Take photos in low light or at night on your Pixel phone or tablet

When your device is steady, you can take photos in low light or of the night sky without the flash.

Take photos in low light or at night | Pixel

Take photos in low light

1. Open your Google Camera app . Learn how.
2. Tap Night Sight  Capture .
3. Hold still for a few seconds while your device captures the photo.

Tip: When your camera is in Default or Portrait mode and you take a photo in low-light conditions, Night Sight turns on automatically. To take your photo with Night Sight, tap Capture . To turn off Night Sight, tap Auto Night Sight . If you have your flash on, Auto Night Sight won't work.

Take photos of the night sky

On your Pixel device, you can take photos of the night sky. To do so, travel away from city lights. For photos of the stars, take photos at least 45 - 90 minutes after sunset.

Important: On Pixel 4a (5G) and later, astrophotography only works on zoom settings equal to or greater than 1x.

To take a photo:

1. Go to a dark area.
2. Open your Google Camera app . Learn how.
3. Tap Night Sight.
4. Prop your device on a steady surface, like a rock or tripod. Don’t use your hand.
5. Wait a few seconds. When your device is still and ready, it shows a message that says “Astrophotography on.”
6. Tap Capture .
7. Do not touch your device until it’s done taking the photo. Your device will show a countdown timer.
8. (Optional) To stop taking a photo, tap Stop .

Tip: On Pixel 4 and later, your device automatically captures a timelapse of the night when you take a photo with Astrophotography. To turn off this feature:

1. Open the Google Camera app . Learn how.
2. At the top, tap the Down arrow .
3. Tap Settings   Advanced .
4. Turn off Enable timelapse for astrophotography.

Improve your night sky photos

To get the best possible night sky photos, you can prepare for outdoor photography and adjust your device's settings.

Prepare for outdoor photography

• Plan ahead to know when and where you can find stars and constellations. For help, download a star chart app.
• Check the weather forecast. If the sky is cloudy, it’s harder to find the moon or stars.
• Travel away from city lights and other artificial lights. Light pollution makes stars less visible. For help, find a light pollution map of your area.
• Prop the device against a steady surface, or use a tripod. Don’t touch your device or prop it with your hand.
• If it’s windy, move your device closer to the ground or shield your device from the wind. Your device works best when it’s still.
  • Tip: To help your device stay steady, set the self timer to 3 seconds. Your device takes a photo 3 seconds after you tap Capture .

Adjust your device's settings

• Reduce your screen’s brightness. When your screen is darker, it can help your eyes adjust to the darkness around you. Learn how to change your display settings.
• Turn on Dark theme. Learn how to change your display settings.
• Set the focus to “far.” Changing this setting makes your camera focus on anything more than 4 meters (13 feet) away, like the night sky. To change focus:
  1. With your Camera app open, tap Night Sight.
  2. Tap the Down arrow .
  3. Next to “Focus,” tap Far .

Adjust brightness or shadows (Pixel 4 & later)

• Adjust brightness: On the right, adjust the slider to lower or raise Brightness .
• Adjust shadows: On the right, adjust the slider to lower or raise Shadows .

Related articles

• Take a photo on your Pixel phone
• Take a panorama, wide-angle, or fisheye photo on your Pixel phone