Until now.

With the Galaxy S24, Samsung continues leading camera innovation to make these limitations a thing of the past for Galaxy users. Thanks to Galaxy’s ProVisual Engine — a suite of AI-powered tools — photographers can maximize their creative freedom every step of the way, from shot to setup to backend editing. Fueled by enhanced NPU performance and bolstered by an extensive library of more than 400 million image datasets, the Galaxy S24 ensures you can snap the best shot every time, no matter your experience level.

Never Miss a Moment, Regardless of Capture Mode

With Galaxy S24, gone is the need to tinker with camera modes or look for the best settings to capture a great shot:

• First up, the Quad Tele System ensures you get optical quality zoom at 2x, 3x, 5x, 10x and every step in between. This feature allows you to effortlessly capture every detail of a performance, wedding or even graduation ceremony, no matter how far away you’re sitting.

• Nighttime is often a memory-making time with friends and family, especially in the warmer months, but dim lighting conditions can make capturing these moments a challenge. Galaxy S24 Ultra’s powerful Nightography capabilities mitigate this very struggle even from a distance. Compared to the previous model, its sensor has nearly doubled in size from 12.52 square millimeters to approximately 24.47 square millimeters, helping Galaxy S24 Ultra capture details with even more precision. It also has bigger pixels — nearly 60% larger and measuring 1.4μm on each side of the pixel at 5x zoom.¹ Combined with enhanced AI ISP, this means the Galaxy S24 Ultra can capture more light and create brighter, less noisy images. What’s more, the photo shutter speed is 30% faster and the telephoto camera’s optical image stabilization angle is wider. That means you’ll capture clearer images more quickly, even if your hands are a little shaky.

• Or maybe you’ve already captured your shot, but it’s not quite right. This is where Generative Edit takes the stage, harnessing generative AI to adjust objects and generate a perfectly blended background in their place. You can perfect the moment you captured, creating the ideal memory to look back on. Generative AI enables edits such as straightening and resizing, then harnesses in-painting and out-painting techniques to fill any gaps in the image. AI then determines the suitability of the results and handles any necessary post-processing.

Capture Expert-Level Results With Precision Tools

For amateur and expert photographers alike, Expert RAW enables the creation of professional-quality images. Using AI, Galaxy S24 features 24MP fusion, which combines images to get the most out of different resolutions. High resolution 50MP images provide more detail, while 12MP images provide multi-frame synthesis, which improves noise and dynamic range. Put together, they create the most incredible photo in any scenario. Add in HDR, which offers a more balanced range of brightness, color and contrast, and these tools let you edit like a pro to capture your best image yet.

Pro-Grade Editing for Amateurs and Experts Alike

Finally, for those wanting to take their photography chops to the next level, Enhance-X, Galaxy’s companion editing app, gives you even more creative control.

The latest version of Enhance-X arms you with a new feature: Camera Shift. Moments are fleeting and sometimes you only have a second to take your shot, which can leave the final result less compelling than you intended. Shooting from above can have the effect of making a subject seem smaller, while shooting from below can make it seem bigger or more powerful, and a straight-on angle makes a subject seem more relatable. Camera Shift lets you shift your photo’s perspective after you take your shot. Now you can focus on capturing the moment without worrying about having the perfect angle or camera position. Once you’ve taken your photo, Camera Shift lets you achieve the effect you want by using AI to adjust the angle and perspective.

¹ Size comparison of the Galaxy S23 Ultra 10x and Galaxy S24 Ultra 5x’s sensor and pixel capabilities. Dimensions are measured to the nearest integer.

With the Galaxy S23 Ultra and Galaxy Book3 Ultra and Pro series, the Galaxy connected experience is better than ever. From easily switching between devices to capturing and editing photos, users can organize, connect and create professional level creations.

Samsung Multi Control: A Seamless Experience Across Devices

The Galaxy connected experience is perfect for creators who use multiple devices at a time while working. Users can create, organize and edit content while switching quickly and easily between devices.

The Galaxy Book3 series supports Samsung Multi Control,¹ allowing users to control their Galaxy smartphone and tablet using their Galaxy Book3 series’ keyboard and trackpad.

