Nine Pixel Camera Settings Transform Photo Quality

I’ve spent the past few weeks fine-tuning my Pixel’s camera, and nine specific settings made a visible difference in detail, color, and consistency. While Google’s computational photography is already class-leading — frequently cited by DXOMARK for excellent exposure and dynamic range — the right toggles unlock even more from the hardware.

Here’s exactly what I changed, why it matters, and when to use each tweak for the strongest results across portraits, travel shots, and low light.

Switch To 4:3 To Capture Everything The Sensor Sees

If you’ve been shooting in 16:9 for that cinematic look, you’re cropping your photo before you press the shutter. Pixel sensors are natively 4:3; switching to 16:9 trims roughly 25% of the vertical pixels. That’s lost detail you can’t recover later.

Set Ratio to Full Image 4:3 in the camera settings. You can always crop to 16:9 afterward, but starting with the full frame preserves edge-to-edge clarity for prints and edits.

Enable Rich Color For The Display P3 Color Space

Turn on Rich color in photos to capture in the Display P3 color space. P3 covers roughly 25% more color area than sRGB, especially in saturated reds and greens, according to display standards used by major manufacturers and studios.

The benefit shows up immediately on P3-capable screens and gives you extra latitude in editing apps from Adobe and Google Photos. There’s no meaningful downside for everyday shooting.

Try Ultra HDR For Livelier Highlights And Detail

Ultra HDR, introduced with Android’s JPEG gain maps, stores highlight headroom without breaking compatibility: HDR-capable displays show punchier specular highlights, while older viewers see a standard SDR image.

I keep it on for landscapes and cityscapes. If you notice halos around high-contrast edges, toggle it off for a more neutral look — aesthetic preference plays a role here.

Turn On A 3×3 Grid For Stronger Composition

Grid overlays prevent “center bias” and make reframing for vertical 9:16 social crops painless. With the Rule of Thirds grid enabled, anchor key subjects on intersections to create balance and intentional negative space.

For architecture or scenes with strong geometry, the golden ratio grid can guide more dynamic diagonals. Either way, a grid is a low-effort upgrade with high returns.

Use Framing Hints To Level Horizons And Angles

Framing hints add a level gauge and an overhead alignment cue. I treat the horizon indicator as a quiet assistant: when the lines converge and turn color at 0°, tilted horizons vanish from my camera roll.

The top-down guide is invaluable for product shots, food, or documents. It helps keep the sensor parallel to the surface so edges stay straight and distortion is minimized.

Activate Pro Controls For Manual Mastery

On Pro-capable Pixels, Pro Controls expose sliders for focus, shutter speed, ISO, white balance, exposure, and shadows — plus Night Sight tuning. That turns the Pixel from a point-and-shoot into a responsive tool.

I use manual focus for macro scenes, lower ISO and longer shutter for low-light detail on a tripod, and cooler white balance to tame tungsten casts indoors. It’s the fastest way to get deliberate results beyond auto mode.

Pick 12MP Or 50MP With Intent For Each Shot

By default, the 50MP sensor bins to ~12MP for cleaner files and better motion handling — and some computational features, like certain motion modes and bursts, rely on that output. I shoot 12MP for family, street, and action.

For landscapes or prints, I switch to 50MP to capture extra micro-detail. Expect bigger files — often jumping from 3–6MB to 15–25MB — and plan storage accordingly.

Use RAW Plus JPEG When Edits And Flexibility Matter

RAW (DNG) preserves sensor data for heavy edits, letting you recover highlights and lift shadows without banding. I enable RAW + JPEG on trips or important shoots so I get an instantly shareable JPEG and a flexible RAW master.

Keep an eye on storage: RAW files are large, and you’ll want a reliable backup workflow. For casual snaps, JPEG-only keeps things lean.

Lock Lens Selection To Prevent Misfires And Blur

Occasionally, the camera auto-switches lenses mid-frame, choosing tele or ultrawide at the wrong moment and softening the subject. Setting lens selection to Manual gives you DSLR-like control so the camera stays on the optic you intend.

I lock to the main lens for mid-distance subjects, tele for portraits with cleaner separation, and ultrawide for interiors. Consistency improves immediately.

Lean On Google’s Strengths But Own The Final Look

Google’s HDR+ pipeline and semantic rendering do heavy lifting, as Google Research has detailed over the years. These nine settings simply put you in the driver’s seat to maximize what the sensor and software already do well.

Make these changes once, and your Pixel becomes more predictable, more flexible, and — most importantly — more capable of producing the photos you envisioned when you tapped the shutter.