google Archives - DIY Photography

Google’s room-sized light dome uses 100 cameras to captures 3D models of the people inside it

November 20, 2019 by John Aldred 3 Comments

3D scanning has started to become a more integral part of photography and video for many people. Whether it’s to scan real-world objects to render on a computer and drop into the scene in post or to be able to produce physical 3d printed models to include as part of the set, its use has started to increase over the last few years.

It’s something that Google’s been working on for years, but this latest iteration uses what they call “volumetric capture” made up of 100 12-megapixel cameras and 331 LED lighting modules in a 360° setup to see all around an object to create a photorealistic 3D representation of the subject. This lets them capture every single detail, drop them into any scene they like, and relight the subject in post.

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Google and Samsung confirm massive Android Camera exploit affecting “hundreds of millions” of users

November 20, 2019 by John Aldred 7 Comments

There’s been constant paranoia about the cameras in smartphones for as long as smartphones have had cameras. Can somebody hack into your phone, turn on your camera and watch? Or record? Well, it turns out that yes, they can. At least, they can if you’re one of the potentially “hundreds of millions” of Android users on a Google or Samsung smartphone.

The issue was first discovered (at least, publicly) by the security research team at Checkmarx. They say that after a detailed analysis of the Google Camera app in the Pixel 3, they found a way to manipulate certain code to take control of the camera to shoot photos or record videos, even when the phone was locked with the screen off, and without the user knowing.

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Scientists have created contact lenses that “zoom” when you blink

July 30, 2019 by John Aldred 2 Comments

Google might have got a patent back in 2014, and then Sony in 2016, but scientists at the University of California San Diego have actually created a prototype contact lens that lets you “zoom” when you double-blink. Well, to be more accurate, it only functions when a specially made rig double blinks, but still, it’s a start.

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Google launches GalleryGo – a “Lite” edition of Google Photos for people with bad Internet

July 24, 2019 by John Aldred Leave a Comment

Not everybody around the world has the easy access to mobile data or high-end smartphones that some of us do, and for those people, many online services have cut down versions of their apps that run on lower-end phones and useless bandwidth. Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and even Twitter all have “Lite” versions of their apps for those users.

Now, Google has announced Gallery Go, a slimline version of Google Photos designed for working offline to help those on limited or unreliable internet in developing markets like Nigeria. And it only takes 10MB of storage space on their phone.

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Researchers develop after-the-fact portrait relighting AI that works without 3D depth information

July 17, 2019 by John Aldred 3 Comments

When the iPhone X came along with its Portrait Lighting effects, a lot of people were very impressed. Apple was even claiming that you don’t need studio lighting at all anymore or any other fancy equipment. You just need your phone. And while the iPhone hasn’t taken over as the portrait photographer’s camera of choice, it’s an intriguing concept.

A concept so intriguing that researchers and engineers at UC San Diego and Google have taken it a few steps further. They’ve trained neural networks to relight portraits after the fact without requiring any 3D depth data and with a lot more control than a few Apple presets.

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Google Photos is sending your private shares public and you don’t even know it

July 15, 2019 by John Aldred 85 Comments

Researcher Robert Wiblin over at 80,000 Hours spotted something quite interesting about Google Photos recently. He noticed that privately shared links became publicly accessible. He told some friends who use Google Photos and they didn’t believe him. After all, why would Google allow such an oversight? Surely if you’re sharing privately with a specific person, then only that person can see it, right?

Apparently not. After doing a little digging, Robert was able to demonstrate that these privately shared links are publicly accessible from any Google account, or even if you’re not logged into Google at all – as shown when he was able to access a “private” shared link from an Incognito browser window.

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This video explains Google’s Super Resolution algorithm in just three minutes

May 31, 2019 by John Aldred 6 Comments

There are so many new features coming to smartphone cameras these days that it can be difficult to keep up. You’ve got all kinds of HDR, fake bokeh, high resolution and high detail modes that all work in a bunch of different ways. Most of these features are there to overcome limitations in the tiny sensors that smartphones tend to contain.

One feature is Google’s Super Resolution algorithm. A computational photography technique that essentially replaces the demosaicing process used on most digital cameras. It’s quite fascinating, looks much better than most of the alternatives, and it’s pretty clever how it works.

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Google cuts off Huawei – Loses Play Store, Gmail and Android security updates

May 20, 2019 by John Aldred 10 Comments

Google has suspended business operations with Huawei, effective immediately, according to Reuters. They say that a source close to the matter has told them Google was forced to suspend business with Huawei that “requires the transfer of hardware and software products”.

What this essentially means is that all future Hauwei products are cut off. If you already have a Huawei, though, you might be ok. Probably. At least, for now. A Google spokesperson told Reuters that “Google Play and the security protections from Google Play Protect will continue to function on existing Huawei devices”

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Google disables “Photos” on Android TV after privacy bug exposes users

March 6, 2019 by John Aldred Leave a Comment

Google has disabled Photos on Android TV temporarily due to a privacy bug. The bug allowed some Android TV users to view the profile photos and account names of “hundreds” of users. It was first spotted by Twitter user prashanth after trying to set up his new Android-based Vu TV.

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