▲ Control multiple devices, such as the Galaxy S23 Ultra and the Galaxy Book3 Ultra, with ease thanks to the Samsung Multi Control feature. With Samsung Multi Control, users can copy text from their Galaxy S23 Ultra and easily paste it on their Galaxy Book3 Ultra.

With Samsung Multi Control, users can copy and paste notes from their Galaxy S23 Ultra to their Galaxy Book3 Ultra. Users can also save time when transferring photos or files by simply dragging and dropping them from one device to the other.

▲ With Samsung Multi Control, users can control their Galaxy S23 Ultra with their Galaxy Book3 Ultra’s keyboard and trackpad.

PC Smartphone: Enjoy Quick File Sharing and Easy Connection

The Galaxy connected experience allows users to continue their work without interruption by reducing time spent on tasks such as transferring files and opening websites recently visited on a different device.

Quick Share² allows users to easily share files among Galaxy devices. Users can wirelessly transfer photos, videos and other documents with just one click. Transferring a large photo from the Galaxy S23 Ultra to the Galaxy Book3 happens in seconds, helping users spend less time waiting on file transfers and more time working and editing.

▲ In seconds, Quick Share transfers large files from the Galaxy S23 Ultra to the Galaxy Book3 Ultra.

Microsoft Phone Link³ also lets users seamlessly enjoy up to five Android apps on their Galaxy Book3 series, transferring documents that had been previously worked on from your Galaxy smartphone to your computer for easy and convenient editing. 

▲ Check smartphone notifications in real-time on the Galaxy Book3 Ultra. Using the Microsoft Phone Link app, users can make and answer voice calls on their PC, send and receive messages and use Android applications on their Galaxy Book3 series.

As smartphones have become a primary device for watching, reading and searching for content, seamless browsing across devices has become a priority for users. The Recent Websites⁴ feature of the Microsoft Phone Link app enables continuous browsing by allowing users to pick up where they left off on a webpage.

▲ Using the Recent Websites feature on the Microsoft Phone Link app allows users to open previously visited browser windows from their Galaxy S23 Ultra and resume browsing on their Galaxy Book3 Ultra with just a click.

When moving from a smartphone to a larger PC screen, Recent Websites helps users resume their session without needing to open a new tab or look through their search history. With the convenience and connection of the Galaxy ecosystem, users can flexibly search and view content on the screen of their choice.

Capture and Edit Instantly With Expert RAW Auto Share

The Expert RAW app empowers users to shoot high-quality, studio-grade photos right from their phone and save RAW files for editing.

Once the Galaxy smartphone and PC are connected, photos taken with Expert RAW sync directly to the Galaxy Book3 series, allowing users to start editing right away.

▲ Share photos by turning on the Auto Share feature on the Expert RAW app on your Galaxy S23 Ultra. Once Auto Share is turned on, the RAW file taken with the smartphone is synced directly to the Galaxy Book3 series.

The Galaxy Book3 Pro 360 is built for content creation with enhanced features for all types of creative projects. The S Pen and high resolution touchscreen enable precise editing of even the smallest details. In addition, users can comfortably use the 360-degree rotating screen to edit in any position or angle. The Galaxy Book3 Pro 360 combines the functionality of a PC and a tablet in one powerful device.

▲ Transfer photos taken with the Expert RAW app from the Galaxy S23 Ultra to the Galaxy Book3 Pro 360 for seamless editing and photo enhancing.

Touch-free Connectivity for Your Galaxy Devices

Once you’ve taken and edited your photos, it’s time to share them with friends and family. The Instant Hotspot⁵ feature connects the Galaxy Book3 series to the local Wi-Fi network without the need for toggling settings on your smartphone. With just a single click on the Galaxy Book3 series, hotspot settings on the Galaxy smartphone automatically turn on and connect users to Wi-Fi.

When the user’s phone is within range, it will appear in the Wi-Fi network list on your Galaxy Book3 series. As there’s no need to remember and type passwords or search for hotspot settings on your phone, Galaxy users are able connect to hotspots easily and quickly.

▲ Connecting your Galaxy Book and Galaxy smartphone with Instant Hotspot takes only a few simple steps:
① The Galaxy Book and Galaxy smartphone can connect to each other through the Connect to Phone app.
② Turn on the Instant Hotspot setting on the Galaxy Book.
③ The hotspot of the connected Galaxy smartphone appears in the Wi-Fi list.
④ Connect to your Galaxy smartphone’s hotspot.
⑤ The hotspot of the connected smartphone is automatically turned on and connected.
⑥ Enjoy your remote hotspot connection with Instant Hotspot.

The Microsoft Phone Link app provides an even deeper connected experience between devices. Users can view and use smartphone apps and services on their Galaxy Book3 series by simply linking a Galaxy smartphone to their PC. It also allows users to send and receive voice calls and messages, and open apps on their PC — even on apps typically designed only for smartphones.

Forgotten passwords are a thing of the past with Samsung Pass. Users can quickly and easily sign-in to websites with Samsung Pass which automatically syncs to Samsung Cloud from Galaxy smartphones.

▲ Product images of the Galaxy Book 3 series and the Galaxy S23 Ultra, which provide powerful performance and a seamless device-to-device connection experience.

The Galaxy S23 series and the Galaxy Book3 series are equipped with the most powerful features yet, and the Galaxy connected experience enhances these features even further. Expand your creativity and maximize your productivity with the Galaxy ecosystem.

▲ Slideshow after taking photos with the Galaxy S23 Ultra and editing them on the Galaxy Book3 Series

¹ Samsung Multi Control requires updated phones with One UI 5.1, tablets with One UI 4.1 or higher versions and works on Galaxy Book series devices released in 2021 or later with either Samsung Settings v1.5 (Intel) or Samsung Settings v3.3 (ARM). Some models may have limited feature support.

² Quick Share between Galaxy devices available with the following OS: smartphones and tablets with Android OS version 10.0 (Q) and One UI 2.1 or above, PC’s running Windows 10 or later. Requires Samsung account and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connection. Quick Share to iOS and Android devices available by sending shared link: individual files shared cannot exceed 3GB (for a total of 5GB per day) and link will expire after two days; requires a Samsung account and Internet connection. 

³  Users must link their Samsung Galaxy devices to their Windows PC through Link to Windows on phone and the Microsoft Phone Link App on PC and follow the set-up prompts, including being signed into the same Microsoft account. Link to Windows is preloaded on select Samsung Galaxy devices. PC (Microsoft Phone Link App) requires Windows 10 or above. Microsoft Phone Link recommends Samsung Galaxy devices to be on the same Wi-Fi network as the PC. Some mobile apps may restrict content to be shared on other screens. Some related features may vary by devices.

⁴ Recent Websites is only available when using Samsung Internet app on Samsung Galaxy smartphone with One UI 3.1.1 or above (Samsung Galaxy S, Note, Z Fold, Z Flip) and Windows PC with Windows 10 20H1 or above. Requires latest app updates to Phone Link / Link to Windows / Samsung Internet.

⁵ Instant Hotspot is only available on Samsung Galaxy smartphone with One UI 4.1.1 and Bluetooth capable Windows PC with Windows 11 22H2 or above. Requires latest app updates to Link to Windows / Phone Link.

Ultra-Wide Angles and Telephoto Lenses, All Included With Galaxy S23 Ultra

From daily vlogs to short movies, videos filmed using a smartphone can be easily found on video platforms, displaying the widespread and increased use of smartphone cameras in daily life.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra offers a wide range of shooting options, including wide angle, ultra-wide angle and even telephotography, using three types of main rear lenses and the 3x optical zoom Telephoto Camera. Each of the rear lenses shoot and create unique images that capture different vibes in various conditions and settings. With a total weight of 233 grams and a 6.8-inch display, the Galaxy S23 Ultra offers the crispness and diverse features of a digital camera brilliantly on a single, lightweight smartphone.

▲ Equipped with three main rear cameras and a Telephoto Camera, the Galaxy S23 Ultra offers the ultimate shooting experience for all situations and conditions.

When venturing out into the streets of San Francisco, a notable feature of the city is Lombard Street, showcasing the city’s uphill and downhill streets. Thanks to the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s powerful 200 MP camera, amateur or experienced photographers can perfectly capture the unique vibes of the downtown area. While miles away, Coit Tower, which stands at the top of Telegraph Hill south of Russian Hill, seems just a short distance away on the Galaxy S23 Ultra. From just beyond the intersection of California Street sits the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. The Galaxy S23 Ultra captured the different moods of this scene vibrantly using different angles of view and lenses, all with just a touch of a button.

