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How to shoot stars with the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
In This Article
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra’s new 200MP snapper takes impressive images, but did you know it can also take photos of the stars?
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra introduces a new Astrophoto mode to the Expert RAW shooting mode within its capable Camera app, allowing anyone and everyone to take pro-level images of the night sky. But, in such a feature-heavy Camera app, it can be difficult to locate the various features and functionality available.
That’s where we at Trusted Reviews come in; we’re Samsung experts, and we’ve been using theSamsung Galaxy S23 Ultrafor the past few weeks. Here’s how to shoot pro-level photos of the night sky using your new Galaxy S23 Ultra.
What you’ll need:
The Short Version
How to take photos of the night sky with the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Step1
Open the Camera app
The first step is to open the Camera app on the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. It’s the app icon with a digital camera, if you’re unsure.
Step2
Tap More
While you might assume that you’ll be able to capture the stars using the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s basic Photo mode, you’d be wrong. Tap More to browse the phone’s wide range of shooting modes.
Step3
Tap Expert RAW mode
To take high-quality photos of the stars, you’ll need to use Samsung’s Expert RAW mode. Simply tap the Expert RAW icon to access the mode. If it’s your first time using Expert RAW, you’ll have to first download the app add-on from the Galaxy Store. It’s a bit odd that it’s not installed by default, but hey…
Step4
Tap the star icon on the camera toolbar
Within the Expert RAW app you’ll find a whole host of camera controls and modes to help you capture the best images possible from the smartphone – but we’re not interested in most of these. You should see an icon that resembles a constellation of stars in the toolbar on the left of the viewfinder. Tap it to enter the Astrophoto mode.
Step5
Change your shooting settings
This is an important step as it’ll determine how long the phone should capture the stars. When it comes to astrophotography, the longer the better, with a minimum capture option of 4 minutes and a maximum of 10 minutes. I’d recommend setting it as long as possible for the best results, but it’s totally up to you. Experiment and have a bit of fun with it!You can also enable the Star Guide that’ll project constellations onto your display to help you frame your shot and capture some truly impressive photos of the night sky.
Step6
Frame up and take your shot
With all your settings configured, it’s now time to frame up and begin your capture. You won’t be able to take photos of the stars by holding the phone in your hands – there needs to be 0 wobble if you want a crisp shot – so you’ll need to prop your phone up or, ideally, set it up on a tripod.Once you’re framed up and ready, simply tap the capture button to shoot the stars with your Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Have you tried taking photos of the stars on the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra? Share your best shots with us onTwitter.
Troubleshooting
Yes, while it’s possible to take photos of the stars without using a tripod, you’ll be limited in terms of the angles available to you. For the best results, a tripod is highly recommended.
You can certainly take photos of stars using theGalaxy S23andGalaxy S23 Plusand the Expert RAW mode, though with a 50MP rear snapper compared to the 200MP snapper of the Ultra model, the results might not be quite as impressive.
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Lewis is the Mobile Editor of Trusted Reviews with plenty of phone experience, from the Nokia 3210 to the iPhone 14 Pro Max. He has been in the tech industry writing about phones, headphones, tablets,…
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Why trust our journalism?
Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
