yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] Steerpike58:
As mentioned above, I'm new to GCAM. I have a Samsung S23+. I've followed the instructions on page 71 and installed LMC8.4_R17_Scan3D.apk with configuration javasabr-lmc17-s23-v13-medium.xml.

My main reason for exploring GCAM is that HDR+ on the S23+ is excessive, often losing any dramatic lighting in a scene. It can be turned off fully, but I'd like a way to have more control.

I'm a bit confused by what to expect with GCAM. If I turn on the 'HD+RNET' button, that causes the 'HDR+' options to disappear from the 'settings' drop-down. If I turn off the 'HD+RNET' button, then HDR+ appears as an entry in the settings drop-down, with three choices - off, on, and enhanced. I've taken pictures with all 4 possible combinations -

1) HD+RNET on (HDR+ settings ignored/disabled)

2) HD+RNET off; HDR+ off

3) HD+RNET off; HDR+ on

4) HD+RNET off; HDR+ enhanced.

(I'm assuming that with HD+RNET 'on', that the previous state of HDR+ is not relevant).

But I cannot tell any difference between the four! I chose a scene with a dark room and a bright window. The 'stock' Samsung camera app gave a significant difference between HDR and non HDR. The GCAM result was roughly half-way between the non-HDR and HDR versions from Samsung Stock.

Below are the four shots, in the sequence listed above: (note, the clouds/mist were moving so there's a slight variation just due to that in the clouds)

And these are the same scene from Samsung, HDR off/on:

You can see the greenery through the windows is clearly darkened in the right (HDR) shot compared to the left.

Comparing the 1st samsung stock image (no HDR) to the GCAM pics, the scene through the window is brighter than any of them; the 2nd samsung stock image (HDR) is darker than any of the GCAM images.

Is there some additional setting I need to make to 'activate' the HD+RNET and/or the HDR+ processing?
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] focusedgo:
I tested AGC 9.1.v9 (com.samsung.agc.gcam91) with your noise model @JavaSabr and your config (medium), the night mode is completely destroyed on the S23 Ultra, I tried all the profiles.

The image is very, very dark and you can hardly see anything, just like on a low-end Chinese smarpthone from a few years ago.

My Pixel, which is several years old, does better, as does the basic Samsung application.

I deleted all the storage, reinstalled the same problem.

By loading only the apk without any config it's a bit clearer in night mode but still less than a Pixel and much less than Samsung.

What can I do?
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
If you need good HDR on GCam, need to use my AGC config, not LMC
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] Smatas:
Hi, I'm concerned if I use correct noise model file. I use AGC9.1v9. I load noise model file JavaSabr provided with his configs (javasabr_agc91v9_s23ultra_v29_sharp.agc).

Should I remove change noise model file if I want to try other configs file which do not require noise model file (Mazar AGC9.1v9 X2.1 S23u Sharp.agc)?

Or can I load only first time noise model file and go back and forth with config files between 2 mentioned and loaded noise model file will be used only with JavaSabr configs?

Sorry if this question was answered, can't find it.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
No, you don't need to remove it
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
I'm not clear what you mean :) need more information about which profile, which photo mode, any sample...
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] focusedgo:
Full res

And again, here, it's indoors, with ceiling lighting, admittedly low, but with the naked eye, I can see the room from end to end, even my dark objects.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
Ah I see, you like super bright photos like stock does, so I don't like it, it's why you have this result, it's not GCam limitation 😁
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] focusedgo:
Yes, well, in real outdoor conditions, it's even worse; I can't even see the trees, just half of the image is black, and the sky at the top.

It's not 'super bright,' just shareable.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
But in any case it's very depends on which profile did you use... So which?
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] focusedgo:
Balanced-LDR or Balanced-HDR, it's pretty much identical in night mode, especially in this photo without streetlights.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
So you use very fast profiles for dark conditions... So you have expected results :)
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] focusedgo:
It's definitely better with mode 2 in night mode, thanks and sorry for the inconvenience!
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
For dark conditions let's try Astro, MaxQ-LDR and MaxQ-HDR and choose what you prefer :)
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] focusedgo:
Finally, do you know why pictures taken with the gcam can't be sent via nearby share, whereas I can send pictures from the original camera or even other types of file?
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] MemQ:
I am using AGC 9.1, base s23 and have two questions:

1) 60fps doesn't work for me neither in fhd nor in 4k. The option is there, I can check 60 fps, but it's still only 30. Is there a fix for that?

2) Night sight photos at low light with javasabr_agc91v6_s23_v24_medium.agc config have very much noise. Like a lot a lot. However javasabr_agc88v7_s23_v20_astro.agc from previous version is much better, though it takes twice the time to take photo. Samsung camera app however is the fastest and produced quality similar to astro config. Is there way, a setting or something to enhance the medium.agc config night sight mode ?
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] Steerpike58:
I'll try that - thanks. But shouldn't I be seeing 'some' HDR effects between the four settings? Because they are identical, it's making me think something is wrong. I was referred to the LMC version by another Samsung S23 user and they shared samples with me that clearly showed the HDR was working.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] Steerpike58:
Deleted post - wrong version
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
I talk only about my LMC config which doesn't have real HDR

I recommend to use my v26 for 8.8 for base, because 9.1 is not for base at all
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] MemQ:
V26 ? On page 103 the highest config version is V20. Where's V26 for 8.8 ? (I've looked but couldn't find it). Also, should I use this config with AGC 8.8v7 apk or AGC 9.1.v9 ?
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] Steerpike58:
I've now installed the correct AGC version for S23+ (I hope!) - AGC9.1v6 with v24 config.

