Many third-party Android apps could get RAW photo support

Google wants more third-party Android apps to support RAW photo capture. The company is preparing to upgrade the CameraX API. Following the update, Samsung users will also be able to capture RAW photo through third-party Android apps.

AndroidAuthority spotted that CameraX 1.5.0 will bring two new ImageCapture class output formats: OUTPUT_FORMAT_RAW and OUTPUT_FORMAT_RAW_JPEG. That said, RAW capture support will expand to more Android apps.

• OUTPUT_FORMAT_RAW: It captures a single RAW image.
• OUTPUT_FORMAT_RAW_JPEG: It captures both a RAW and a JPEG image.

CameraX API is mainly used by camera apps that users use for social media sharing purposes. Despite this fact, Google intends to allow developers to support their apps with RAW capture functionality for an elevated photography experience.

At present, it’s unknown which Android apps will add RAW capture support. CameraX API will upgrade first, allowing developers to make changes. You can expect some of the most popular camera apps will join the party with RAW support.

Expert RAW

Developed by Samsung, the Expert RAW app allows Galaxy smartphone users to capture RAW images. These pictures are heavily editable given storage without any software-level processing and compression.

The company has made Expert RAW a stunning application. It has recently added an Astro Portrait feature that allows you to be framed with an astrophoto in the background. The application continues to evolve with the addition of new functions.