Ryan Haines / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google is updating the Jetpack CameraX library to help capturing Extremely HDR photographs.
- Extremely HDR is a brand new picture format launched in Android 14 that permits saving the SDR and HDR model of a picture in the identical file.
- Presently solely digital camera apps that use the Android Camera2 API can seize Extremely HDR photographs.
One of the vital thrilling current developments in smartphone images is true HDR help. The digital camera HDR processing that you just’re most likely already accustomed to mainly makes use of computational images and picture stacking to attain an HDR-like impact, however the ensuing picture remains to be SDR. Beginning with Android 14, although, a number of Android telephones are actually able to capturing true HDR pictures utilizing a format known as Extremely HDR. Nonetheless, many third-party apps with built-in digital camera performance can’t seize pictures in Extremely HDR, however that’s set to vary quickly.
Extremely HDR, in case you aren’t acquainted, is a Google-made picture format that’s based mostly on the favored JPEG format. As a result of it’s based mostly on JPEG, Extremely HDR photographs will be seen on nearly any machine, no matter whether or not or not they’ve an HDR show. What makes Extremely HDR photographs particular, although, is that after they’re seen on a tool with an HDR show, the HDR model of the picture is proven, providing extra vibrant and contrasty colours.
That is attainable as a result of Extremely HDR photographs are JPEG recordsdata which have an HDR acquire map embedded of their metadata, which apps can apply over the bottom SDR model of the picture that’s additionally contained inside the file. Since this HDR acquire map needs to be created and saved to the JPEG file’s metadata when the picture is first created, current digital camera apps have to be up to date to help this step. Google created an API in Android 14 for digital camera apps to just do that, however this API is a part of Camera2, not CameraX, limiting its adoption.
Camera2 is the API that’s bundled with the Android OS framework and is meant for use by apps that wish to deploy superior digital camera performance. Assume full-fledged third-party digital camera apps with pro-level controls over a number of lenses. However, CameraX is an API that’s bundled with the Jetpack help library and is extra aimed toward apps that solely want entry to the digital camera for adjoining performance. Assume social media apps that allow you to shortly snap an image to share with your pals. It’s as much as builders to decide on which digital camera API they use, however as a result of new digital camera options are developed for Camera2 first, builders who depend on CameraX have to attend for Google to convey that performance over. Some Camera2 options by no means make it over to CameraX because of the simplified scope of the latter, however fortuitously, Extremely HDR seize help shouldn’t be a type of options.
Google introduced earlier this 12 months at its I/O 2024 developer convention that they’d replace their CameraX library to help Extremely HDR picture seize. Peeking on the launch notes for the CameraX library, we are able to see that preliminary help for Extremely HDR seize was added to CameraX with model 1.4.0-alpha05 launched in April. Model 1.4.0 of CameraX will introduce new output format APIs to the ImageCapture and ImageCaptureCapabilities lessons.
Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority
These APIs embody a getSupportedOutputFormats methodology in ImageCaptureCapabilities to question whether or not the machine is able to capturing Extremely HDR photographs; this must be attainable on any machine operating Android 14 or above for the reason that encoder library is bundled with that model of the working system, however I’m not 100% positive. If the output format is about to OUTPUT_FORMAT_JPEG_ULTRA_HDR on a tool that helps Extremely HDR picture seize, then the CameraX library will seize Extremely HDR photographs within the “JPEG/R” picture format. (The “R” in “JPEG/R” stands for “Restoration map,” which refers back to the HDR gainmap that will get embedded within the JPEG file.)
As famous within the API description, these photographs will seamlessly seem as common JPEG recordsdata on older apps or gadgets with SDR shows, whereas they’ll seem as HDR on apps and gadgets which were absolutely up to date to help the format. Not many apps help Extremely HDR at this second, with at present solely Google Chrome absolutely supporting it throughout Android and desktop. Gadgets that may correctly show Extremely HDR photographs of their full glory embody Samsung’s Galaxy S24 sequence, Google’s Pixel 7 and Pixel 8 sequence, OnePlus’ 12 and Open, and a few others. Some newer Home windows PCs with HDR shows, corresponding to my Lenovo Yoga Slim 7X, may also show Extremely HDR photographs.
The advantages of Extremely HDR photographs are onerous to clarify by way of textual content, so when you’ve got a tool that’s able to viewing them, I like to recommend seeing a couple of for your self. Right here’s a gallery of Extremely HDR pictures I took of Qualcomm’s San Diego campus utilizing my OnePlus Open. Due to Extremely HDR, these photographs don’t undergo from the standard “overprocessed” look that present digital camera HDR processing suffers from. The inventory digital camera app on my OnePlus Open captured these Extremely HDR photographs, although it solely just lately gained this functionality after an OTA replace. Third-party apps that use the Jetpack CameraX library ought to hopefully begin saving photographs within the Extremely HDR format quickly as soon as model 1.4.0 of the library is launched.