Get started with photos on your Pixel phone

You can take a photo on the camera on your phone in different ways. Use this article to get started taking photos and to find resources about advanced photo options.

Take photos with your camera

Important:

• Some of these steps work only on Android 10 and up. Learn how to check your Android version.
• Some of these steps require you to touch the screen.

Take advanced photos

To take advanced photos, follow the steps in these articles:

• Take photos in low light or at night
• Take a selfie on your Pixel phone
• Take motion photos & use Top Shot on a Pixel phone
• Use Augmented Reality (AR) on your Pixel phone
• Edit a photo on your Pixel phone

Choose how to take a photo

With your hand

1. Open your Google Camera app . Learn how.
2. Point your camera and wait for it to focus and take in light.
3. Tap Capture .

Zoom

Pinch open or closed on your screen, double-tap the screen, or use the slider at the bottom.
Tip: When you take a picture from far away, to capture the most details, zoom into your subject first.

Auto-focus

1. To focus on the subject of your photo, point your camera at the subject, then tap on the subject. A white circle appears and moves on the screen with the subject.
2. To lock the focus and exposure on a subject that moves, tap Lock .

Tip: If you have accessibility features turned on, to focus on and expose the subject of your photo, double-tap your screen.

Swap between your back and front cameras

Tap Switch  or twist your phone twice. Learn about gestures on your phone.

Take a straight photo

While using your camera, your phone will be straight when the 2 lines meet, and the angle is 0.

1. Open your camera and hold your phone steady. A yellow line and a white line appear in the middle of the screen. 
2. To make the lines meet, rotate your phone left to right and tilt it forward and backward.
3. If you point your phone up or down at your subject, the Up/Down indicator appears. To align the Up/Down indicator and take a straight photo, rotate your phone left to right and tilt it forward and back.

Tip: You can turn off horizon leveling and the Up/Down indicator. From your Camera app, tap the Down arrow Then, tap Settings , and turn off Framing hints.

Take a photo from far away (Pixel 5 & later)

Capture photos of subjects from a distance. With the next generation of zoom lenses, you can zoom up to: 

• 8x with your Pixel 7a and Pixel 7 phone
• 30x with your Pixel 7 Pro phone 

Tip: Zoom stabilization turns on automatically on Pixel 7 Pro phones zoomed to 15x.

Open your Google Camera app . Then, to zoom:

• Use the zoom buttons: tap the pre-set zoom buttons above the shutter.
• Use the zoom slider: slide your finger across the zoom buttons.
• Use your fingers:
  • Pinch and open to zoom in or closed to zoom out.
  • Tap twice on your subject to automatically zoom in to your subject. (Pixel 5 & later)

Use Ultrawide Zoom (Pixel 4a (5G) & later)

Ultrawide can capture more of the people and scenes around you.

1. Open your Camera app . Learn how.
2. In default camera, video, or Night Sight modes, tap .6x. Or, on your screen, pinch open and close.

With your voice

1. Say "OK Google, take a picture," or "OK Google, take a selfie." 
   Optional: Before you take the photo, you can tell the camera to wait between 3—30 seconds. For example, "OK Google, take a picture in 12 seconds."
2. Your Camera app will open and take a photo.

With Wear OS

1. Set up your watch with your phone. Learn how to set up your watch.
2. Open your Google Camera app . Learn how. 
3. On your watch, swipe up from the bottom of your screen until you see the Remote card.
4. To take a photo, tap the shutter button on your watch.
   • Your watch will vibrate and flash.
   • You’ll get a thumbnail of the photo on your watch.

Tip: You can get more details or take action on your photos. Find out how to use Google Lens.