Samsung has delivered several powerful generations of the “S” line in recent years. Although with the arrival of the Galaxy S20 in 2020 it may seem outdated, the Galaxy S8 was once one of the most revolutionary. With its 12MP and the excellent rating from the DxOMark review site, we put together the best tips for taking photos with the Galaxy S8 and getting the most out of it.
And it is that, during our tests, we have been able to verify that the Galaxy S8 manages to capture clear and precise photos in a fairly consistent color. But, although many believe it, taking exceptional photos with the Galaxy S8 is not as easy a task as taking the phone out of your pocket and hitting a button. First, it’s worth learning a little more about close-ups, High Dynamic Range (HDR) mode, and some filters.
So, once you have mastered the most basic concepts, it will be much easier to take higher quality photos with the Galaxy S8 camera, don’t you think? Come follow these tips and tricks that we offer you!
Zooming and Bursting Shots
Zooming in on an image with a smartphone camera can be difficult or complicated to say the least, but the new Galaxy S8 makes it that much easier.
When you want to enlarge a part of the frame, just touch and drag the shutter button to the right – it will become a horizontal slider that will show the current zoom level.
Meanwhile, taking a burst of shots is even easier with the Galaxy S8. You just need to hold down the shutter button and you’re done.
Learn how to use the different modes of the Galaxy S8
The Galaxy S8’s camera app is a bit overwhelming at first glance, but Samsung has made an effort to make it not that complicated.
By tapping to the left a lot of different modes appear. And this is what each of them does:
Auto – It’s the Galaxy S8’s default shooting mode and handles it all for you. You just have to aim and shoot.
Pro : If you want to get the most out of the Galaxy S8, the Pro mode will go very well for you. It puts some settings like ISO, aperture, IRIS adjustment, autofocus, white balance and exposure at your fingertips. One of the most useful is the manual focus mode, which draws green lines in the viewfinder on the object that is in focus.
Panorama : The panoramic mode of the Galaxy S8 combines several shots together into a single, ultra-wide photo.
Selective focus : Selective focus, a feature introduced in the Galaxy S5, takes multiple consecutive photos with variable focus. The end result is a photo with an adjustable focus level; You can switch focus between objects that are in the foreground or in the background.
Slow Motion or Slow Motion : The Galaxy S8’s slow motion mode captures videos at a higher than normal speed (240 fps compared to 30 fps or 60 fps), which has the effect of making things seem “slower” ”When playing at normal speeds. You will have to settle for a lower resolution than normal speed video – slow motion mode reaches 720p – but the effect is worth it.
Hyperlapse – Lets you create time-lapse videos or clips that compress hours of footage into a few fast minutes. Super fast. Samsung says it’s smart enough to adapt to what you’re automatically recording.
Food : The food mode is optimized to take photos of delicious desserts and dishes, as expected. By activating this mode you will get improved color, contrast and blur effects that will make everything look much more elegant. A practical tip: moving the circle in the viewfinder adjusts the level of background blur.
Virtual Shooting : Virtual shooting isn’t the most useful mode on the Galaxy S8, but the effect is great. Basically, the camera moves in a circular motion around an object. The Galaxy S8 then adds the photos together into an animated file.
How to apply filters, effects and overlays
There’s more to the Galaxy S8’s camera app than shooting modes. Scrolling to the right of the Galaxy S8’s camera menu opens the Filters, Effects and Overlays section.
Filters adjust the lighting, brightness and contrast of the photo to match a certain style. There is an automatic filter that corrects the lighting conditions, in addition to the colors such as “Cream”, “Deep”, “Forest”, “Classic”, “Cozy”, “Memory” and “Maple”.
You’ll need to tap the bear-shaped icon to access the effects menu, which consists of Instagram-style filters and stickers above the photos (think of stylized titles like “Best Friend”, “Enjoy” and ” Happy Anniversary”).
Overlays, which occupy the same menu, are like Snapchat lenses. They are digital masks, bunny ears, sunglasses, tiaras, and party hats that are placed over people’s faces. It is like augmented reality, but without the need for a third-party application.
And if you’re not satisfied with the default selection of filters, effects, and overlays, you can download more stamps, face masks, and more from the Samsung Galaxy Apps store.
