Android How-To - Create HDR Images Manually



Final Result

  • Apps Used
  • Optional - Smartphone holder or tri-pod - Useful to minimize shaking & variance when taking pictures at multiple exposures manually (See alternative method below if one is not available)
  • Steps
    1. Change exposure levels from -2 to +2 at 1 exposure intervals and take pictures at each level. This will result in 5 images saved to your Gallery (-2, -1, 0, +1, +2). I have auto-focus set to automatically happen when I take each picture but this can be disabled in settings if you want to set focus manually or don't want it to happen each time you take a picture.
    2. Go to your Gallery and wait for all 5 images to be saved (Note: Be patient as this can take a while, especially if you have the images being saved in PNG format like me. Images can be saved in JPG format which will result in faster file saving and slightly lower image clarity but it is in the eye of the beholder).
    3. Once all 5 images show up, select them and click the Share icon. Select Vibrance HDR and let it process the images. Once the result shows up, I set the color exposure strength and detail to the lowest levels because I prefer the least amount of processing possible but this can be changed to suit your needs. Hit the save button then go back to your gallery once saved to view the result. (Note: The original images can be deleted if you like the result. Repeat this step and adjust the filters if you want to make changes or use Snapseed to adjust effects after the fact.)
  • Alternate Method
    1. Select Gallery Icon on the left side of the Camera FV-5 app and select bracketing
    2. Select the number of frames desired then hold the '+" sign until the exposure level stops at the maximum level for the number of frames (Note: This can vary by device. For example, the maximum exposure at 3 frames on my OnePlus 3T is 2)
    3. Once set, hit the 'Take Picture' button which will take the number of frames selected in step 2 in rapid succession.
    4. Follow step 3 from above when the number of frames selected show up in your Gallery.