It turns out that one of the most popular devices owned by members of our forums is the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. Just a couple of years ago, very few of us would have guessed that the phablet-style phones would catch on so much, but there's no denying reality anymore. Apparently, for many smartphone users, "bigger is better."
Since so many of our members own products in the Galaxy Note series (and especially the Galaxy Note 4) we thought it would be cool to do a quick tips and tricks article to help you take better pictures with your Galaxy Note 4. Of course, there are probably more than just the 6 ideas we came up with. We welcome you to add your own tips and tricks in this thread, because that's what our awesome community is all about! (Incidentally, some of these tips might also be useful with other phones by finding any similar functions that your phone might have.)
The following is our list of 6 tips and tricks for better pictures on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4:
ISO can be increased manually for shooting fast-moving objects -
If you are having a problem with motion blur while trying to take shots of fast-moving objects, you can force the camera to increase its shutter speed by using ISO modes, like ISO400 or ISO800. This will virtually eliminate the motion blur at the cost of increasing the digital noise in the image.
Take a burst of photos by holding down the shutter -
You can set your Note 4 camera to burst mode by holding down the shutter button in Auto Mode. It will then capture 6 full-res images per second. This will help you capture those surprise moments. Incidentally, tweaking the ISO modes won't affect the burst mode's speed, so you can use both together potentially.
Use HDR to take improved images in certain lighting conditions -
HDR mode is useful when there is a bright backlight that is overpowering the image. You can even see a live preview of the image before you take the shot. On top of this, the Galaxy Note 4 includes the ability to combine with the camera's LED flash so you can illuminate nearby objects and improve the image further. This can prove useful when there's a strong light source behind your subject.
Turn on the "Guidelines" feature to help you use the "rule of thirds" -
If you have ever delved deeper into professional photography, you might have heard of the "rule of thirds." It's basically a technique which helps you frame a shot more effectively to create more professional looking photos. To use the technique, you want to imagine that your shot is broken up into an equal grid with three sets of squares horizontally and vertically. You then imagine lining up the main subject of your shot with one of the two vertical lines, while lining up the horizon across one of the horizontal lines. The cool thing about the Galaxy Note 4 is that you can turn on the "Guidelines" feature which actually creates these imaginary lines for you to make it even easier!
Use Selective Focus mode to create a pan focus image -
If you are taking a shot of a close-up subject in the foreground, the default modes of the camera will likely cause the background to appear blurred. This is called "bokeh." If you want to create a picture that makes the background as clear and sharp as the close-up subject, you can switch it to Pan focus. This will basically take two pictures with the focus clarified on both the foreground subject and the background, and then merge them together into one. This creates one complete image which is completely in focus throughout. You activate Pan focus by switching to Selective focus mode, taking the picture, and then applying the effect from the image gallery.
Customize your settings shortcuts -
Here's a tip that basically helps you be more organized and efficient when taking shots. Basically, if you have certain modes and features in your camera settings that you favor or simply use more than the others, you can access them more easily by moving the ones you use the most to the camera app's main screen. You can find three customizable slots so you can drag and drop any setting of your choice.
These are just a few handy tips and tricks to get you on the road to taking better photos with your Samsung Galaxy Note 4. If you are a shutterbug with your Note 4, feel free to add to or simply comment on any of these ideas. We look forward to reading more great ideas!
Also, don't forget to drop by our dedicated Samsung Galaxy Note 4 section for further discussion: Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Discussions Android Forum at DroidForums.net