Cameras on mobile devices are pretty good these days for the casual photographer. For the more hardcore among us, however, there’s still a long way to go. While a lot of that is up to hardware, Google is pushing some software updates to make cameras on Android devices much better.
CNET reports that Google is now working to add two high-end photography features into its Android operating system. The two features – burst mode and raw image support – will help make Android devices even more desirable to those who take their photography seriously.
The first new feature – burst mode – will allow the cameras on Android devices to take multiple photos in a short period of time. These photos will then be combined into a single photo to provide a better picture, complete with Google’s new HDR+ technology in the Nexus 5.
The second new feature – raw image support – will allow Android handsets to produce raw images instead of the compressed JPG format that Android handsets now take photos in. This will allow photography purists and professionals to transfer the raw image data from their Android device to the photo editing software of their choice for further development.
Both of these new features are already in Android’s framework, but they’re not available to developers just yet. Google will release an API soon, however, that will let developers access the camera’s ability to process burst photography and raw image data.
If you want to see these new features now, they’re currently available on the Nexus 5. Once the API becomes available, you should start to see the new features pop in other handsets though.
[Image: Google]