Mainly thanks to their software, the cameras on Google’s Pixel phones are great and now, thanks to some developers, a new mode is available. All Pixel phones get a “Light Painting” mode with a Google Camera mod.
For Google’s Pixel 4, the software of the camera app has been upgraded to the point of catching the stars with some amazing results quite literally. One part of the app with which some have had luck is the ability to capture light trails.
Sadly, using Pixel astrophotography for anything other than capturing the night sky is a little tricky. That’s where the Google Camera app comes into play with a modified version. Highlighted at XDA-Developers by the people, Camera PX was updated to add two new buttons. The first is forcing the mode of astrophotography.
The second one is a little more interesting. A new Pixel phone “Light Painting” mode allows the device to capture light trails using a slight astrophoto tweak. You will still need to use a tripod to get usable results, but when dealing with less than ideal lighting and angles where astrophotography would not typically trigger, getting the manual buttons is useful.
To all Pixel smartphones including Pixel 4, Pixel 3, Pixel 3a, and even older Pixel 2 and Pixel 1 devices, Camera PX will add this Light Painting and forced astrophotography modes. You will need to manually sideload the app to use it, of course.
