Jason Voorhees
π―ππ― ππππ π΅πππππ
- Joined
- May 15, 2020
- Posts
- 69,398
- Reputation
- 197,383
Have you ever wondered how tf phone cameras have gotten so good these days? Like How tf can a phone camera sensor so tiny take pictures on par with thousands of dollars DSLR/Mirror less camera, it's because of something called computational photography.
The camera's sensor takes a raw image file and sends it image processing unit which correct shadows, overblown highlights, details, exposures etc. I can go into detail on how all this happens I actually attended a workshop on Computer Vision and Photography in uni but not to bore with details. Your phone camera takes multiples picture that it runs through a bunch of complex algorithms on each and every pixel of the photo. Yes each and every single pixel and analyzes everything to give the best output. It's actually quite fascinating how all this happens in almost real time milliseconds before you even press the shutter button your phone is running all these complex algorithms and crunching numbers to deliver the best results, what I said is just a very simplified explanation but that is the gist of it
Every phone company has their own versions of image processing. Like samsung produces over sharpened saturated pics. Xiaomi likes to make pictures more softer and dreamy. I personally like samsung's implementation to be very honest but most people say that best one in the buisness is Google's Pixel camera. The GCam app.
It's legendary for its computational photography. HDR+ for dynamic range, Night Sight for low-light and Portrait Mode for DSLR like bokeh The Pixel look is about natural colors, sharp details, and noise free shots that don't look like overprocessed Instagram filters.
The problem you only get GCam on Google's Pixel phones that are expensive and not that great for the money you spend. They have slower chips, bad battery and are expensive but because it's android there are ways to get the GCam on your budget phones also.
Option 1: XDA Ports - The best Way
XDA Forums is where devs like BSG, Arnova8G2, BigKaka, and Shamim reverse engineer the GCam for Samsung, OnePlus, Xiaomi, etc. These are device specific for optimal performance.
How to Install:
a. Visit celsoazevedo.com (XDA's mirror for GCam APKs). Search your phone (e.g., "GCam for Galaxy S23")
b. Check XDA threads for stable versions.
c. Download the APK. Enable "Install from unknown sources" in settings.
d. Install and test. If it crashes, try another version or load a config (XML file) from XDA for your phone
Stick to celsoazevedo.com or XDA threads to avoid malware. GCam isn't open-source, so trust reputable devs only.
Method-2 GCamator App - The Shortcut
GCamator (on Google Play)
is a database of GCam ports, pulling from XDA and other sources. It matches APKs to your phone model.
How to Use:
a. Download GCamator from Google Play or Uptodown.
b. Open, select your phone, and view compatible GCam versions with download links.
c. Install the APK. Requires Camera2API most Androids post 2018 support it. You are fucked if you have a phone with mediatek processor tho.
Results
For iPhonecels. Iphone already has a pretty solid image processing engine. Apple uses Deep Fusion. Uses the Neural Engine A13 chip and later. Or Iphone 11+ it process nine images (four short four secondary, one long exposure) pixel-by-pixel. Optimizes texture, detail, and noise in medium to low light. Great for indoor selfies, hair, and fabric. It works along with another technique called Smart HDR Combines multiple exposures for balanced lighting in high contrast scenes to deliver the best results
Iphone tends to always go for more neutral washed out colors and softer details, balanced exposures. It prioritizes true to life more than pleasant to the eye and produces flatter neutral pics
I personally like GCam more. I'm not a photographer or a photography nerd and don't have the time or patience to edit my pictures one by one. I just want to click and be done. And for that gcam is imo better. Pics are vibrant, not overdone, natural and pleasing on gcam. It also recovers shadows and highlights better than iphone so your face doesn't look flat in harsh sunlight. But iPhone's skin tones are still industry leading. Iphones are also still unmoggable in the video department but in photography in my subjective opinion, Gcam is better
So there you have it. Now you can now take mogger pics on your potato tier phone too.
The camera's sensor takes a raw image file and sends it image processing unit which correct shadows, overblown highlights, details, exposures etc. I can go into detail on how all this happens I actually attended a workshop on Computer Vision and Photography in uni but not to bore with details. Your phone camera takes multiples picture that it runs through a bunch of complex algorithms on each and every pixel of the photo. Yes each and every single pixel and analyzes everything to give the best output. It's actually quite fascinating how all this happens in almost real time milliseconds before you even press the shutter button your phone is running all these complex algorithms and crunching numbers to deliver the best results, what I said is just a very simplified explanation but that is the gist of it
Every phone company has their own versions of image processing. Like samsung produces over sharpened saturated pics. Xiaomi likes to make pictures more softer and dreamy. I personally like samsung's implementation to be very honest but most people say that best one in the buisness is Google's Pixel camera. The GCam app.
It's legendary for its computational photography. HDR+ for dynamic range, Night Sight for low-light and Portrait Mode for DSLR like bokeh The Pixel look is about natural colors, sharp details, and noise free shots that don't look like overprocessed Instagram filters.
The problem you only get GCam on Google's Pixel phones that are expensive and not that great for the money you spend. They have slower chips, bad battery and are expensive but because it's android there are ways to get the GCam on your budget phones also.
Option 1: XDA Ports - The best Way
XDA Forums is where devs like BSG, Arnova8G2, BigKaka, and Shamim reverse engineer the GCam for Samsung, OnePlus, Xiaomi, etc. These are device specific for optimal performance.
How to Install:
a. Visit celsoazevedo.com (XDA's mirror for GCam APKs). Search your phone (e.g., "GCam for Galaxy S23")
b. Check XDA threads for stable versions.
c. Download the APK. Enable "Install from unknown sources" in settings.
d. Install and test. If it crashes, try another version or load a config (XML file) from XDA for your phone
Stick to celsoazevedo.com or XDA threads to avoid malware. GCam isn't open-source, so trust reputable devs only.
Method-2 GCamator App - The Shortcut
GCamator (on Google Play)
is a database of GCam ports, pulling from XDA and other sources. It matches APKs to your phone model.
How to Use:
a. Download GCamator from Google Play or Uptodown.
b. Open, select your phone, and view compatible GCam versions with download links.
c. Install the APK. Requires Camera2API most Androids post 2018 support it. You are fucked if you have a phone with mediatek processor tho.
Results
For iPhonecels. Iphone already has a pretty solid image processing engine. Apple uses Deep Fusion. Uses the Neural Engine A13 chip and later. Or Iphone 11+ it process nine images (four short four secondary, one long exposure) pixel-by-pixel. Optimizes texture, detail, and noise in medium to low light. Great for indoor selfies, hair, and fabric. It works along with another technique called Smart HDR Combines multiple exposures for balanced lighting in high contrast scenes to deliver the best results
Iphone tends to always go for more neutral washed out colors and softer details, balanced exposures. It prioritizes true to life more than pleasant to the eye and produces flatter neutral pics
I personally like GCam more. I'm not a photographer or a photography nerd and don't have the time or patience to edit my pictures one by one. I just want to click and be done. And for that gcam is imo better. Pics are vibrant, not overdone, natural and pleasing on gcam. It also recovers shadows and highlights better than iphone so your face doesn't look flat in harsh sunlight. But iPhone's skin tones are still industry leading. Iphones are also still unmoggable in the video department but in photography in my subjective opinion, Gcam is better
So there you have it. Now you can now take mogger pics on your potato tier phone too.
Last edited:
