Ultimate Guide to Galaxy S21 Camera Settings

The Galaxy S21 camera settings allow you to fine-tune the camera so that you can take the photos you want with the Galaxy S21.

This Galaxy S21 camera guide explains everything you need to know about Galaxy S21 camera settings, the meaning and use of Galaxy S21 camera settings and how to reset camera settings Galaxy S21.

Although the Galaxy S21 Ultra has significantly more powerful camera sensors than the Galaxy S21 and S21+, the camera app is nearly identical across all three of these Galaxy S21 phones. So, this guide applies to all 3 Galaxy S21 models.

Content

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1.

How to access Galaxy S21 Camera Settings?

2.

Understanding the Galaxy S21 Camera Settings

2.1.

1. Scene Optimizer

2.2.

2. Suggested shots

2.3.

3. Scan QR codes.

2.4.

4. Slide the shutter button to

2.5.

5. Format and advanced options

2.5.1.

HEIF pictures

2.5.2.

RAW copies

2.5.3.

Shape correction for ultra-wide lens

2.6.

6. Use wide angle for group selfies

2.7.

7. Save selfies as previewed

2.8.

8. Selfie Color Tone

2.9.

9. Advanced save options

2.9.1.

HEVC format

2.9.2.

HDR 10+

2.9.3.

Micro zoom in

2.10.

10. Video Stabilization

2.11.

11. Auto HDR

2.12.

12. Auto Focus Tracking

2.13.

13. Grid

2.14.

14. Location Tags.

2.15.

15. Shooting methods.

2.16.

16. Parameters to keep

2.17.

17. Vibration Feedback

2.18.

18. Reset Settings

3.

How to reset Galaxy S21 camera settings?

How to access Galaxy S21 camera settings?

You can access the Galaxy S21 camera settings from the Camera app

.

As shown below, you can tap the gear (settings) icon in the

Galaxy S21 camera app preview screen

to open the Galaxy S21 camera settings.

Of course, you can open the Galaxy S20 camera app in several different ways, as explained p>

here

, for example:

Tap the camera icon

on the home screen

or the applications screen.

Quickly press the

side key

two times (

Quick Launch

). If you don't release (i.e. hold) the side key, you can get the

Galaxy S21 power off menu

.

To sweep up

camera app icon

on the lock screen

.

Use voice commands (Google Assistant or Bixby).

Please note that there are no entries for camera settings in the Galaxy S21 settings app. You need to open the camera app to access the Galaxy S21 camera settings.

Understanding Galaxy S21 Camera Settings

On the Galaxy S21 camera settings page, you can find multiple entries organized into 6 categories:

Smart features

. Settings related to the “smart” features of the Galaxy S21 can be found in this group, for example, scene optimizer, shot suggestions, and QR code scanner.

Pictures

. Galaxy S21 camera settings related to burst mode and file formats, RAW copies and shape correction for the ultra-wide lens can be found in this group.

selfies.

Galaxy S21 camera settings related to group selfies, mirror selfies and selfie color tone are placed in this category.

Videos

. You can find video stabilization and advanced recording options (HEVC format, HDR10+ videos and micro zoom).

Useful features

. In this Galaxy S21 camera settings category, you can adjust the settings for auto HDR, tracking autofocus, grid lines, location tags. shooting methods, settings to keep.

Others

. You can reset Galaxy S21 camera settings.

We now review the 18 entries in these 6 categories.

1. Scene Optimizer

The Galaxy S21 Camera Scene Optimizer can automatically adjust exposure, contrast, white balance, and some other settings based on what is detected in the camera frame. Samsung uses its own technology

AI

to identify objects and apply optimized settings.

For example, if the camera detects that it is mostly a tree with green leaves in the frame, it will then apply certain settings that usually highlight the “greenish” of the leaves.

Of course, if faces are detected, then the camera can apply optimized settings suitable for humans.< /p>

In the Galaxy S21 camera settings, you can enable or disable the scene optimizer. By default, it is enabled (and it is recommended).

