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How to Use Google Pixel Night Sight

Get the best low-light shots on your Pixel camera

By Tim Fisher Tim Fisher Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability Emporia State University Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the VP and General Manager of Lifewire. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on May 27, 2022 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Android Switching from iOS

What to Know

Tap Try Night Sight or More > Night Sight. Press and hold camera icon until Hold still disappears.Tips: Keep subject still > keep phone stable > tap around subject to focus > avoid bright lights that cause reflections. This article explains how to use Night Sight with your Google Pixel's smartphone camera. Night Sight is yet another example of how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the photography world.

How to Use Night Sight

Night Sight is automatically enabled on your device, and there are two ways to access it, depending on whether your phone thinks it's necessary to use it. If you’re taking a photo in low light, Pixel will suggest using Night Sight. The small button will appear on the screen; just tap it to initiate Night Sight. If Night Sight isn't automatically triggered, but you want to brighten the shot, swipe over to More and select Night Sight.
Regardless of how you activate Night Sight, just press the camera button once and then remain as steady as possible until the Hold still prompt disappears and the camera returns to normal. If you're photographing the night sky, exposures can last anywhere from one to four minutes.

How to Increase Your Proficiency With Night Sight

Google has listed some tips to help users take full advantage of Night Sight mode. Some of its suggestions include: Motion: Ask your photo subject to hold still for a few seconds before and after you press the shutter button.Stability: Prop the phone against a stable surface, if possible. The steadier the hand, the more processing can focus on the light and sharpness of the exposure.Focus: Tap on or around your subject before taking the picture. This step helps your camera focus when taking photos in dark conditions.Bright Lights: At least some light is necessary, but avoid bright lights to reduce reflections in your photo.

Which Phones Have Night Sight

All Pixel phones have this function, but they don't all work the same way. Pixel 1 and 2 use a modified HDR+ merging algorithm to help detect and reject misaligned pieces of frames. Pixel 3 and newer use a similarly re-tuned Super Res Zoom whether you zoom or not. Although it was developed for super-resolution, it also works to reduce noise since it averages multiple images together. Super Res Zoom produces better results for some nighttime scenes than HDR+ but requires the faster processor of these newer Pixels.

How Does Night Sight Work

Night Sight is designed to take better photos in low-light conditions for both the rear and front-facing cameras. It lets you capture vibrant and detailed low-light photos without the need for a distorting flash or tripod. Like night goggles, it’ll even work in light so dim that you can't see much with your own eyes. Shooting in low light can be infuriating for even the best photographers. Google has tapped into its bodacious Pixel HDR+ algorithm to boost color, brightness, and stability when confronted by low light. By choosing the Night Sight option, you enable Pixel's HDR+ processing to boost colors and brightness. If the camera detects a dark environment, a pop-up suggestion automatically appears.

It' s All About the HDR+

Google’s HDR+ Processing is a proprietary technology that reduces “noise” and enlivens colors. In reality, it's taking a burst of shots, then combining the best of each image to create one final version of that image. Night Sight is constantly adapting to both you and your photo object. As you press the shutter button, Night Sight measures for any handshake and motion in the scene and then compensates by using shorter exposure bursts. If stability isn't an issue, Night Sight focuses its processing power on capturing light to brighten the scene. It takes multiple photos, merges the exposures, prevents motion blur, and brightens the image, resulting in a well-lit and sharp photo. Some critics have accused Night Sight of fabricating a photo — taking some basic visual data and then filling in the blanks with educated guesses — and they’re not entirely off-base. Night Sight is essentially an improvement of a photo technology called image stacking, which has been around for years. And yet, Night Sight is turning heads even among SLR camera buffs. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Sideload the Google Camera App Onto Your Phone How to Use the iPhone Camera How to Use the Motorola Camera App How to Have Success With Crowd Photography How to Take a Selfie on iPhone How to Use Night Mode on an iPhone Camera What Is Burst Mode and How to Use It The 15 Best Google Pixel Tips and Tricks Shoot Long Exposure Pictures on an iPhone Using Slow Shutter Cam How to Photograph Running Water With a DSLR How to Set a Timer on an iPhone Camera DSLR Autofocus vs. Manual Focus How to Take Better Sunset Photos With an iPhone Future Camera Technological Advances The 10 Best Features of Google Pixel 3 Functions of DSLR Camera Buttons Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies