UPDATE: Used hide tags to organize this post better and make information easier to find.
Alright, so you've got a shiny new Moto G5 plus, which supposedly has a similar Sony imx sensor as the one found on flagships like the Galaxy S7 and Pixel2. Yet, you are somehow disappointed by the camera's quality.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE!
Turns out the camera sensor on this thing is actually pretty darned good, and the f/1.7 lens is no slouch, however it is being held back by poorly designed software from Moto/Lenovo.
Before I got into the solutions, let me specifically point out the problems I found with the camera so we're on the same page (click to reveal content, or just skip the fixes below):
1) Overzealous Sharpening and aggressive Noise Reduction are the biggest culprits. It almost looks like a bad filter is being applied to your images, turning fine details into mush and contrasty lines like text into something bizarre and artificial looking. The camera is doing this as part of the internal capture process, so this happens no matter what application it is taken in.
2) Highlights clipping earlier than it should. I'd say this might be a function of the camera's sensor more than the hardware, but analyzing RAW data from the sensor (more on that later) in my admittedly unscientific half-hazard naked eye, I'd go out on a limb and say it seems like we're not being shown all the DR the camera is able to see. To the layman: this means brights turn completely white effectively overexposing parts of the image that should otherwise still look OK.
3) The preview/viewfinder mode is even worse at #1 than the captured image is. That is, the preview mode (the video feed you see before you capture the full resolution image) is still applying the sharpening and NR at the same level as the captured image, however since the resolution is lower for the preview, it looks more exaggerated and ugly. This means two things: A) Its hard to tell what the image you take will look like, as the preview is ugly (and you have to hope the final will look better), and B) some apps use the preview feed as their capture method. For example, snapchat and augmented reality apps like Pokemon Go. It just looks terrible.
The good news is that there is a lot that can be done to improve and fix the camera.
The bad news is that almost all of it requires modifying system files. That means those with locked bootloaders (Amazon ad users or those who are afraid of voiding their warranties) might be out of luck.
You don't necessarily need root access, although some of this can be more easily performed with root. I needed to unlock my bootloader and performed most of this within TWRP, but chose to keep my phone otherwise unrooted. I'm going to split this into sections, fixing and improving.
A) FIXING THE IMAGE PROCESSING ISSUES
If you want to remove/circumvent the aggressive sharpening and NR issues (so that apps like snapchat or other camera applications don't look over-processed, including the stock Moto cam), try the following:
1) Chromatix mod. Shout out to @defcomg for finding and adjusting the values that control sharpening and NR in the system libs. See thread here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/g5-plus/themes/modcamera-aggressive-sharpening-noise-t3604458
There are two sets of files to replace in your system. Chromatix and LIBMM. NOTE: I don't recommend the LIBMM / binning part. Binning is combining pixels together into an averaged single pixel value, effectively reducing resolution to combat noise on the sensor. In other words, instead of having a large possibly noisy image, you get a smaller less noisy picture. But you can always choose to resize the image in post after you take it with the same resulting effect, so I don't see why this would be desirable to do. I recommend just applying the chromatix mod to remove the sharpening and NR. If you're comfortable using TWRP, there's actually a flashable zip in post #9, which is what I personally did (again, remember I'm not rooted, so I needed to flash/overwrite/etc within TWRP).
After applying this mod, even the stock camera app looks better, and apps that use the live preview (Snapchat, Pokemons AR view, etc) don't have the shadow ghosting from excessive sharpening anymore either. You might want to apply some sharpening and NR in post yourself if the image requires it, but thats always something you can choose but at least you have control over it and even without doing that it looks far better and more natural than stock to me.
2) Enable camera2 API. This doesn't have a direct effect on quality, but will allow other apps to have more direct access to the camera. If you want to improve beyond the results of #1 above, you'll need this.
The stock rom, surprisingly, has Camera2 API included, however it is disabled by the build.prop file. Again, no idea why Moto/Lenovo chose to do this, but the good news is you can enable it again easily. To do this, you need to add the following line to the build.prop
persist.camera.HAL3.enabled=1
Or if rooted, via terminal / shell:
su persist.camera.HAL3.enabled 1
Once this is enabled, you can use apps such as the modified freedcam to shoot RAW, as found here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/g5-plus/how-to/how-to-enable-camera2-shoot-raw-root-t3582392
I found RAW from this app particularly difficult to work with, so I'm keeping it for experimentation purposes but for practical real-world usage, I'd recommend the next item below.
B) IMPROVING YOUR PHOTOS (or, how to install Google Camera!)
Section A was all about how to avoid the crummy filters that get automatically applied to the camera. But your device is capable of even BETTER photos by using Google's magic HDR+ algorithm (the special sauce that makes the Pixel phones so awesome). Here's how to do that:
1) If you haven't already enabled the Camera2 API, you need to do that first (info in section A above).
2) Get a working version of Google Camera with HDR+ for your phone. The last available 32-bit version with HDR+ is Gcam 4.2, so if you're on the stock ROM like I am, you're stuck with only the 32-bit versions (all the new versions with the bells and whistles are 64-bit only). The image quality is remarkably better, both in sharpness and dynamic range in almost any light. I have to admit, I'm in love with the images from this, and have even printed some for my wall.
You can get the APK ported from the Nexus 5x version here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=74081041&postcount=3
UPDATE: New version from Savitar on post #44!
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=75483974&postcount=44
Problem is, our cameras use a different focus system than phones like the Nexus and Pixel. So, in photo mode, it doesn't really work correctly. Switching over to video mode, however, DOES work (likely using contrast detection focus, which is slower but more universal, especially for video focus). So the workaround is to swipe over to video mode, focus, swipe back to photos and press-and-hold to lock focus. It's annoying, but HDR+ is that good that I still try to work with it much of the time.
For times that it would be frustrating or not necessary, I'll just resort to the stock camera app or Footej camera, since the chromatix mod makes them mostly usable now. Just not ZOMG AMAZING like the Google HDR+ does.
OPTIONAL #3) Install a 64-bit custom Rom and use the latest Google Camera HDR+ app floating around (v4.4). The recent versions B-S-G released based on the Pixel camera has options to change camera modes in settings, some combination of which supposedly focus properly. You will likely get a more stable camera app experience with this as it requires less modification to work, but you'll have to be committed enough to go off stock.
Check out the app and suggested settings to try here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=74999182&postcount=19
Thanks @shanks125 for the info!
Update 1/3/18: I just heard there is a port of the new portrait mode feature from the Pixel2 that is sort of working on 64-bit roms, but I think some modifications will need to be made to avoid focus drift like previous modded gcam versions.
There is also a 32-bit version of the new v4.4 that @Aby lad came up with in this thread:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/google-camera-4-4-arm-device-t3666090
In order to make it more compatible with other devices, it looks like he has disabled the Hexagon DSP, which I think is what makes HDR+ work, so while we can now change settings and focus, HDR+ isn't working. The app still has some Google goodies like Sphere and Blur mode, but without HDR+ the real benefit of Google camera is lost anyway. Might as well use stock with chromatix mod at that point.
Hope some of you find this helpful/useful!
UPDATE 12/28/17: New GCam with 6P features on post #14.
There actually may be some alternate versions of the gcam apk with benefits the one originally linked above doesn't have. I will try to update when if/when I find them.
Dishe said:
There actually may be some alternate versions of the gcam apk with benefits the one originally linked above doesn't have. I will try to update when if/when I find them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would be useful!
So if I apply the chromatic mode, do I still have to enable the Camera2 API?
It's my bad. I would like to know if there is a way to disable Camera2 api. I am on Linage 14.1 and I edited my prop.build (yeah, I know). I switched back to the original line of code, but camera app still crashing. How to revert without reflashing the rom? Thanks.
edit. reflashed.
iBART said:
It's my bad. I would like to know if there is a way to disable Camera2 api. I am on Linage 14.1 and I edited my prop.build (yeah, I know). I switched back to the original line of code, but camera app still crashing. How to revert without reflashing the rom? Thanks.
edit. reflashed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you try clearing data+cache for the camera app?
iamsonal said:
So if I apply the chromatic mode, do I still have to enable the Camera2 API?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, but it doesn't hurt to so why not? Some apps will have more options in camera2 if enabled.