▲ Photos captures using the Ultra-Wide Camera (left), Wide Camera (center) and Telephoto Camera (right)

Equipped with Dual Pixel technology, the Ultra-Wide Camera and the Telephoto Camera secured high-resolution images in 12MP and 10MP, respectively, with natural focusing to capture backgrounds smoothly and clearly. With Super Quad Pixel technology, shoot images with pin-sharp resolution easily thanks to enhanced autofocus functionality. Additionally, the 200MP Wide Camera provides stunning image quality on a soft background with an F1.7 aperture module.

▲ Utilizing the Galaxy S23 Ultra Telephoto Camera with 10x zoom to capture distant subjects clearly

Capturing the Craters of the Moon: Ultra-High-Resolution 200MP Camera Offers the Highest Resolution on a Smartphone

The Galaxy S23 Ultra comes with an improved Adaptive Pixel sensor. Depending on the characteristics and brightness of the landscape you want to capture, the resolution automatically changes to 200MP, 50MP or 12MP. On a sunny day, easily experience the clarity and vibrance of 200MP ultra-high resolution.

▲ Capture distant subjects without losing quality or clarity thanks to the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s 200MP Wide Camera.

The brilliance of 200MP can be experienced no better than when zooming in on a photo or video. In many cases when you zoom in on an original photo or video to crop it, you will end up with broken image pixels.

Thanks to the high-resolution pixels of the Galaxy S23 Ultra, the details are crisp and clear even when users crop the image. Experience the benefits of this high-resolution feature by cropping a photo of a person or subject against a wide natural backdrop or taking close-up photos where the camera must be held very close to the subject.

▲Painted ladies houses captured on using the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s 200MP camera (left) and the same photo zoomed in and cropped (right)

In addition to higher resolution, the pixel size has increased, offering more lifelike and realistic image quality. When filming videos in 8K at 30FPS with the Galaxy S23 series, including the Galaxy S23 Ultra, larger pixels and a wider angle of view allows you to experience a sense of depth and realism as if the action is unfolding right before your eyes.

▲ Shoot smooth and stunning high-resolution videos in 8K at 30fps easily on the Galaxy S23 Ultra.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra also shoots clear and stable shots without motion shakes or blur thanks to an improved, wider OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) and VDIS (Video Digital Image Stabilization). The optical image stabilization (OIS) correction angle has increased twofold, giving users the ability to take photos with greater stability and less camera shake with the new model. Not only does the OIS feature reduce vibration in photos, but it also stabilizes videos automatically when shooting 8K, 4K, FHD and HD videos. OIS also reduces vibration caused by the user’s footsteps while shooting nighttime videos, providing stable and clear images without motion blur.

This feature comes in handy, especially when using the Space Zoom feature, which enables up to 100x zoom. The Galaxy S23 Ultra captured the craters of the moon in detail thanks to the OIS feature and Space Zoom, minimizing even the slightest movements that could ruin the picture.

▲ Photos captured of the Moon using the Space Zoom feature at 1x zoom (left), 10x zoom (center) and 100x zoom (right)

Upgrade Your Selfie Game With Smarter AI and Warm Tones

In addition to the main rear cameras, the front-facing camera has also been improved, helping take your selfie game to the next level. Add a touch of liveliness to high-resolution photos with the 12MP Dual Pixel- and AI-enhanced front-facing camera.

What better place to take a selfie in San Francisco than the Golden Gate Bridge? Although it was a bit cloudy, the Galaxy S23 Ultra was able to express rich colors with the help of Super High Dynamic Range (Super HDR), which is supported even for selfie images and videos.

▲ An upgraded front-facing camera provides high-resolution image quality for epic selfies.

▲ Capture both the beauty of the scenery and your best side with the revamped front-facing camera (top). Results of selfie captured with the Galaxy S23 Ultra (bottom)

▲ The Galaxy S23 Ultra’s front-facing camera captures not only photos in great detail but videos as well.

