Turn Off The Camera Square: Quick Tips

If you're using an iPhone, you can keep your camera in square mode by going to Settings > Camera > Preserve Settings > enable Creative Controls. This will keep the camera in square mode as long as it was the last setting you used. Alternatively, you can select Photo mode, swipe up on the screen, tap the ratio option (4:3) and choose the square option. If you're using a Windows 10 native webcam app, the square that follows your face can be removed by switching to video mode.

iPhone: Select Photo mode, swipe up, tap ratio option, and choose Square

If you want to stop your iPhone from taking square photos, you can change the setting by following these steps:

• Open the "Camera" app.
• Swipe up anywhere on the screen or tap the chevron (arrow) icon at the top of the screen. This will bring up all the extra options at the bottom of the viewfinder.
• Tap the ratio option (4:3) to change the aspect ratio.
• Choose the "Square" option to switch from the default 4:3 mode to Square mode.

By following these steps, you can easily switch between different aspect ratios, including the Square mode, depending on your preference. It's worth noting that shooting in Square mode is a form of precropping, as your iPhone still saves the full file. This means you can always go back to the original 4:3 image or crop any existing photo into a square during post-processing.

Additionally, if you want to keep your iPhone camera in Square mode, you can enable this by going to Settings > Camera > Preserve Settings > Creative Controls. This will ensure that your camera remains in Square mode as long as it was the last setting you used.

Windows 10: Switch from camera to video mode to remove the square

If you're using a Windows 10 device and want to switch from camera to video mode to remove the square on your screen, follow these steps:

• Open the Camera app by selecting "Start" and then "Camera" from the menu.
• Once the Camera app is open, you may need to swipe in from the bottom edge of the screen to see the app commands. If you're using a mouse, right-click within the app.
• Tap or click on the "Change camera" button to switch between your device's built-in camera and an external camera.
• To switch to video mode, click on the video camera icon on the right side of the window. This will prepare the app to start recording without actually starting the recording.
• You can also adjust the camera settings by opening the Camera app and swiping in from the right edge of the screen. Then, select "Settings" and adjust the options according to your preferences.

Remember, if you're having issues with your webcam not working with the Windows 10 Camera app, it might be due to driver incompatibility. Ensure that your webcam's driver is compatible with Windows 10 by checking the manufacturer's website for updates.

Android: Open custom camera in full-screen mode, add a view at the top and bottom of the screen

To achieve this, you will need to create a custom camera application that utilizes the Android Camera2 API. This API provides a great deal of flexibility in terms of camera control and view customization. Here is an outline of the steps you can take:

Firstly, create a new Android project and add the necessary permissions to your manifest file. These include the camera permission and, if required, storage permissions for saving images or videos.

Xml

Design your custom camera layout in XML. This should include a TextureView, which will display the camera feed in full screen, and any additional views you want to add, such as buttons or overlays, at the top and bottom. Here's an example:

Xml

Xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"

Android:layout_width="match_parent"

Android:layout_height="match_parent">

Android:id="@+id/textureView"

Android:layout_width="match_parent"

Android:layout_height="match_parent"

Android:keepScreenOn="true" />

Android:orientation="vertical"

Android:layout_width="match_parent"

Android:layout_height="wrap_content"

Android:layout_gravity="bottom">

Android:id="@+id/captureButton"

Android:layout_width="wrap_content"

Android:layout_height="wrap_content"

AndroidOnderstaande_content:center"

Android:text="Capture" />

Android:layout_width="match_parent"

Android:layout_height="0.5dp"

Android:background="#EEEEEE" />

Android:id="@+id/switchCameraButton"

Android:layout_width="wrap_content"

Android:layout_height="wrap_content"

Android:layout_gravity="center"

Android:text="Switch Camera" />

In your Java or Kotlin code, set up the Camera2 API and TextureView. You will need to request camera access at runtime, select the appropriate camera (front or back), and set the TextureView as the camera preview display.

Here's an example of how to set up the camera and handle the display:

Kotlin

Private val cameraPreview by lazy { findViewById(R.id.textureView) }

Private val cameraManager by lazy { context.getSystemService(Context.CAMERA_SERVICE) as CameraManager }

Private lateinit var cameraDevice: CameraDevice

Private val cameraCaptureSession by lazy { CameraCaptureSession.create(context, null) }

Private fun setupCamera() {

Val cameraId = cameraManager.getCameraIdList()[0] // Get the first available camera

Val cameraCharacteristics = cameraManager.getCameraCharacteristics(cameraId)

Val cameraSelector = CameraSelector.Builder().requireLensFacing(getCameraLensFacing(cameraCharacteristics)).build()

CameraManager.openCamera(cameraSelector, object : CameraDevice.StateCallback() {

Override fun onOpened(camera: CameraDevice) {

CameraDevice = camera

CameraPreview.surfaceTexture = cameraDevice.createTexture(null)

CameraPreview.setAspectRatio(cameraCharacteristics.get(CameraCharacteristics.SENSOR_INFO_ASPECT_RATIO))

CameraPreview.setSurfaceTextureListener(object : TextureView.SurfaceTextureListener {

Override fun onSurfaceTextureAvailable(surface: SurfaceTexture, width: Int, height: Int) {

Val previewSurface = Surface(surface)

Try {

CameraDevice.createCaptureSession(arrayOf(previewSurface), cameraCaptureSession, null)

} catch (e: CameraAccessException) {

E.printStackTrace()

}

}

// Other SurfaceTextureListener methods...

})

}

// Other StateCallback methods...

}, null)

}

Private fun getCameraLensFacing(characteristics: CameraMetadata): Int {

Val facing = characteristics.get(CameraCharacteristics.LENS_FACING)

Return when (facing) {

LensFacing.FRONT -> CameraSelector.LENS_FACING_FRONT

LensFacing.BACK -> CameraSelector.LENS_FACING_BACK

Else -> throw IllegalStateException("Unexpected lens facing: $facing")

}

}

Finally, you can add your desired views to the top and bottom of the screen, as well as any functionality, such as capturing images or switching between cameras. Ensure that you handle the appropriate permissions and provide feedback to the user through the UI.

This should give you a good starting point for creating a custom camera in full-screen mode with additional views on Android. Ensure that you handle all the necessary error cases and properly manage the camera and session lifecycle.

iPhone: Use the self-timer to take selfies and group portraits