The importance of cameras in mobile phones is increasing, as well as its possibilities and options. If we want to achieve truly film-like results, we have to know the professional mode of the camera that is included in mobiles, in addition to its extra options that will allow us to easily take advantage of the software as a resource.
Although we are not experts in photography, we will be able to use all aspects of the mobile camera to improve results. You will be surprised to know how it is possible to improve the photos when we know exactly what we need, something that we could already start to see with the tips to get the best landscape photos with your mobile . We explain step by step so that each of the functions consists and the recommendations to follow.
How to use professional mode on your mobile
To start taking advantage of the professional mode of the camera of our mobile we have to find it, a camera mode that is easily accessible in all mobile phones and which will completely change what we understand as photos with the mobile. We just have to scroll through the options that we find at the bottom of the camera apps.
Once we have reached this section we will see how we find different parameters and options that we do not have in the other modes. These will be the options that we will modify to our liking, preference or need to get the best photos.
Control the ISO
We start by controlling the ISO sensitivity, an essential element when taking a photo that in other modes adapts automatically. By controlling it through the options of the professional mode, we will be able to establish an appropriate level for each situation. By moving it, we will be modifying the amount of light that the sensor of our mobile phone can capture and therefore make the image change radically.
When we increase the ISO we are causing noise to appear in the image and while if we lower it too much, we will make the image lose detail . Given these circumstances, we will have to adapt it depending on the time and place. It is not the same to take a photo in a closed space than to do it in full sun on the street. We can vary it between 100 as the minimum and a maximum of 3,200. As we use it more often we will be able to go freely to quickly find the necessary ISO for each situation, although at first trying and making mistakes will be very common.
White balance
To adapt the color temperature to the needs at any time we resort to white balance, an access that we enter in the professional camera mode and allows us to choose the desired hue for our photo. This mode can be of great help when we are preparing to take a photo in full sunlight or, on the contrary, under artificial lights, where the result will be very different and with this control we will try to make it as true to reality as possible.
This adjustment is measured in degrees Kelvin and we can vary it between 2,300 and 7,500 degrees Kelvin , although the extremes are not an option, if you try it yourself you will see it. We have to be careful with this adjustment since a photograph can stop being good if in the color temperature we make a bad selection. A very important section in color is the type of light bulbs or artificial lighting that we are using, causing very different results that we have to control with the white balance.
Shutter speed
One way to control light unlike ISO is through shutter speed. In this case it is the time that the lens remains open and therefore capturing data from what appears on the screen. This is the most recommended resource, as we will not create grain or lose detail. In turn, it is one of the options that we will have to try the most until we have mastered it, since each situation is different from the previous one.
The times available to use in the shutter vary in each mobile, although in an extended way we will be able to choose between 1/8000 seconds and increase it up to 30 seconds. In the first of the chaos the photography will be very fast and therefore the sensor will not be able to collect information , it is especially recommended in moving scenes to capture the specific moment without suffering as a result traces of the body itself or object.
By increasing the shutter time, what we will do is allow the lens to spend more time open, a resource that is recommended to use in low light situations or at night. To photograph starry skies we will have to opt for this option and not forget to use a tripod or other tools to avoid moving the mobile in the meantime.
Focus point
Without having focused a photograph it will be very difficult for us to like the result, something that in professional mode takes on greater importance. We can depend on the tactile option of the camera with which we will touch an object and it will focus, but if we want to go further we can use the focus point to create a result at the height of the rest of the options that we are learning about.
With the focus we are going to be able to make the objects or elements that appear in the foreground stay in focus and the rest not or vice versa. This will give us a lot of play and possibilities when creating a photographic composition. To obtain the desired result we will put the manual focus mode and we will observe how the result changes completely.
Exposition
The so-called exposure that we can find in professional cameras is used in mobile phones as a resource that really does is imitate the result through software . We cannot vary the aperture of the diaphragm to our liking, although you can imitate it in professional mode.
The exposure on mobile phones is expressed with numbers ranging from -2 to +2 and we will have to take into account that these values are used in conjunction with other options that we have seen previously, such as the shutter speed. Finding the correct exposure is a complicated task and we will have to be able to adapt it according to the other values. An overexposed image will burn the details and on the contrary will leave us practically without a photo given the low level of light it is capable of collecting.
Advanced settings for professional camera mode
In addition to all the controls that we have known to carry out the photos with the professional mode of the camera of our mobile, there are still more details that we must take into account. There are many tools and configuration adjustments designed so that we get the best result.
RAW and JPEG format
In the professional mode and in some mobiles in the other camera modes we find the option to choose between the RAW and JPEG formats. These options will be very useful if we plan to get the most out of the mobile cameras and then edit them on the computer with advanced software.
The classic negatives can be understood today as RAW since the image is not processed and we obtain the result just as when we see it on screen. This allows us to have greater control over the result when modifying it later. However in JPEG to a greater or lesser extent it is composed and we lose certain capabilities. A very related aspect to this is storage, since RAW photographs take up much more space and therefore in an afternoon of photos we can run out of space.
Grid
In the options of the mobile camera we will find the grid option, an element that can be more annoying than practical but once we know its purpose we can take advantage of it. This resource that places a series of lines on the screen which will not be seen in the photo and allows us to visually divide the spaces that we see on our mobile.
Depending on our mobile we will meet some different options for using the grid which can be based on ratios of 5 × 4 or 4 × 4 and in some cases in the golden ratio. Although in the photographs of walking around the house it will not be very useful, when taking photos of landscapes we have to take it into account to get the best result. The ideal is to separate the information into parts so that the brain can process what it sees in the photo in parts, with this we make it more attractive to the human eye of the audience.
Histogram
Finally we are going to know the histogram, a very useful tool but that few use since it is difficult to decipher if we are not experts in photography. It can be defined as an x-ray of the image that we see on our mobile and will help us when making decisions with the professional camera mode through the tools that we have known.
As you can see in the image we have shared, on the left we see how the graph shows us only lines in one of the zones and in the other if they are distributed more. These lines are divided from left to right as: shadows – midtones – highlights . What could be summed up in that the best thing would be to get a set of lines that are evenly distributed by the histogram. We know that it is difficult to understand and that is why we are going to make a short summary to help us begin to understand this tool:
- Underexposed : when the bars are concentrated to the left of the histogram and are not spread over the rest.
- Overexposed : in this case the bars are centered to the right of the graph.
- Correctly stated : when homogeneous distribution is performed on the histogram.
This can help us improve the result if we later go through a photo editor . From these programs we also have access to the histogram and we can know what aspect we have to modify to improve the result.
