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A leaked version of the Google Camera app 7.0, which will likely be installed on the upcoming Google Pixel 4 device, has made its way into the hands of the people at XDA Developers who have analyzed the code and found a bunch of new camera features to look forward to.
The new camera will likely come with a motion blur mode that lets you capture moving subjects in the foreground and blur the background to emphasize the impression of motion and speed. The feature, which should come in handy at racing or sports events, will likely be called Motion Mode.
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| A section of code inside the Google Camera 7.0 app that hints at the upcoming Motion Mode. |
The app source code also suggests that the computational photography feature Night Sight will be improved on the Google Pixel 4, likely with the previously leaked astrophotography mode. The Night Sight feature will also be sped up by making use of zero shutter lag technology and for astrophotography Google will be using the chipset’s integrated GPU to accelerate segmentation of the sky as well as identifying and brightening stars.
References to Live HDR and HDRNet in the code hint at HDR rendering in the preview image and it also looks like the the Pixel 4 will come with an audio zoom feature, similar to what Apple has implemented on the iPhone 11 and what LG and HTC have been using for some time now. The feature allows the phone to focus its microphones on a major audio source when zooming the camera.
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| Code from within the Google Camera 7.0 app that references Live HDR settings, as well as mesh warp settings, presumably used in conjunction with depth data. |
Other sections in the source code indicate that the Pixel 4 and other compatible Pixel devices will support saving depth data as a Dynamic Depth Format (DDF) file which should allow for re-focusing and other depth modifications in any app that supports the format.
Further improvements could include an updated version of the Photobooth feature which was introduced with the Pixel 3 and automatically takes photos when it detects smiles or funny faces in the frame, integration of an augmented reality measurement app into the Camera app, and a ‘rewind’ feature, the exact function of which is as yet unknown.
Google Pixel have traditionally been at the forefront of mobile imaging and it looks like the Pixel 4 will be no different. We’ll know more in October when the new device is expected to launch.
Image credits: Screenshots used with permission from XDA Developers
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)