Google appears to be bringing help for RAW to third-party digital camera apps in Android. In different phrases, much more images and modifying apps for Android smartphones would be capable to seize and edit photographs in RAW format.
Why do cell photographers want entry to pictures in RAW format?
Cellular images and imaging {hardware} have come a really good distance. Smartphone cameras typically rival devoted skilled cameras by way of visible element. Nonetheless, the Android OS continues to be holding again some third-party digital camera apps.
There are lots of photograph editor apps for Android. They’re fairly versatile. Nonetheless, they’ll’t do a lot if digital camera apps provide them photographs in JPEG format. If customers wish to unlock their full potential, they want entry to pictures in RAW format.
RAW images primarily saves all the picture information that comes straight from the digital camera. There’s no compression, auto-editing, or processing. A picture in RAW format gives full entry to elements like white steadiness, publicity, and sharpness. Google gives this freedom within the Pixel 8 and the Pixel 9 telephones.
Cellular photographers normally don’t want such fantastic management, particularly when photographs are wanted for social media platforms. Nonetheless, with smartphone cameras turning into more and more highly effective, photographers ought to have entry to the aforementioned elements.
How will Google unlock help for RAW format in third-party digital camera apps?
There are a number of digital camera apps that may entry the RAW format. Nonetheless, many third-party apps don’t. Apps that depend on the Jetpack CameraX library, as a substitute of the Android Camera2 API, can save images within the JPEG picture format solely. Evidently, the Jetpack CameraX library is meant for apps optimized for social media.
The Camera2 API has had entry to RAW format for fairly a while. Nonetheless, it’s a advanced API. Furthermore, builders typically keep away from this API, primarily as a result of their audience doesn’t want superior digital camera controls.
Google just lately added help for Extremely HDR to the Jetpack CameraX library with the 1.4.0 replace. Android Authority has reported that Google plans so as to add RAW seize help to the Jetpack API within the subsequent replace.
Particularly talking, in model 1.5.0-alpha03 of CameraX, Google will add two new output codecs: OUTPUT_FORMAT_RAW and OUTPUT_FORMAT_RAW_JPEG. Because the names point out, the previous captures a picture in RAW format, whereas the latter captures each a RAW and a JPEG picture. The API will permit third-party digital camera apps on Android to save lots of photographs within the Adobe DNG format, which is likely one of the most generally used file codecs for RAW photographs.
