Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: Camera Settings & Tips For Better Photography

[@DarrenExplorz]

I just bought this Beast phone and a newbie in the photography world. Your enthusiasm and kindness to help others with shooting better photography is impressive. Thanks for these tips, Take care.

[@BrentHall]

Hey thanks for the kind words man, I really appreciate it, and I'm glad the video helped!

[@betovasquez2156]

Great video ! Can you please do tips for taking sports pictures ? would love to get some great photos of my kids soccer games.

[@dangvalverde]

Great video Brent. I'm learning so much from you about the pro photography features of the 23 Ultra. Your videos on this subject have been very inspiring.

[@BrentHall]

Thanks man, I'm glad the videos are helping!

[@stx7389]

​@@BrentHall you missed camera assistant

[@Allegro_Giusto]

Whatched a bunch of your videos recently adtee getting the S23U and wanting to make the most out of its camera. You have turned me into an entusiast for photography in helping me understand the technical aspects of it all. Your enthusiasm and calm demeanour has me put on a hot cuppa, sitting down, and relaxing to your content. Overall, you've inspired me to take up a new hobby and take more notice of the beauty in nature that surrounds me, thank you Brent!

[@BrentHall]

Hey that's awesome! I'm so glad my videos helped you get more into photography!

[@TimKaseyMythHealer]

Just got this phone. Your experience and advice, love it, love it, love it. I will be up to speed in no time.

[@cdbkmiranda]

Thanks again for another great video! I'll be waiting for the S23 Ultra PRO MODE tutorial. 🙂

[@KevinNordstrom]

You're creeping up on 100k subs. Hope you make it by the holidays. I'm thinking about getting this phone as my phone upgrade. In good light, it seems to take phenomenal photos.

[@BrentHall]

Yeah, I think if nothing else changes, I should hit it by late summer. It's pretty cool to think about, but I still don't want to get too excited about until it happens, lol.

[@marykrigbaum9021]

You inspire me to want to photograph again. I'm glad I found your channel. What type of case do you recommend for the S23 Ultra? How do you carry around a magnetic case and not damage anything in your purse or pocket?

[@BrentHall]

Thank you, I'm really glad to hear that! I don't ever put anything else in the same pocket as my phone, but that's just me. Never had a purse either so I couldn't say. I've never had any issues when putting my phone in a bag with anything else though.

[@RaulRiveraR]

Question, for photographing subjects or people, which resolution gives the best results? 50 or 12 mpx?

[@dheerajmekala9248]

I got the picture of Orion Nebula, ofcourse not any close to what I get through the telescope, but still very impressive to get the glimpse of the nebula with just the S23 Ultra and tripod.

[@neilmackey9626]

Couple of questions...another GREAT tutorial, btw... 1. Do you use or pay any attention to the histogram in Pro / Expert RAW when you're taking the time to set up a potential "keeper" shot? 2. Any thoughts on using the clip-on ND or CPL filters on the phone body? I mean, obviously, you can work some of this in post but when I'm working on a keeper, I like to get it as close as possible out in the field. Cheers!

[@BrentHall]

Yeah, I definitely use the histogram, especially if I'm really trying to make a good image and not just a snapshot. I did a video recently about some new magnetic filters for the S23U. It should be in the S23 playlist, but I really like them, though they do require the case. I only tried one universal clip on style filter thing but I don't like as much for these newer Samsung phones, it just doesn't work as well IMO.

[@GiovanniAlfredoBertagna]

Thank you for this video of yours! 🎉 For shooting in RAW is it better to use the Pro functions of S23 or shoot with LR Mobile?

[@BrentHall]

I prefer the native camera app and then edit in either snapseed or LR mobile.

[@mikemiller2933]

Subscribed. Thanks for the tutorial. Nicely presented!!

[@BrentHall]

Hey thanks man, I really appreciate that!

[@mandyde-la-hunty2515]

Thank you so helpful 😊

[@Urban_Arkitek1989]

Hi learned a lot from this video. My question is, what's the difference between taking a photo from a normal setting vs pro mode? Taking a photo from a normal shot, and then editing it from pre-sets which Samsung provided. Big difference?

[@BrentHall]

Yes, there's a big difference. The normal modes are all JPEGs which the phone edits and compresses in camera, so any editing you do to them after that is just going to have less data and more compression and image quality breakdown; whereas when you shoot in pro mode and have the raw files enabled, the phone doesn't edit or compress them, so all of the original data is still there, thus they can be edited more and lose less data in the process.

