Good news for Android users! A new update that’s rolling out right now is the 2.1 version of Google Camera which lets you capture photos in the middle of video recording just by simply tapping the screen. Apart from other reported bug fixes, there’s also a download link directing to the APK for those who couldn’t wait.
Google Camera made its official debut back in April that came with the Lens Blur feature among other things. This time around, downloading the version 2.1.042 adds the screenshot feature in case something picture-worthy comes up while on video capture mode. Apart from this added function there’s also a reported bug fix “where the focus ring would disappear after using the faux lens blur function.”
So far, here’s what you can do with the Google Camera app:
Screen capture while recording a video
Photo Sphere for 360 degrees imaging
Lens Blur for shallow depth of field usually seen on DSLRs
High-resolution Panorama Mode
Viewfinder shows uncropped images
Updated UI with large capture button
To fully utilize the mentioned features, your device should have the following:
Android 4.4+ KitKat OS
Gyro sensor for Photo Sphere and Panorama
At least 1GB of memory for Photo Sphere, Panorama, and Lens Blur.
As mentioned earlier, the update is already up for grabs at the Google Play Store. Not everyone may get it at the same time, as usual, so you may opt to download the APK by following the link. Enjoy!
{Sources 1, 2}
The lens blur is a fun feature to play with. My only gripe was that the other features from my Nexus 7 2013 were removed such as the photo timer, time lapse video recording, etc. Can’t they just put them all together?
They pulled this feature out when they introduced the google camera, and now it’s back! They also improved the camera performance on low-light conditions on Nexus5. Great!
The Google Camera App has improved: Picture quality on the Nexus 7 2013 is not noisy as the original version.
I’m guessing they put the HDR mode as a default…
This feature already available at samsung smartphones.
True. Along with all the other bloatware that comes with it.