7 Samsung Features You May Not Be Using for Better Photos

Great photos are more than just a matter of pointing and shooting. If you own a Samsung phone, you have a secret treasure trove of camera tricks waiting to be unlocked for your creativity.

Table of Contents

• 7. Use Shot Suggestions for better framing
• 6. Turn on the camera grid for perfect composition
• 5. Improve color with Scene Optimizer
• 4. Edit photos to improve quality
• 3. Pro Mode for advanced photography
• 2. Shoot in RAW format with Expert RAW
• 1. Edit with Galaxy Enhance-X

7. Use Shot Suggestions for better framing

Shot Suggestions is a smart AI tool that acts as a built-in photo guide. It analyzes your scene in real time by recognizing objects and scenes, then suggests the best way to frame your shot.

As you aim your camera, a small target will appear on the screen, guiding you to tilt or angle your shot, making your photo look balanced, professional, and visually appealing. The target will move as you reposition your camera, and when everything is lined up correctly, the target will turn yellow to confirm you’ve found the ideal composition.

To use this feature, open the Camera app and tap the settings icon. In the Settings menu, find Shot Suggestions and turn it on.

Once enabled, this feature will automatically work every time you open the camera. When you point it at a subject, you'll see a small circle or target on the screen to help you find the best frame.

If your phone isn’t aligned correctly, the target will guide you to adjust or tilt until it turns yellow. And when it turns yellow, tap the shutter button to take the photo. In this way, Shot Suggestions takes the guesswork out of photography and you don’t have to be a pro to take great photos.

6. Turn on the camera grid for perfect composition

Another feature you can use to improve your photography skills is the camera grid. Simply enable it in your camera settings and it will divide your screen into nine equal rectangles with two horizontal lines and two vertical lines. These lines are more than just aesthetic; they act as a visual guide to help you apply the rule of thirds , one of the most basic principles of photography.

The rule of thirds suggests positioning your subject along grid lines or at their intersections. This technique creates a more visually balanced composition than having everything centered directly in the frame. It also incorporates negative space (or white space), which gives your photo more depth and impact.

To enable the camera grid, open the Camera app and tap the settings icon. In the Settings menu, scroll down to General and tap Composition Guide . From here, you can select Grid lines and level to enable both the grid and horizon level, or select Grid lines only if you want to use just the grid.

Once enabled, a grid will appear on your camera screen, dividing the frame into 9 equal sections. The intersection points of the lines are natural focal points in your photo. Try placing your subject at one of these points to create a more balanced and visually appealing photo.

5. Improve color with Scene Optimizer

After framing your photo with the camera grid lines, you can further enhance the look of your photo with Scene Optimizer. This feature uses artificial intelligence to analyze the scene and adjust your camera settings accordingly. It brightens dark scenes, makes food look appetizing, and brings landscapes to life.

Scene Optimizer also automatically tweaks brightness, contrast, and sharpness. When shooting a sunset, for example, the camera will boost warm tones to bring out the oranges and pinks in the sky. Likewise, when shooting pets, it will bring out details like fur texture and the light in their eyes. It works well even in low light, reducing noise and brightening shadows, so night shots look sharper and clearer.

To use Scene Optimizer, open the Camera app and tap the settings icon. In the Settings menu, tap Intelligent optimization , then turn on Scene optimizer .

A new Samsung phone may have Scene Optimizer turned on. It recognizes up to 30 different scenes, including landscapes, food, flowers, birds, and even text.

4. Edit photos to improve quality

Sometimes photos don't turn out the way you expected. Maybe the light is low, the subject is a little blurry, or something just doesn't look right. The photo editing tools on your Samsung phone can help you fix those moments with just one tap.

This feature uses artificial intelligence to analyze your photos and make thoughtful adjustments to improve exposure, reduce noise, and bring out natural colors. It can also fix issues like low light, low resolution, or blur, giving photos a clearer, more refined look without losing the essence of the photo.