[@aspenglow13]

Can you use the 23 ultra just for pictures and not as a phone ? My last Samsung is working fantastic. But I want a better camera. So I don't want to switch and lose what i've got with the old phone.

[@JasonGage]

Great video. Do you like pro mode better than Raw? Thanks

[@BrentHall]

They're both really similar. I think shooting in pro mode is a little faster though, with less shutter lag, and unless you really think you need that extra little bit of color bit depth from the Expert RAW app or the astro mode, then they're both just too similar for me to really notice.

[@TeReSa-T53]

Thank you for this useful information.

[@banditoo7]

Good overview. Your commentary is more upbeat and enjoyable. Thank you.

[@BrentHall]

Many thanks!

[@spidersj12]

Wester Digital used to have a nice portable wireless battery powered hard drive that you could have your camera or phone send its photos to. Making sure that the photos you take are not just on one device, whether that's a DSLR, mirrorless camera or your phone, if you value them is important. Now of course with a phone, if you're in cell coverage, you can sync it to the cloud. If you're worried about the AI monsters using your images to train it's algorithms using your content and you not getting any compensation for that, then don't sync to publicly accessible cloud storage or services. Having a local (with you) backup up of your phone's images might be useful, depending on the person. Also having a travel tripod or even beefier tripod with a phone bracket to take photos and try and ensure a stable, focused sharp image. Perhaps getting a gimbal for videos? I just got the Osmo Mobile 6 and it works fairly well with the S23 Ultra. I've heard the Osmo Mobile line work better with iPhone than android phones, but I wouldn't personally know because I have never owned an iPhone.

[@barbthill]

Do you have any suggestions for settings to take reef aquarium photos that normally require an orange filter attachment because of the lights?

[@BrentHall]

I don't know, I haven't done much of that stuff, but the one time I went to an aquarium a few years ago, I just used the regular camera mode and and it seemed to do a decent job with the white balance. If I'm on the phone then I usually just edit in LR mobile or snapseed and correct the WB as needed.

[@akhileshbhosale3218]

Lovely Video Sir! I was hoping you'd try to capture Orion Nebula on Expert Raw on 10x mode. Trust me this beast captures mindblowing photos. And keep up the good work!❤️💯

[@gersonnoelhernandez6356]

Hey Brent, you used to use the lenses from moment on the s20/21 ultra. I know they are not applicable for the s22/23 ultra due to sensor size. Would you use or recommend lenses from beastgrip? Seems they offer a couple lenses and the added benefit of filter use. Thank you for your time! Shot out to camera lady as well! You guys are awesome.

[@BrentHall]

I've never used the Beast Grip stuff, and I didn't even know they had lenses that could fit the newer Samsungs. That sounds cool though! At this point though, the only reason I would personally need or want a phone lens if it's something the phone doesn't already have, like an anamorphic or macro or something like that, and for filters, cause right now if I need a filter for a long exposure or something, I just hold my big lens filters over the phone camera with my hand, lol.

[@gersonnoelhernandez6356]

@Brent Hall yea I have to agree with not needing the assortment of lenses, although I do enjoy experimenting with them. My biggest deterants are the bulk of hardware required is not always edc friendly. And second, my wife who never has the patience for me to enjoy photography... while she loves astro pics for example, She doesn't grasp the concept of long exposure and stacking and time required even in post... ultimately may try a used set for the right price... now I have a bunch of moment stuff that probably won't get used as often.

[@tbtravels360]

Great video Brent, will wait your full tutorial.. 👍

[@traceyhawthorne270]

Hi Brent. I'm hoping to learn how to get great sunrise sunset photos please before we head overseas in 10 days. Looking forward to your RAW tutorial to come. Thanks.

[@druuskizzle]

Awesome video! I had a question about regular photo mode vs expert raw mode... is it true that when you're in regular photo mode and you switch between .06, 1x, 3x and 10x that it digitally crops/zoom vs in expert raw mode it literally switches to each lens??

[@BrentHall]

Yeah, in the regular modes, the software will evaluate the lighting in the scene and decides what lens it wants to use, and if you're on the tele lenses, it might just switch back to the main sensor and crop in, which I hate. It shouldn't do that in Pro mode or expert raw.

[@aliabid646]

Great ideas as always from Brent.

