as well as you're phone hardware.

Here's a quick tour of the things you can do with default apps like Google's Camera for Android and Apple's Camera app for the IOS system on its iPhones.

GET HANDS-FREE HELP

Your phone's virtual assistant can handle part of your camerawork to quickly get the shot. For example, with the Google Assistant,  just say, ''OK, Google, take a picture'' or ''OK, Google, take a selfie'' - and Google Camera pops up, displays a countdown and snaps the picture.

You can also tell the Assistant to share the photos, start recording a video and do more. Google Assistant is available for Android and iOS.

Apple's Siri assistant also also responds to many requests. The software opens the iPhone's Camera app if you say, ''Hey, Siri, take a photo,'' but leaves the actual pressing of the button to you.

Phones running iOS 12 or later can use Apple's free Shortcuts app to create routines that Siri can run when instructed - like opening the camera and then automatically emailing the picture after you snap it.

Bixby, the assistant software on many of Samsung's Galaxy phones, takes photos and videos on command as well.

GO WIDE WITH A PANORAMA

Want to take a picture that's too wide to fit on the camera’s screen? You don’t need an extra app or a phone with a wide-angle lens. You just need to use the camera’s panoramic mode, wherein you take a series of photos and the software combines them into a big picture.

Open Google camera and swipe to the left along the horizontal menu at the bottom of the screen. Tap the Modes button, select Panorama and press shutter button while you slowly move the phone to capture to capture the shot.

In Apple’s Camera app, swipe to the left, select Pano and follow the instructions onscreen. You can also ask the Google Assistant or Siri to open the camera directly in the panoramic mode.

Google Camera’s Modes menu also includes a Photo Sphere option for going full circle and capturing a scene in 360 degrees. On the Photo Sphere screen, tap the shutter button and let the software guide you.

(While the iOS Pano mode doesn’t go the full 360 degrees, the Google Street View app brings Photo Sphere to the iPhone.)

The publishing continues to Part 2.

The World Students Society thanks author J.D.Biersdorfer.