Once Scene Optimizer is enabled, you can also enable document scanning as shown below.

If document scanning is enabled, you will see a tap to scan button if the camera detects a document page.

Normally this only works if the whole page with margins is detected.

2. Shooting Suggestions

Many Galaxy S21 owners confused scene optimization with shot suggestions.

Shot suggestions help you point to the “right” location/object. It analyzes the scene from the camera frame and decides where the “best” focus area is.

While the Scene Optimizer applies the optimized camera settings for the shot.

Shot suggestions are enabled, by default a circle will be placed in the center of the preview screen. It moves automatically to find the "perfect" focus.

When a focus suggestion is found, the circle turns yellow with 2 horizontal lines on each side as shown below.

Unlike the Scene Optimizer, Shot Suggestions only passively offer “suggestions”. It does not change any of the camera or photo settings for you.

3. Scan QR codes.

You can use the Galaxy S21 Camera to scan the QR code without using third-party apps.

Basically, the Galaxy S21 camera can recognize QR codes and take action (eg open the link in a browser) accordingly.

Please note that there is a shortcut of QR code scanner (scan QR code) in

Galaxy S21 Quick Settings

. The quick setting button does NOT require you to enable QR code scanning in the Galaxy S21 camera settings. They operate independently.

If you have activated the Scan QR code function, you do not need to use the

quick setting button

because the Galaxy S21 automatically recognizes QR codes.

4. Slide the shutter button to

In photo mode, the Galaxy S21 camera will record video if you press and hold the shutter button instead of taking burst photos (

burst mode

).

If you want to use burst mode with the Galaxy S21 camera, you need to slide the shutter button down. This gesture is assigned by default to the burst mode of the Galaxy S21 camera.

Of course, if you don't want to use burst mode, you can customize this gesture to create a GIF, as shown in the screenshot below.

5. Format and advanced options

In the format and advanced options, you can choose to save the photos in HEIF format (instead of JPEG), save the RAW copies in

Pro Mode

, and enable shape correction for the ultra-wide lens.

HEIF pictures

By default, photos taken with the Galaxy S21 Camera are saved as JPEG files, which can be opened on almost any device (and any app).

But the file size in JPEG format may not be small.

So if storage is one of your concerns (remember none of the Galaxy S21 phones supports micro SD card), you can choose to save the photos in the format

HEIF

(high efficiency image format). It can normally reduce file size by 30-60% with similar (and usually slightly better) quality.

The only problem with HEIF is that some applications may not support it. But normally you won't encounter such problems (because Apple actually adopted it as the default format for photos on iPhone since 2017).

As shown in the screenshot below, by default HEIF is not enabled. You have to manually enable it if you want to save storage on the Galaxy S21 (and your cloud storage).

RAW copies

When using Pro mode, you can save additional RAW files for the photo (in addition to the JPEG file).

The RAW file includes detailed sensor information, and many professional-grade photo-editing applications can use this information to post-process (e.g., correct) photos.

Please note that the size of RAW files is usually several times that of a JPEG file. It is therefore disabled by default. And, of course, it only works in Pro mode.

Shape correction for ultra-wide lens

When shooting with an ultra-wide lens, the shape is always distorted: straight lines become curved. Therefore shape correction is normally necessary unless you want to keep the original fisheye image.

The Galaxy S21, by default, enables shape correction. You can turn it off if you really want.

6. Use wide angle for group selfies

When you take selfies, the Galaxy S21 camera tries to detect each face individually and applies settings optimized for the photo.

If there are two or more faces detected, the Galaxy S21 camera (front) can automatically switch to wide-angle mode to accommodate more people.

Please note that all Galaxy S21 models have only one wide-angle front camera sensor (10MP for Galaxy S21 and 21+; 40MP for Galaxy S21 Ultra). So this option of using the wide angle for group selfies is a software feature.

7. Save Selfies as Preview

When using the front camera, the preview screen always shows a mirror image (like what you see with a mirror).

If you enable Save selfies as preview, you will save the mirrored photo. Your right hand will be on the right side of the photo. Some Galaxy S21 owners may prefer this orientation.

But if you want your selfie to look like a normal photo taken by someone else holding a camera, you can disable this option.

Please read

this guide

for a detailed explanation on how to avoid and fix mirrored photos on Galaxy S21, Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S10.

8. Selfie Color Tone

You can choose the color tone of the selfies as normal or bright.

This Galaxy S21 camera settings adjust your skin color tone in selfie photos.

9. Advanced save options

While recording videos, the Galaxy S21 camera settings allow you to adjust some advanced options, including video file format, HDR10+, and zoom in.

HEVC format p>

By default, the Galaxy S21 saves recorded videos as MP4 files, which can be played on almost any device and any application.

Similar to JPEG format for photos, MP4 (H.264) normally need more space to achieve similar video quality, compared to the new HEVC format (

High efficiency video coding,

H.265).

Due to the improved compression algorithms, the video quality in HEVC format is generally better and the file size is smaller (not significantly).

The possible disadvantage of the HEVC format is that some old systems and applications do not support this format.

HDR 10+

The Galaxy S21 camera can also record HDR 10+ videos.

You can enable HDR10+ videos option in Galaxy S21 camera settings to record such videos automatically.

Micro zoom in

Samsung first intro reduced the

Galaxy Note 10 Zoom Micro

with a dedicated microphone.

Basically, the audio is automatically zoomed in on the object in focus with the video.

On Galaxy S21, audio zoom is achieved by three microphones. There is no dedicated zoom microphone on the Galaxy S21. Instead, you may find two holes (mics) at the top of the phone (see

Galaxy S21 layout

).

10. Video Stabilization

You can avoid shaky or blurry videos by enabling video stabilization in the Galaxy S21 camera settings.

Please do not confuse this option with

super stable< /p>

. The latter does not work with HDR video recording.

11. Auto HDR

Auto

HDR

allows you to take photos or record videos with HDR automatically.

Of course, in the preview screen, you can disable HDR if needed.

12. Auto Focus Tracking

This Galaxy S21 camera tweak can help you “lock” the moving object and keep it always in focus.

13. Grid

The grid can help you compose the photo.

When activated, the preview screen will be divided into 9 equal parts by two horizontal lines and two vertical lines. This then helps you track the

rule of thirds

.

14. Location Tags.

When saving photos and videos, you can choose to save location information in metadata.

So you can know where the photo was taken after 30 or 50 years.

But some Galaxy S21 owners do not want to include such information because these location tags can reveal their location.

For some reason, if you want to exclude location information on the photo or video, you can disable location tags in Galaxy S21 camera settings.

Please note that changing this setting does NOT affect previous photos and videos. This only affects future photos and videos.

Also, when sharing photos/videos via GooglePhotos or the Gallery app, you have the option to remove location tags when sharing them.

15 . shooting methods.

In addition to using the

trigger

to take photos and record videos, you can use a few other methods to do so.< /p>

As shown in the screenshot below, you can

Press the volume keys to take photos and record videos.

Use voice commands to take photos and record videos.< /p>

Add a floating trigger, which can be moved anywhere on the screen.

Show your palm when taking selfies.

In the Galaxy S21 camera settings, the volume key can also be configured to zoom in and zoom out. You can also disable it for the camera app.

16. Parameters to keep

By default, the Galaxy S21 camera app does not remember the last state (e.g.,

camera mode

and filters) when you open it again.

If you want the Galaxy S21 camera to start with the last used options, you can enable the settings to keep the Galaxy S21 camera settings.

As shown in the screenshot below, you choose to let the Galaxy S21 camera remember:

Last used camera mode

. Next time when you launch the Camera app, it will be directly in the last used camera mode

, instead of the default (auto) photo mode.