iBART said:
It's my bad. I would like to know if there is a way to disable Camera2 api. I am on Linage 14.1 and I edited my prop.build (yeah, I know). I switched back to the original line of code, but camera app still crashing. How to revert without reflashing the rom? Thanks.
edit. reflashed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is another way to enable camera2 api if you're using a custom ROM. You need to flash a magisk module.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=74081041&postcount=3
Which Google camera works in a complete stock g5? I keep getting a praising error with every one I try.
eemgee said:
Which Google camera works in a complete stock g5? I keep getting a praising error with every one I try.
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Parsing error means you are probably trying to use a 64-bit or one made for a different version of Android (7.1 instead of 7.0). The one linked above will work.
However, all recent versions of Google's Camera require the camera2 api to work. That's one of the primary reasons to enable the Camera2 api in my opinion. It comes in the stock rom, but it is disabled for some inexplicable reason (G5S model has it enabled, so some people are hoping that we'll get it enabled with an update or at least when Oreo rolls around). The good news is that it only takes one line of text in the build.prop file to enable it on the G5+. However, the bad news is that build.prop is part of the protected system partition, so editing it requires root-level file access. Doesn't seem to be any way to do that without unlocking the bootloader, so either way you won't be able to do it on a 100% stock g5+ as things are right now.
Thanks i managed to get 2.7 working.
I will unlock the bootloader at some point in the next few weeks....
There is also a Magisk module in post #54 on that Chromatix thread. Really helpful!
Hi, so in search for better images from my g5+ camera I stumbled upon this place and rooted my phone to add the chromatix mods and edit the build.prop file .
I downloaded the google camera port v4.2 for the hdr+ but have been unable to install it as I get the error that package may be corrupted.
So could someone please link me to one which is good or upload it.
And BIG thanks to this community.
New gcam from savitar
UPDATE: Better gcam version from Savitar/Defcomg
http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=00826724446841525700
Features:
Burst Mode (hold shutter button)
Focus doesn't drift when switching from video mode (this is a huge fix IMO- old app would drift after setting focus in video mode).
Selfie cam now has HDR as well (with caveats)
RAW image capture with each photo!
Instructions for use are largely the same as the old app, but it works better / more reliably now:
WHEN USING APP FOR THE FIRST TIME, GO INTO SETTINGS AND CHANGE VIDEO TO 4K. This will prevent FCs.
To take a picture:
1) Swipe left to switch to video mode, tap to focus
2) Once focus is achieved, swipe right to return to photo mode. (Focus should not drift in this version)
3) Tap the area again in photo mode, and hit the shutter button.
NOTES:
It appears that you no longer need to press-and-hold to lock focus in photo mode before shooting. I believe this is because the focus system doesn't adjust anymore in photo mode (I'm guessing Savitar/Defcomg removed it to combat that focus drifting problem). It is already locked at wherever you put it in video mode. You DO however need to still tap the screen as if you are focusing. I think this is because the camera needs to think it is focusing, but it is anyway helpful to tap somewhere for metering / exposure reading purposes. Skipping the press-and-hold to lock focus makes it a lot more manageable.
This version of the app is setup to shoot RAW+Jpeg, so you will find your camera roll will have both a jpeg and DNG file of the shot. Be aware that the RAW DNG files are multiple times larger than the jpeg, so you may want to keep an eye on storage if you shoot a lot of them. They're really useful if you want to adjust WB and exposure afterwards, quality is astoundingly good.
Selfie Mode was broken in HDR+ on earlier builds because for some reason the front camera on our phone doesn't return an ISO value to the app (says iso is zero). The HDR+ algorithm would fail. Savitar/defcomg fixed it by setting it always return a value (he picked 100, otherwise it would overexpose in daylight). The catch is that in lower lighting, the selfie HDR+ comes out darker than expected. Thankfully you can take the RAW file and adjust the exposure in post if needed (snapseed, Lightroom mobile, etc). But there might be times it is just too dark to be useful. The difference when it works is big enough that I recommend it trying it at least once to compare.
ENJOY!
Big shout out to @defcomg for this and all his awesome mods!