On the Galaxy S23 Ultra, the color tone setting adds a warm tone to the front-facing camera, an update from previous models which used a natural tone, to add a warm hue to any selfie. Users can choose different options when taking a selfie depending on the mood of the photo and their skin tone for a truly personalized and optimized selfie-taking experience.

▲ With the warm tone (right), compared to ones taken in natural colors (left).

Create Masterful Photos and Videos Unaffected by Darkness With Nightography

The Galaxy S23 Ultra’s Nightography has revamped the camera experience. All Galaxy S23 series models are capable of reducing noise of photos and videos even in dark environments thanks to image signal processing (ISP) that uses AI solutions. AI ISP creates photos or videos by adjusting the saved data on an image sensor and improves the detailed color tone and picture quality by overcoming the physical limitations of the camera.

The Palace of Fine Arts was quite dark because there was no light other than the building illumination.

▲ Photo taken of the Palace of Fine Arts using Galaxy S23 Ultra (right) versus a photo taken on another smartphone (left)

Despite this, the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s Nightography perfectly captured the details of the illumination and the lines of the building reflected in the lake. The difference became much clearer when this photo was compared with another photo taken with a different smartphone.

▲ Taking beautiful selfies in the dark has never been easier thanks to Nightography (top). Selfies captured in the dark using Night Mode (right) provide enhanced details and brightness for stunning photos in dark or poorly lit places.

Not only does Nightography perform strongly when capturing photos on the rear camera, it shines brightly when shooting selfies in the dark as well. A selfie taken in a place with no streetlight came out crisp and bright, capturing even the fine details of the hair.

After moving to another location, we experimented with Nightography in the square in front of the Ferry Building. While there was more light, it was now well into the night. This was no challenge for Nightography, allowing for an epic selfie to be taken in the heart of the city with the lights from the streetlights and the surrounding buildings in the background.

▲ The various lenses of the Galaxy S23 Ultra allow for different vibes and angles to be captured.

Stronger Pro-Level Camera Experience With Expert RAW

The Galaxy S23 Ultra’s Expert RAW app for experts and creators has also been further improved. As it is possible to take photos in up to 50MP with Expert RAW, the Galaxy S23 Ultra can capture and store images like no other smartphone.

▲ Downloading and using the Expert RAW app is both easy and seamless on your Galaxy S23 Ultra.

An original (“raw”) file that is taken using the Expert RAW app contains rich color data. The app directly adjusts the ISO, shutter speed, focus and more to create the desired feeling and effect while expanding adjustment capabilities during post-capture editing. It enables the dimming of overexposed parts while reviving the details of underexposed parts for truly perfect pictures.

However, as a raw file contains a large amount of color data, each photo is large in size. The same is true for high-resolution photo and video files shot using the basic camera. For avid photographers, the Galaxy S23 Ultra has a large storage capacity of at least 512GB and offers “optimal performance,” hence the name Ultra. With optimal usability, users can save large, high-resolution files without the fear of running out of space or lowered quality.

▲ Taking professional-level photographs is a breeze with the Expert RAW app.

▲ Capture dynamic and diverse scenes, such as the Bay Bridge at night, with the Expert RAW app.

▲ Final version of the photo of the Bay Bridge captured with the Expert RAW app.

The Expert RAW app has unique features that can increase photo expertise. The app, which captures high-quality 16-bit Computational Raw File images, gives users the ability to shoot up to ten photos consecutively for excellent photos taken in sequence.¹ Additionally, there is Multiple exposures, which combines multiple images taken separately into a single photo, and Astrophoto settings, which enables users to take photos of the stars and the Milky Way in the night sky.

With Astrophoto settings, the Galaxy S23 Ultra captures the movement of stars by taking multiple photos for a set period of time according to the movement of celestial bodies. Thanks to cutting-edge AI segmentation technology and multi-frame process editing, shooting and editing astrophotography without the use of professional equipment is now easier than ever. Users can also capture stunning time-lapse videos of the night sky with Hyperlapse, allowing you to enjoy the breathtaking beauty of the night sky in greater detail.

▲ Multiple exposures using the Expert RAW app allows for multiple captured images to be combined into a single image.

