When I use my smartphone camera, I want to get great results the moment I take the shot. While I don’t mind occasional post-processing to perfect the photo, I prefer the seamless workflow only a phone out of my pocket can provide.
Smartphones aren’t viewed as professional cameras, but with the right setup, you can unlock pro-grade features for better results. Among the many camera apps on Google Play, there’s one I default to for more serious shoots.
Open Camera is my go-to professional camera app. It’s ad-free and open source. On the surface, it looks like its interface hasn’t been updated in over a decade, but there’s more here than meets the eye.
This open source app unlocks the camera’s sensor
Take full control of your photos
Using a third-party camera app has its advantages over an Android phone’s default app. Samsung and Google’s stock camera apps, in particular, lean heavily on over-processing and computational photography.
In contrast, Open Camera gives you more control over the output. It bypasses the post-processing bloat by offering raw Camera2 API control. This lessens the over-sharpening and heavy saturation you’d normally see on Galaxy or Pixel photos.
Camera2 API isn’t activated by default. To turn it on, go to Settings > Camera API and select Camera2 API. This unlocks manual modes and RAW support.
Open Camera produces clean photos and videos, free of AI enhancements and excessive post-processing. With Camera2 API turned on, you can shoot in RAW to prevent JPEG processing.
The viewfinder provides all the manual controls you need. You can adjust and lock the exposure. You can also change the focusing mode from automatic to fully manual.
Open Camera’s edge is in the accessibility of its settings. Most control settings, such as white balance and timers, are in a single menu near the viewfinder. You don’t have to switch over to a Pro mode like on the default camera apps of Galaxy and Pixel phones.
At the same time, you don’t have to manually tweak every setting to get great photos. Open Camera’s automatic adjustments work wonders out of the box.
You can even turn on Auto-level within the viewfinder settings to get leveled shots every time using your phone’s built-in gyroscope.
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How to maximize Open Camera
Bring out the best of the app
One of Open Camera’s best features is Dynamic Range Optimization (DRO). It’s the app’s answer to HDR, combining multiple frames to create high-contrast photos with punchy colors.
DRO boosts shadows and highlights using a single frame. This prevents the halo effect you’d normally see on HDR photos. Turning on DRO is easy: You’ll find it under Photo Mode in the viewfinder settings.
After you enter the app’s main settings, you’ll see several more options to toggle.
Under More camera controls, you can adjust the shutter sound, timer beep, and what the volume keys do. You can use the volume keys to activate the aforementioned Auto-level feature or focus on demand if you don’t want the traditional zoom or capture functions.
The Camera preview menu is more interesting. Here, you can choose what appears on the viewfinder. By default, the viewfinder shows the battery level, current time, remaining phone storage, and basic exposure settings. You can turn off any of these or replace them with other information, like a histogram and compass direction.
Open Camera offers numerous viewfinder grids. Beyond the usual 3×3 format, it offers multiple golden ratio and triangular orientations.
My favorite UI settings are inside On screen GUI. This menu lets you add or remove any viewfinder element in the main shooting mode.
This is important if you want functions like flash control and face detection accessible as you compose. You can also force maximum brightness or prevent the screen from switching off while the app is active.
You can also experiment with several other toggles under Photo settings, Video settings, and Processing settings. These provide more granular control over your output.
Most, if not all, of Open Camera’s default processing techniques are perfect for everyday shooting. I would spend more time on UI modifications than on post-processing adjustments.
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Don’t let its old-school look turn you off
If you can get past Open Camera’s retro design, you’ll be treated to a host of settings and features you wouldn’t normally find in your Android phone’s stock camera app.
Although there are more modern, pro-level camera apps, none are as straightforward as Open Camera. It’s open source and ad-free, too, so there’s no tracking or cloud support to bother you.
I’ve used Open Camera on every phone I’ve owned in the past few years, and its output has consistently been more refined than any stock camera app I’ve used.