Landscape gcam 6p
A modified version of the APK above is available which starts the camera off focused at infinity.
http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=31694573387513766779
This was made for people who want to shoot landscapes and/or things far enough away that they don't want to deal with focusing (swipe to video mode, etc). See a beautiful sunset for example, open this app, tap the sky and hit the shutter. Its already focused in the right position.
Otherwise identical to previous post's apk. Can be installed side-by-side, as each app has its own ID.
can't use gcam because it crashes at first run
marcol87 said:
can't use gcam because it crashes at first run
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do u have camera2 API enabled?
Dishe said:
UPDATE: Better gcam version from Savitar/Defcomg
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for sharing this.
Add this, BSG GCam MOD with working HDR+ and Touch to Focus for 64bit roms. Settings as per attachment! https://androidfilehost.com/?fid=889964283620770378
Dishe said:
Do u have camera2 API enabled?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, I added persist.camera.HAL3.enabled=1 to build.prop and rebooted
Dishe said:
persist.camera.HAL3.enabled=1or
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Click to collapse
ps: the string persist.camera.HAL3.enabled=1 is wrong in the OP
Hello, i've been using arnova's modded gcams for a while, and noticed that video recording is extremelly dark, and sometimes get black screen flashes on it, not even close to photo's quality.
The only camera that seems to be doing an extremelly good job with videos is the oneplus modded one, but it lacks a lot of features.
Actually the image quality of the modded Gcam is shocking when enabling hwhdr on debugging and setting hdr to high, video doesn't stand a chance. As it doesn't happen only on one app, I believe it is a system or a camera2api configuration that the oneplus camera and the default camera ignores (I am running Pixel Experience, feb latest build, but it's a thing on every Oreo's ROM).
Is there anyone that knows about the topic any way or idea to debug it -be it from the camera source files or from the c2a settings-? It would be insane to have also the video ia for stabilization of the Gcam and maybe it can compare or be better than the OnePlus Camera.
Open to suggestions !
They is another problem with the modded gcam, when we select 60fps option camcorder the screen flickers while focusing and thats been recorded
There's nothing to do to check flickering, dark video and fix colours on preview? images looking a bit color-dead before obturation on some cameras, seems that only aplications that overrides those settings are working good. (modded gcams are dark and flickers on video, apps like instagram that doesnt obture gets a bit of lack of colours since preview doesnt do a bit of hwhdr to have an more accurate end result to obturation and also nicer looks on instagram photos). Seems to be a problem with the phone configuration since the camera can record well on other devices, and the op camera can record well on ours. Not like there are no ways around now, we can use both cameras and take the images with stock camera before uploading them but in long term it would be a nice improvement on social networks direct uploading, easier to take videos and photos on a single application (also to have gcam benefits as it is video stabilization). Sorry if I didn't explain myself properly, im not so good at english. Also, I didnt develop directly for android/camera but if someone with a bit of idea gives me the hand I can check out the settings. I don't have so much free time to learn now but as a developer with a couple of tips on the topic maybe I can find a way around to check those settings. Or if an experienced developer with time and will to do it I can help out maybe. I believe it's worth to give it a look
Hi,
I'm looking for an application to shoot HDR timelapse.
That is, an application that is able to compile video from a HDR image sequence (or, in the case of Mate 20 X, from a sequence of "night mode" images).
There are many applications for timelapse recording.
Also for HDR photography.
But I've found just one that can combine both functions and shoot HDR timelapse.
It is the "Camera FV-5" application.
Unfortunately, this app on Mate 20 X (and some other newer phones) crashes. When you set a timer interval, it simply ends, showing no error message.
Unfortunately, the author does not respond to the reported error, the latest version of the application is from 2017, so it is obviously no longer maintained.
Does anyone know any other application that could do HDR timelapse?
Or does anyone know a process that combines the use of multiple applications to produce simillar result?
Thanks!
This is how it's supposed to work:
https://www.camerafv5.com/tutorials/hdr_tutorial.php
Just a heads up; I just wanted to highlight this as some people might be confused as to why you can't edit certain videos you've recorded with you're Note 10. it turns out, at least for me, you won't have the edit icon available in the video file if you have HDR10+ enabled at time of recording.