▲ With Astrophoto settings, capture breathtaking shots of the night sky and enjoy stars and celestial bodies in all their beauty right on your Galaxy S23 Ultra.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra is being recognized for opening a new premium era of smartphones. The latest camera technology and expert-level features, which were only possible with professional equipment, are now available for both novice and professional photographers, all on the convenience on your Galaxy smartphone. Stay tuned for more industry-leading camera innovation, led by none other than Galaxy.

¹ The actual product may differ depending on the customer’s usage environment.

Enhanced Samsung Multi Control now lets you control your connected Galaxy smartphones or tablets using the Galaxy Book’s keyboard and trackpad. Users can drag and drop images or copy and paste text seamlessly between devices, making transferring information and files easier. Expert RAW images taken on the Galaxy S23 Ultra, including stunning night sky shots captured in Astrophoto, can sync to your Galaxy Book3 series automatically via Wi-Fi Direct – giving you the power to begin studio-quality editing seamlessly with professional apps. For users who are on the go but need the functionality of a PC, Instant Hotspot can link the Galaxy Book3 series to the Galaxy smartphone hotspot with just a click. For extra convenience, Recent Websites lets your PC browser open sites you previously viewed on Galaxy smartphone.

Explore the infographic below to learn more about the next-level connected experiences powered by the Galaxy Book3 and Galaxy S23 series.

Capture the Galaxy With Astrophoto in Expert RAW

The Expert RAW elevates the S22’s already robust night photography capabilities with a powerful Astrophoto feature. This brand-new feature lets star gazers and outdoor enthusiasts take clear and beautiful photos of constellations and dark sky activity.

Simply turn on the Sky guide to pinpoint the location of constellations, groups of stars, nebula and other celestial objects in our solar system. Your camera will use advanced AI segmentation technology and multi-frame processing based on the movements of a celestial body to snap photos over a set time period. As a result, you’ll capture stunning shots of stars that look like they were taken with top-grade professional equipment.

If you love to explore your artistic side, you can take advantage of the Multiple exposures feature to shoot several images at once and then use Overlay modes to combine them into one standout shot. You can also unleash your creativity and experiment by superimposing several images on top of each other to create incredible abstract shots.

To access the beta version of Astrophoto and Multiple exposures, go to the Special Photo options in the Settings menu of Expert RAW.

Camera Assistant App Lets You Take Photos on Your Own Terms

Every avid photographer has their own shooting style, so it’s vital to have a camera that gives you the creative reins. With the new Camera Assistant app, you can pick and choose which automated features you want to use for a fully customized shooting experience.

You can download the app from either Galaxy Store or the Good Lock app. Once the app is installed, you can launch the feature by clicking the app icon, navigating to the Good Lock app or accessing the Camera Assistant menu under Camera Settings in your native camera app.

The Camera Assistant app gives you the option to turn certain features on or off, including Auto lens switching, Auto HDR and Faster shutter. You also have more options when, for example, selecting the number of pictures you want to take after the timer goes off.

The Camera Assistant app allows you to enjoy the following key features:²

• Auto HDR: If you want to get atmospheric pictures without HDR effect, you can now simply turn it off.

• Soften pictures: You can turn on this feature to smooth out the sharp edges and textures of your photos.

• Auto lens switching: Now you can turn off the Auto lens switching feature, which automatically switches camera lenses in dark environments or as you move closer to the object you are shooting. For instance, if you want to keep using the telephoto lens instead of the wide lens to take a picture of the object closer to you, you can simply turn it off in the menu.
• Video recording in Photo mode: You can now turn off this feature, which allows you to take a video clip by long-pressing the button in Photo mode, preventing you from accidentally recording a video.
• Number of pictures after timer: You could already automatically snap several photos in quick succession after the timer count. Now, you can also choose how many photos are taken (1, 3, 5 or 7 photos).
• Faster shutter: This mode allows you to take up to seven pictures in a second. This is very useful when taking pictures of moving objects.

• Camera timeout: You can select how long the Camera app (preview screen) is turned on continuously for 1, 2, 5 or 10 minutes.
• Clean preview on HDMI displays: Show the camera preview without any menus and buttons on HDMI-connected displays.

¹ Upgraded Expert RAW and Camera Assistant apps are currently available on the Galaxy S22 series running One UI 5 or later versions. Timing of availability may vary by market, model and network provider.

² Some features will be available on selected modes or lenses.