[@JaneNwakaego-l1q]

Is amazing how fast I'm learning things from my s23 ultra

[@loicinizan4783]

Great video, thanks for these tips. But I have a question though! In which situation do you use expert raw instead of the promode? Cause it feels to me that it is two modes doing pretty much the same thing except the astrophotography feature on the expertraw. Thanks in advance

[@BrentHall]

I think I heard somewhere that the expert raw mode gives more bit depth in the raw files, so theoretically it would give you a little more to work with in post, but in my experience it hasn't been enough to be practically noticeable. The only reason I would personally use expert raw at this point would be for the astro mode, otherwise I'm fine with the regular pro mode. I'm certainly not an expert about it though, so I really don't know if there's any other differences.

[@loicinizan4783]

Okay, thank you very much for you response! Keep doing this kind of videos

[@sergi0t0tal]

Any suggestions for a portrait editor?

[@BrentHall]

If I'm editing on the phone, I use Snapseed or Lightroom mobile, and I think both do a great job in different ways, otherwise I just use my photoshop on my computer.

[@blackmamba3427]

Awesome video ❤

[@BrentHall]

Many thanks!

[@greenfiend2499]

I don't know if anyone asked this question, too many comments. Is there a difference in image quality using pro mode in all auto settings versus using the regular photo option (non-pro)? And that would also mean not using the 50 nor 200mp. Does pro mode auto still have an advantage?

[@BrentHall]

Pro mode gives you the raw files and the 50mp option, but not the 200mp.

[@phillippugh2161]

So glad you mentioned lighting when using that super powerful 50 an 200 mp camera an it's not Samsung foult it just a matter of physics the more pixels means less light can get to censor. Also can you do some 8k video an 4k comparisons. Also I know cityscape is not really your thing but would be cool to see what the s23 can do at night

[@BrentHall]

Yeah, people really underestimate physics, lol. Also, city nightscapes definitely aren't my thing, but mostly because I live 4 hours away from any real city, lol. That mountain life is rough.

[@phillippugh2161]

@@BrentHall haha ikr your in the boonies

[@johnbauman4005]

Thanks!

[@BrentHall]

😀🙏

[@joe2guns]

How do you upload to your laptop or pc?

[@BrentHall]

I just plug it in with a usb-c cord and copy the images over to the computer.

[@nandosdmn4108]

Does this work for other S23 devices (regular and plus version)?

[@BrentHall]

Yes, all the software should be same. The only differences that I know are the extra lenses on the Ultra.

[@renaldoaggrey7060]

Do you have any videos in editing ?

[@BrentHall]

If you mean videos about photo editing, then yes, I have a few. Take a look at my "from start to finish playlist, or my photography tutorials playlist, there should be some editing ones in there. sorry I can't be more specific though, since I have like over 400 videos at this point and don't remember everything anymore. Those playlists I mentioned are for general photography and editing though, if you want phone specific stuff, I those as well, but you'd have to browse around my phone playlists.

[@drawssm1944]

So do you approve the S23U as good camera phone Im on iphone 13pro max and the main reason i went with iphone is the camera and the hype around iphone being better camera phone (Im not a photographer btw)

[@BrentHall]

Well sure, it's a great phone camera system. the best Samsung has done so far. Now, if you're asking me if I think it's better than an iPhone, I couldn't tell you because I've never used an iPhone.

[@baseballpoodle5365]

Can you adjust down the aperture for max depth of field?

[@BrentHall]

No, it's a fixed aperture.

[@baseballpoodle5365]

@@BrentHall Ugh. Thanks.

[@luc7976]

Can you in Pro mode still adjust saturation/contrast? Also does pro mode reduce (over)sharpening of jpg's or same amount as non-pro mode?

[@daniels2423]

You can adjust saturation and contrast in Pro mode but only when shooting in 12 MP, not available in 50MP. And yes, Pro mode also reduces oversharpening.

[@luc7976]

@@daniels2423 Thanks! That's great. I assume the sat,./contrast adjustment values are retained as well so you don't have to keep applying.

[@daniels2423]

@@luc7976 yes, you can select in Settings to keep to save filters applied so next time you open the camera you don't need to reselect same settings

[@Mr-Gady]

👌🏿😳Very helpful...Thank you. Do one for video too, FHD 30 UHD 60...do a quick one explaining to us 🥹

[@mecthologyesports]

Is pro mode better or expert raw if we dont consider the astro mode in expert raw?

[@BrentHall]

Personally, I prefer pro mode.

[@mecthologyesports]

@@BrentHall thank you

[@soobz]

Biggest thing about Pro Mode is you get RAW that is unprocessed. Why we can't get RAW on the telephoto lenses I don't understand, ie. we should be allowed to have auto lens switching in pro mode.