To use the photo editing tool, open the photo you want to improve in the Samsung gallery app. Then, swipe up on the photo to reveal editing suggestions and select Remaster from the top menu.

On older devices, you can tap the three-dot menu and select Remaster picture from the list of options.

Your phone will process the photo and display a before and after version. You can drag the slider to see the difference, and if you're happy with the results, tap Save to save your changes. This is especially useful for fixing blurry or underexposed photos.

3. Pro Mode for advanced photography

If you're an experienced photographer or just want more creative control, Pro Mode is worth exploring. This mode gives you access to manual settings similar to those on a DSLR.

With Pro Mode, you can adjust shutter speed, ISO, white balance, and focal length to suit your vision. This is a great way to experiment and fine-tune your camera to suit both your style and lighting conditions. For example, in low light, you can slow down the shutter speed or increase the ISO to brighten the photo.

Unlike auto mode, which automatically decides these factors, Pro Mode gives you full control. This level of manual access is typically found on high-end DSLRs and smartphones, although many mid-range phones now have it too.

To start using Pro Mode, open the Camera app and tap the More button in the bottom right corner. Then, simply select PRO to switch to Pro Mode. From here, you can adjust settings like ISO, shutter speed, white balance, and exposure compensation.

Experiment with different settings to see how they affect your photos. For example, you may first see an ISO slider, which indicates how sensitive your camera sensor is to light. A low ISO makes your photos darker, while a high ISO makes your photos brighter. Be careful not to set your ISO too high, though; this can make your photos look grainy.

Next, you’ll see the shutter speed setting, which controls how long the camera’s shutter is open to let in light. Faster shutter speeds will freeze motion, resulting in sharper photos, while slower speeds create effects like light trails or motion blur. Keep in mind, though, that long shutter speeds can introduce camera shake, so use a tripod or camera stabilizer.

2. Shoot in RAW format with Expert RAW

RAW is a photography format that captures everything your camera sensor sees. It’s favored by professionals because it gives you complete control over image quality and makes editing easier. Unlike JPEG , which compresses and loses some data to save space, RAW files retain all the details. This results in better image quality, improved dynamic range, and more accurate colors.

To use this feature, open the Camera app on your Samsung Galaxy phone, go to More > EXPERT RAW and download it from the Galaxy App Store. Once set up, you'll see an interface similar to Pro Mode, where you can manually control ISO, shutter speed, white balance, and virtual aperture.

After you shoot RAW, you can open the image in photo editing apps like Adobe Lightroom or Snapseed. Because the file contains unprocessed image data, you can tweak things like exposure, highlight recovery, or white balance without losing any quality. This makes RAW ideal for photographers who want to get the final image exactly as they intended, rather than relying on the camera’s default processing.

1. Edit with Galaxy Enhance-X

Samsung already gives you a smart editing experience with Edit Suggestions, but if you want more control and advanced enhancements, Galaxy Enhance-X takes it even further.

Unlike Edit Suggestions, Galaxy Enhance-X doesn't come pre-installed; you have to download it separately from the Galaxy Store. Once installed, the app unlocks a full suite of AI tools that can fix blur, denoise, remove reflections, upscale low-resolution photos, and more. It's like a more advanced and flexible version of Edit Suggestions, allowing you to tweak your photos exactly how you want, rather than relying on automatic editing.

To get started, download and install the app from the Galaxy Store. Once installed, open the app and grant the necessary permissions to access your photos. You can then select any image from your gallery and choose from a variety of enhancement tools to apply.

Before you save, the app will show you a before and after preview, allowing you to slide the slider and review your changes in real time. If you're happy with the results, tap the thumbs up icon, then select Done > Save . You can also share your edited photo directly to social media or messaging apps from within the app.

These are some of the features that really improve smartphone photography. But there are still plenty of tricks and tools to explore on your Samsung Galaxy. Just experiment with the settings, experiment with lighting, angles, and subjects, and find what works best for you.