export_ofoct.com (1)
[00:00.41] Simply put, to make better digital cameras, you need image sensors with higher numbers of larger photosites. Engineers know this.
[00:08.92] In fact, it’s basically how they’ve made the best cameras humanity have: giant telescopes that take photos of deep space.
[00:16.09] But phones don't even have as much sensor space as a standard DSLR camera, let alone the surface area of a massive telescope.
[00:23.52] In fact, most phone camera sensors are no larger than a pea.
[00:27.77] Fortunately, these devices have a technological trick to compensate for their cameras’ tiny size: powerful processors.
[00:34.42] When you snap a picture on your phone, this pocket-computer starts running complex algorithms, which often begin by secretly taking a string of photos in rapid succession.
[00:43.98] The algorithms then manipulate these pictures, using math to perfectly align them and identify their best parts before combining the images into one high-quality photo.
[00:53.81] The end result is an image with less noise, wider dynamic range, and higher resolution than its sensors should be able to achieve.
[01:01.25] This approach is known as computational photography, and advances here are likely how phone companies will continue to advertise increasingly better cameras without improving their image sensors.
[01:11.61] Today, these algorithms often leverage machine learning, where phones learn to improve your shots based on patterns found in massive photo databases.
[01:19.84] For example, night mode prioritizes dynamic range and noise reduction, while portrait mode tells your phone to focus on a central subject and blur the background.
[01:29.14] Machine learning also allows our phones to do the opposite, unblurring faces to grab quick candid shots.
[01:34.72] And newer programs can even help you remove unwanted elements altogether.
[01:38.70] So, with the help of software, even phones with the smallest cameras can snap crisp, detailed photos of loved ones, spectacular views, and of course, lots and lots of food.