[@livinglifefast]

How do you change aperture(f number)?

[@BrentHall]

You can't, it's a fixed aperture.

[@gainde1137]

Smartphones definitely take over traditional cameras - especially in street & documentary photography.

[@kimsadowski4058]

I noticed that in PRO mode settings the EV setting font went red and -2. What did I do that would make that happen? Many thanks!

[@BrentHall]

That's to show that it thinks you're underexposed by 2 stops according to it's light metering. You can change that by adjusting any of the exposure settings, i.e., the shutter speed or ISO. You can also put either or both of those in auto and it will set them for you to make what it thinks is a proper exposure. It will also go red if you over-expose and will show + value, meaning you're overexposed by that amount.

[@broadcast3ful]

@@BrentHall Do you generally find that to be accurate? Meaning how often do you find yourself going below -1.0EV and being like "yes it tells me im underexposing but that's fine in this case"

[@BrentHall]

@@broadcast3ful For most basic daytime shots, I think it does a pretty good job, at least for my tastes, but for low light, astro, long exposures, etc., I tend to keep an eye on it and adjust to what I want if it's off a bit.

[@craigpiferphotography]

I'm not sure why I never thought to set everything to Auto in Pro mode. I've got the Note 9 (yes, still) and don't use Pro mode all that often, but now I probably will. Does the S23 allow Pro mode to take advantage of the different lenses? On the Note 9 there are 2 lenses, standard and 2x, but in Pro mode the 2x button disappears. I can still zoom in and it will save the RAW with the full sensor and the jpg with the zoomed version. It's a little annoying and limits the usefulness of Pro mode in my opinion. I still miss the camera app on my LG G4 as I find the Samsung's Pro mode is very cumbersome, but I'll take what I get.

[@BrentHall]

Yeah, you have access to all of the lenses in pro mode now, as long as you don't select the 50mp option, which is only available on the main sensor.

[@andrewmarshall810]

Awesome

[@georgesharvashidze7338]

Holla. You are doing good things for us. Please see camera assist and expert raw options and give us your thoughts

[@alanamiller107]

Where did you get the camera settings? You need to dumb it down for us!

[@FearFest420]

Just look at his phone scren brotherman

[@ray101892]

Came from the iphone so it astounded me that the standard 12 mp takes wildly inaccurate pictures. I tried the pro mode and the colors will look more accurate but since hdr is disabled in that mode, your photos will have underexposed areas so you need to do all this editing shit to make the picture look nice. Respect to you Brent but I do not have your skill or patience to edit every single pic. A compromise for me is to just use the standard mode but then lower the brightness by about 1/4. With less light, the overprocessing will take a hit so colors will be more realistic. The pics will have the same look as pro mode with everything set to auto but with the added benefit of hdr.

[@izon9452]

auto hrd is on?

[@BrentHall]

Yeah, I land mine on when it's in the regular mode. If I want to put effort into an image then I'll just switch over to pro mode.

[@zhairaaizhensantua3928]

How to set 200mp

[@spadeguzman6001]

Wen u zoom in after u take Photo they look Blurry why?

[@wemobbin7196]

First! Good work!

[@1princessmaisy]

I am trying to re-find some cool presets in my new s23 ultra. They included various blurring settings, as well as having 1 item in the pic being in color, the rest in B&W, and/or whiting out the background. There were multiple options, beyond the basics. I am at a loss! I know they weren't in Pro, as I am just trying to explore the basics. Thanks in advance for your help!

[@redoredo107]

Portrait settings

[@1princessmaisy]

@@redoredo107 Thank you! I did finally figure out where those are. Great help in doing quick edits.

[@Meg-a-ByteTara-Byte]

I gave you your 1k like 😊❤ on my s22u 😂

[@BrentHall]

Oh wow, thanks, I appreciate it!

[@JohnDrummondPhoto]

"These are settings from my standpoint as a photographer geared toward people who want to give a little more intent to their photography" ... immediately half the audience disappears

[@BrentHall]

Most likely, 😅😂, but I'm cool with that 😁

[@johnnybeegone3020]

Actually that's what just made me subscribe...

[@JohnDrummondPhoto]

@@johnnybeegone3020 I'm glad to hear it. Most people I know who shoot with phones just want quick results without having to think about it. Brent's a good follow and he'll definitely help you get better.

[@ahmadfawadsayedi6262]

Dear Mr ; What is your Facebook profile .?