Like so many great inventions, Expert RAW was a group effort — driven by Samsung’s experts and Galaxy users’ valuable feedback. To learn more about the Expert RAW experience, Samsung Newsroom spoke with the experts at Samsung Research² who collaborated on the app.

Read on to see what Hamid Sheikh, Head of the Intelligent Imaging Team at Samsung Research America’s (SRA) Mobile Processor Innovation (MPI) Lab, and Girish Kulkarni, Head of the Camera Solutions Group at the Samsung R&D Institute India-Bangalore (SRI-B), had to say about this innovative camera collaboration.

Q: What does the Expert RAW app do? What are the main benefits for users?

Hamid: Expert RAW really gives users the ability to take full control of their mobile photography experience much like a professional photographer would. The app captures much more comprehensive data for each image, which can be used to both improve photos and artistically enhance them with editing software like Adobe Lightroom — the go-to app for professional photographers.

To improve the overall camera experience, we worked closely with Adobe to tightly couple Expert RAW with Lightroom. The result is that photographers have full control over their creative experience. Novice photographers can also utilize automatic set points for camera controls, and then use the Samsung-specific default values in Lightroom. In both cases, the tight integration of the two apps makes for an enjoyable experience.

Girish: Expert RAW is an epic leap forward for photography. It essentially places a professional studio in your pocket. Whether you are a pro photographer or you’re just a user who wants to capture amazing content, anyone can take full advantage of the Galaxy S22’s pro-grade camera with Expert RAW. It captures high-quality, high dynamic range pictures in the multi-frame RAW format that enables precise post-capture editing and professional results.

With Expert RAW, people can capture much more information in a single picture — from dark details to bright highlights. It also drastically reduces noise and increases sharpness and detail. If you’re looking for the ultimate creative controls, you can choose your own settings for aspects like ISO, shutter speed, white balance, EV and focus, and even choose which lenses you want to use for the subject and the scene. Finally, because both JPEG and DNG files are saved when shooting, you can hop right into the Adobe Lightroom app on your smartphone or PC and edit with ease.

Q: What was the original inspiration for Expert RAW?

Hamid: Samsung camera technologies have always relied on sophisticated computational photography algorithms to produce the best picture quality. However, the standard camera app makes many decisions about how the image will be rendered in terms of color, tone, detail and noise. The user has very limited say in these decisions.

Our inspiration came from the confluence of user experience limitations and the leaps in computational and AI capabilities of today’s mobile processors. We asked ourselves, “How can we make the photography experience more inspiring for users?” So really, our inspiration came from the expert and enthusiast photography community, which yearned for an easier mobile photography experience, without sacrificing the creative control that DSLR and post-capture editing allows. Expert RAW was born out of a desire to transform that inspiration into reality.

Girish: As we heard the input of professional photographers who were mostly utilizing DSLR cameras, they wanted to achieve a pro-grade experience with smartphones. Our consumer research also showed that after using their smartphone’s auto camera for a long time, typical users were very passionate about exploring Samsung’s pro-grade camera capabilities in-depth to become better photographers.

The more we talked to professional and amateur photographers, the more we understood their needs in terms of RAW image capturing, camera controls, the post-editing experience, creative capabilities and more. That’s when we set out to create a new pro-grade experience based around RAW capturing so that every level of photographer could merge our camera controls and their creativity to enjoy professional-looking photos.

Q: What makes Expert RAW such an important release for mobile photography in general?

Hamid: The camera experience is one of the most important experiences that a user has with his or her smartphone. Samsung has been at the cutting edge of camera quality, and the gap between consumers and professional/enthusiast photographers has always been a tempting one to bridge.

I think with the release of Expert RAW, users will find that their photography experience will take a quantum leap in terms of creative control and artistic expression. I expect more and more people will find this new experience rewarding because it lets them personalize their camera based on their tastes — exactly how they want them — and not based on what some other engineers chose for them.

Girish: As an app, this platform has simplified the RAW capturing process with precise camera and lens controls and post-editing with Adobe Lightroom. It’s for every user who is willing to go beyond — to unleash the true power of an Expert RAW camera, and explore their creative side.

Q: What role did the MPI Lab play in Expert RAW’s development?

Hamid: Any time we are creating a brand-new user experience, we have to consider and overcome many tough engineering challenges. The MPI Lab developed the main idea behind Expert RAW and its technologies, and we knew it was challenge worth pursuing.

We developed a brand-new computational photography pipeline that can produce both DNG as well as processed JPEG files. Developing a complex computational photography pipeline from scratch was not easy. We no longer had the benefit of an older, mature technology base to build upon. But our team successfully developed this new, AI-based 3DISP technology to produce raw data that looks very natural when users load it in editing apps like Adobe Lightroom.

Q: What role did SRI-B play in Expert RAW’s development? What were the team’s main areas of focus?

Girish: Expert RAW was a complex R&D project, and SRI-B’s role was to think in terms of end-to-end for the best consumer experience. This required multi-domain expertise and deep collaboration among multiple teams.

SRI-B is equipped with strong multi-domain expertise teams, so we formed a task force of talented experts. They all worked together as a single team within SRI-B and also worked with a larger team of experts based in Korea and at the MPI Lab.

The multi-domain expertise and close collaboration with all key stakeholders helped SRI-B continuously focus on improving Expert RAW’s product experience, end-to-end pipeline, etc.

Q: Could you offer more details on your collaboration with one another?

Hamid: The MPI Lab has been working with SRI-B throughout our entire history at Samsung. SRI-B contributed its amazing skillset and resources towards the development of the software technologies, as well as key AI blocks for the Expert RAW pipeline. They also owned the UI piece of the Expert RAW application and provided many innovation points on the Expert RAW experience. It’s always fun working with them.

Girish: The MPI Lab has world-class expertise in computational imaging domain, and has a proven record of developing successful IPs for Samsung flagship products. That expertise was one of the key requirements for Expert RAW’s development. The MPI Lab came up with the multi-frame pipeline building blocks implementation, which helped SRI-B integrate and enhance the same for the end-to-end architecture and pipeline.

One of the major expectations for Expert RAW was that it would enable the best image quality in different lighting conditions, which requires the tuning of the multi-frame processing pipeline. MPI’s strong expertise in this area helped us continuously improve image quality before the commercial launch. In summary, MPI’s expertise in computational imaging and SRI-B’s breadth of knowledge in multiple subdomains helped SRI-B prepare Expert RAW’s end-to-end experience for commercial launch.

SRI-B and the MPI Lab used their 12-hour time zone difference effectively to plan and collaborate on Expert RAW. SRI-B’s day was MPI’s night, and vice versa. It helped to have 24/7 development to finish this complex feature in record time. We are proud of Samsung’s culture that enables respectful collaboration among different overseas R&D centers and we always enjoy working with MPI Lab.

Q: How do the MPI Lab and SRI-B plan to build on this collaboration to develop even more innovative camera technologies?

Hamid: Our journey with the new RAW camera experience is just beginning. I am excited to think about what new improvements and enhancements we can make. One of the best parts of the Expert RAW experience is that the photographer is front and center. We’ll preserve that as we actively look into the experiences of different users and continuously implement improvements to make Expert RAW even better than before.

Girish: The MPI Lab and SRI-B have been working together for the last few years developing the world’s best night mode for Samsung flagship smartphones. This collaboration helped lead us to the success story that is Expert RAW on the Galaxy S22. We’re excited to continue that momentum for the next innovative products to come.

In the future, we would like to continuously enhance Expert RAW with a focus on creating a new ecosystem for pro photography that fully utilizes pro-grade camera capabilities.

Collaborating for Creativity 

Features like Expert RAW underline Samsung’s commitment to developing tools that empower users to unleash their creativity.

Going forward, the company will continue to strengthen collaborations that leverage the knowledge and capabilities of its world-class network of R&D centers. Doing so will help unlock technologies that change the way we live, work and create.

¹ Expert RAW must be downloaded separately from the Galaxy Store, for free, before use. Expert RAW app availability is currently limited to the Galaxy S21 Ultra and S22 series. Samsung Members notified Expert RAW will become available on Galaxy Z Fold3 in April 2022 and Galaxy S20 Ultra, Galaxy Note20 Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold2 later this year.

² Samsung Electronics’ advanced R&D hub, which leads the development of future technologies for its Device eXperience division