Do you have a Google Pixel in your pocket and the Android 15 update installed? Then go outside on a clear evening in the pitch dark and point your device at the sky, because photographing stars has become a lot easier.
Google Pixel and manual astrophotography mode
Android 15 is not a very major update, but it still brings some nice possibilities. With the new software, it has finally become possible to manually use the astrophotography mode on your Google Pixel. Previously, you could only use that function if your Pixel itself felt that the conditions were good enough for it.
Would you like to try out what kind of snapshots you can take? Then make sure that you use a tripod to properly support the smartphone. It takes a maximum of four minutes to shoot one photo and the device must not move during shooting.
Is it a clear night, can you see stars with the naked eye and is there little to no light pollution? Then it’s time to try to take a nice snapshot. So grab your Google Pixel (and tripod) and open the camera app.
- Tap ‘Night Vision’;
- If you see three stars at the bottom right, tap the button to print a photo;
- If you don’t see it at the bottom right, tap the moon icon there;
- Slide the appearing bar to the right and set it to ‘Astro’;
- Then tap the button to print a photo.
Next, you must ensure that the device does not move. Even a breath of wind can be disastrous for your picture and this also applies to passing clouds. Also useful: a timer appears, so you know exactly how long you have to wait.
In addition to the photo, a short time-lapse video of the past four minutes is saved, allowing you to see a shooting star or airplane better, for example. It can be very nice to have trees or buildings in the background for a nice contrast, but a photo of just the sky is of course also nice.
More useful tips on Android Planet:
Source: www.androidplanet.nl