. The Galaxy S21 camera can remember the last used selfie angle and use it automatically.

Filters

. Filters can be stored separately for each camera mode. When you switch to a camera mode, the filters used for that camera mode will be added automatically.

Currently, the Galaxy S21 camera can only remember the last camera mode, selfie angle, and filters (for each camera mode). You cannot further customize the Galaxy S21 camera app startup options. Please consult

this guide

on how to use Galaxy S21 camera modes.

By default, the Settings to keep option is disabled in the Galaxy S21 camera settings.

17. Vibration feedback

You can enable vibration feedback when taking photos or recording videos with this option.

18. Reset Settings

If you change the Galaxy S21 camera settings, or you are facing some weird issues, you can try to reset Galaxy S21 camera settings.

This will only reset the camera app settings. It will NOT affect your photos or personal data. So you can do it safely when needed.

Once you tap on Reset Settings, the Galaxy S21 camera app will ask you to confirm the operation as shown below.

How to reset Galaxy S21 camera settings?

As mentioned, you can reset Galaxy S21 camera settings so that you can get new factory settings anytime.

There are two ways to reset the Galaxy S21 Camera settings:

In the Galaxy S21 camera app for

reset camera app settings

.

Use the Galaxy S21 Manager app to

reset camera app

.

The difference between these two methods is obvious. The first method only resets the camera settings to factory state. The second method, on the other hand, resets the camera app including app data and cache.

The first method has been discussed previously. You tap on Reset settings in Galaxy S21 camera settings to immediately reset to factory defaults.

Sometimes you may need to use the Galaxy S21 app manager to get a "cleaner" reset.

To reset the Galaxy S21 camera app, you can tap

Apps

on the Galaxy S21 Settings page as shown in the screenshot below.

On Galaxy S21 On the Application Manager page, locate the Camera app.

Press on

Camera

, as shown above, to handle it.

On the Camera app information page, you can find detailed information about this app.

Of course, you can reset the Camera app (and thus reset the Galaxy S21 camera settings).

Press on

Storage

, as shown in the screenshot below.

On the Camera app's storage page, you can (as shown in the screenshot above):

Press on

Clear cache

to clear the Galaxy S21 camera app cache file. This does NOT reset the camera app.

Press on

Erase data

to reset Galaxy S21 camera app including Galaxy S21 camera settings.

If you want to reset the camera app, you need to confirm the operation as shown below.

The warning message is standard and looks scary.

But for the Galaxy S21 camera app, it is actually safe to reset the app because there is no account or database for this app. Photos and videos do NOT belong in the Camera app and therefore will not be affected.

You can press

okay

, as shown in the screenshot above, to proceed with resetting the Galaxy S21camera app. Of course, this will also reset the Galaxy S21 camera settings.

Please note that if you open the Galaxy S21 Camera from the

lock Screen

(using the< /p>

Camera app shortcut on Galaxy S21 lock screen

, or using

Camera quick launch

), the settings may not be saved. You need to unlock the phone to save the Galaxy S21 camera settings.

Do you have any questions about Galaxy S21 camera settings on Galaxy S21, S21+ and S21 Ultra?

If you have any questions about Galaxy S21 camera settings on Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra, please let us know in the comments.

The community will help you.

You can also share your thoughts on Galaxy S21 vs Galaxy S21+ vs Galaxy S21 Ultra in the comment box.

If you have any questions about using the Galaxy S21, you can check out our detailed Galaxy S21 step-by-step guides:

Galaxy S21 New Features Guides

.

Galaxy S21 User Guides

.

Galaxy S21 Camera Guides< /p>

.

Galaxy S21 Accessory Guides

.

You can also post questions or share your impressions of our

Facebook page

.

Official Samsung Galaxy S21 User Manual (PDF) in your local language can be read and downloaded

here

.

If you wish, you can send us an e-mail on the

con Contact us on the page

.

Enjoy your Galaxy S21.

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