However, you should keep in mind that not all of these extras are free.
How to use your voice, gestures or face to capture a photo
If recording images with the shutter button seems very old to you, we have good news: The Galaxy S8 allows you to activate a photo with voice commands, gestures or even the face.
To activate the voice controls, go to the camera app settings menu and tap the voice control. There isn’t much for customization, but you can take a picture by yelling out some words like “smile” and “cheese.” Saying “record video” the camera will switch to video mode.
Alternatively, you can also use a finger. In fact, when the front camera is active, placing your finger on the heart rate sensor on the back of the Galaxy S8 (opposite the side of the camera module) will take a photo. It’s not always consistent, but it’s easier than trying to touch the shutter button with one hand.
And with the camera in selfie mode, the Galaxy S8 will automatically set a short countdown timer to take a photo.
How to take the perfect selfie
But if you are not totally satisfied with the way your selfie has turned out, the Galaxy S8 camera application will be able to help you adjust it.
Swipe down anywhere on the frame to switch between the Galaxy S8’s front camera and rear camera. Then swipe left to get several different shooting modes: Selfie; Wide Selfie, a wider angle mode that makes it easier to fit multiple people into the frame; And selective focus, which erases the background of the photo.
Plus, there’s more than just an angle adjustment. Tap the brush icon when the Galaxy S8 is in selfie mode and you’ll get options to adjust skin tone, face and eye shape, and backlight. And once you get the right mix of settings, snapping a selfie is as easy as hitting the shutter button.
How to add shortcuts to the home screen
Tired of having to switch to a different mode every time you launch the Galaxy S8 camera app? Good news: The Galaxy S8 shortcut feature now allows you to set frequently used modes on the home screen.
Once you’ve selected the mode you want, tap the three-dot menu in the upper right corner and tap Add shortcut to the home screen. Select your favorite modes and you’re done. You’ll see them on your home screen, where you can rearrange them as app shortcuts.
How to use the floating camera button
Having trouble reaching the shutter button on the Galaxy S8 while trying to capture the perfect photo? Well don’t worry because like the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy A5, the Galaxy S8 allows you to move the shutter button to a more convenient screen location.
But first you will have to enable it in the configuration menu. Head over to the Galaxy S8 camera app settings and tap the Floating Camera button. So it’s as easy as pressing and dragging the shutter button to a point that is easier for you to get to.
How to adjust the camera app settings
The Galaxy S8’s camera app offers much more than its colorful icons and animated graphics. To discover how far it can go, dive into the settings menu and you will see options to adjust the video resolution, preview the images before saving them, etc.
This is all you can do:
Video and image size : from the settings menu of the camera application you can change the image and video size. In the first case, you will have the option of 12MP up to 1: 1. In the second case, the Galaxy S8 can shoot up to Ultra HD (3,840 x 2,160 pixels).
AF tracking (tracking focus) and shape correction : We know that not all images are perfect and that is where certain corrections come into play. AF Tracking allows you to constantly focus on a subject regardless of whether it is in motion. And shape correction, meanwhile, reduces distortion at the corners of the S8’s screen at the expense of resolution.
Saving Preview Images – By default, the Galaxy S8’s selfie camera takes saved images to show you how you really look. Flipping the lever will show the real photos instead.
Self-timer: You can activate the Galaxy S8 to take a photo after a few seconds.
Photo Motion : This is the Galaxy S8 version of the live photos on iPhone 7. Change the settings and you will get a short video of what happens before taking each photo.
Quick launch : Activate quick launch to open the camera by quickly pressing the power button.
How to edit your photos based on content
The Galaxy S8 contains more than just a powerful camera app. Once you’ve taken a few shots, go to Samsung’s photo editing tools by launching the Gallery and hitting the Edit button.
Here is what you can do:
Transform – Lets you rotate, flip, mirror, and crop a photo.
Hue : Includes tools for adjusting brightness, exposure, contrast, saturation, hue, and white balance.
Advanced : Allows you to modify a photo’s tone curve, color, and backlight to give you more freedom.
Effects: Put all the effects of the Galaxy S8 camera app in one place, which is useful if you forget to apply an effect before taking a photo.
Decoration : allows you to superimpose things on a photo – you can add images, stickers, labels and covers with your finger.