Try it and report back. Setting is under "Advanced recording options"
Australian stock Note 10+ Exynos
Yep just tried and it does not work.
I tried also to go into the gallery, then hit the icon top right with a "+" to edit the video, but when hiting "manually" it says this kind of file is not supported.
Samsung had said that you could covert directly HDR+ to normal video directly on the Note, but i cannot find this option anywhere.
Tested on my AT&T Note10 Plus Snapdragon and I can edit the video on HDR+
Tested on N974F (Dutch stock Exynos) and i can also edit the video's i shot while HDR10+ was enabled.
For the converting back to normal standard: going to gallery and select a video that was shot with HDR10+ enabled. Press the 'share' icon and a little pop-up at the bottom of the screen will appear and start the conversion to normal standard.
Very weird that it only affects some people. I doubt it is a locale issue. I'm not rooted and running stock software
@william84
Could you edit prior to converting? Also, what video quality setting are you recording in?
@Venom0642
What video quality setting are you recording in?
uppon2 said:
Very weird that it only affects some people. I doubt it is a locale issue. I'm not rooted and running stock software
@william84
Could you edit prior to converting? Also, what video quality setting are you recording in?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Am recording in 16:9 UHD 3840x2160
Can edit prior to converting aswel as after converting.
You are aware that you have the edit option when you watch the video in the Samsung stock videoplayer? So in the gallery app itself it won't show the edit option (at least for me).
When i press 'play video' in the gallery app, the Samsung videoplayer app opens and when i pause the video i have the editor option available in the upper-right corner menu.
You can find the Samsung videoplayer i mentioned in the Galaxy Store named Samsung Video Library.
william84 said:
Am recording in 16:9 UHD 3840x2160
Can edit prior to converting aswel as after converting.
You are aware that you have the edit option when you watch the video in the Samsung stock videoplayer? So in the gallery app itself it won't show the edit option (at least for me).
When i press 'play video' in the gallery app, the Samsung videoplayer app opens and when i pause the video i have the editor option available in the upper-right corner menu.
You can find the Samsung videoplayer i mentioned in the Galaxy Store named Samsung Video Library.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here, to respond above post.
Sent from my SM-N975U using XDA Labs
william84 said:
Am recording in 16:9 UHD 3840x2160
Can edit prior to converting aswel as after converting.
You are aware that you have the edit option when you watch the video in the Samsung stock videoplayer? So in the gallery app itself it won't show the edit option (at least for me).
When i press 'play video' in the gallery app, the Samsung videoplayer app opens and when i pause the video i have the editor option available in the upper-right corner menu.
You can find the Samsung videoplayer i mentioned in the Galaxy Store named Samsung Video Library.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't need this video app.
The edition is proposed when indeed watching the video with the stock player. However the edition is limited to the size of the timeline, nothing like videos that are not HDR+.
I have no clue also how to convert them to normal video besides sharing, but it doesn't seem to save it to the gallery.
To me this software needs a fix, but HDR+ is still beta, on development.
mafy31 said:
You don't need this video app.
The edition is proposed when indeed watching the video with the stock player. However the edition is limited to the size of the timeline, nothing like videos that are not HDR+.
I have no clue also how to convert them to normal video besides sharing, but it doesn't seem to save it to the gallery.
To me this software needs a fix, but HDR+ is still beta, on development.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are correct.
The editor options are very limited compared to the options for non HDR10+.
I hope they can equalize the differences between the options in favor of filming with HDR10+ enabled.
Sent from my SM-N975F using XDA Labs
I am sorry that I am not raising the latest topic, but have you found any options? Maybe for converters or editors? Still, I would like HDR+ or what then is the point? Maybe there is information that there will be an update? A little bit of info: I had several phone models (the latest Samsung) and I always immediately change the stock application for video, audio, and various editors. Recently, I prefer Movavi Clips, after I got their license for a year. I like it very much, except for a little expensive. But, frankly, I would not recommend it, it is better to buy a desktop version of https://www.movavi.com/videoeditor/ right away and get the maximum functionality. But it is to your taste.