As I experiment with the program, I have a few basic questions.

1) I took two pics, one with HDR off, the other with HDR Enhanced. Pixel dimensions of first was 4080x3060. Pixel dimensions of second (HDR+) was 4488x3366. Is there a post somewhere that explains why the pixel dimensions are like this (and not 4000x3000, the 'nominal' size of the sensor)? I know the sensor is much larger and there's lots of fancy stuff like 'pixel binning' going on, but why isn't the result 4000x3000?

2) I note the lens button for the telephoto lens is labeled 2.9x, rather than 3.0x. Is there a simple explanation for that?
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] GroovyGeek:
Is it possible to hide the HDRnet and AWB buttons from the AGC screen? Or disable permanently?
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] Steerpike58:
I just installed the AGC version, rather than the LMC version, based on your comments about HDR being better in AGC version. While testing, I noticed horrendous distortion with the 0.6 lens, when HDR+ was active. Basically, without HDR, there's no correction applied, but with HDR enabled, there's 'too much' correction applied!

The picture on the left is of a standard sheet of 8.5x11 paper with HDR off; the right picture is with HDR on.

This is AGC9.1v6, v24 config.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
Maybe I forgot to upload it here but it's in the pinned messages of my telegram group

No

I thought I have fully disabled it 🤔
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] Steerpike58:
Very dark viewfinder

I was testing 'night shots' last night while sitting in our darkened living room watching TV. I noticed that with AGC9.1v6 / v24, the viewfinder was extremely dark, to the point where I couldn't 'frame' the shot. I switched over to 'stock', and it was fairly bright. Is there a setting somewhere to allow more gain in the viewfinder when dark?

I just went looking for a dark spot to try to illustrate the problem with a screenshot, but nowhere is dark enough ... will get a sample tonight if necessary.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
On Samsung the viewfinder is limited by 1/30 :)
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] chetszot:
Hello @JavaSabr

Do you have plans of adding AGC 9.1 v9 configs for small S23 as well :)? For now, v29 is only for Ultra
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
9.1 works very bad on small X1 :)
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] chetszot:
Thank you @JavaSabr for your answer.

My second question would be - is it possible for any GCam distribution/config to offer stock-like camera app HDR capabilities? This is the only one area where GCam falls behind the stock app - especially in terms of controlling the highlights.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
it's not a problem of gcam, it's the problem that your x1 lense doesn't support raw10 which gcam uses, so your GCam usage is very limited. Other lenses have good HDR. On s23u all lenses have good HDR.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] chetszot:
Thank you for your answer, such a disappointment with non ultra S23.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
Have uploaded my v26 and v31 releases for base s23:

Working GCAM for S23 Ultra

EDIT: I RECOMMEND FOLLOWING THIS POST TO INSTALL WORKING GCAM LMC version (remind to enable HDR++) Post in thread 'Working GCAM for S23 Ultra' https://xdaforums.com/t/working-gcam-for-s23-ultra.4550019/post-88407193 AGC 9.1 Post in thread...

xdaforums.com
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] RedSkyRoad:
AGC 8.8?
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
yes, because 9.1 works very bad on base s23
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] RedSkyRoad:
So on Ultra I still stay on 9.1?
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
yes
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] Steerpike58:
Is there a post or thread that discusses / explains the background to this? I installed AGC 9.1v6 with V24 on my S23+ after giving up on LMC version. Should I be installing AGC8.8?
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] Steerpike58:
Anyone have any insight into this? I just did a google search of the entire internet for '4488' and surprisingly few hits. I'd love to read a discussion about why the AGC images are getting this pixel dimension.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] BoneXDA:
What to do when this happens? Main cam, others output correct images. Phone is not S23 Ultra, something newer, wink wink.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] Turbo Crasher:
1) There is a linear upscale of 1.1x enabled in HDR+ in the config you are using. You can almost certainly disable it if you want. 4080*1.1=4488. The sensor is actually around 50MP as advertised, which makes the binned resolution 50MP/(2*2)=12.5MP. That matches up with the 4080*3060. Samsung downscales the photo from 12.5MP to 12MP because somebody told them all cameras need to output 12MP photos regardless of their actual resolution.

2) The Gcam you are using likely calculates the zoom label values based on sensor size and actual focal length. The telephoto is probably closer to 2.9x rather than 3x. It might even be slightly shorter than that, but I wouldn’t trust the available values for that kind of accuracy.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] funCrash93:
Did anyone find a GCam mod with functional "Photo Sphere" mode?

So far this is the only one I managed to find:

UltraCVM_v8.4.300.10​

Unfortunately,

only

"Photo Sphere" seem to be working 😅 (everything else is just black screen, but if you swipe/go to "Modes" suddenly the viewfinder starts working and from there both "Panorama" and "Photo Sphere" are accessible and functional 🤔 weird)
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] Turbo Crasher:
Are you saying that AGC 9 does have real HDR, as in taking exposures of varying length? LMC is just stacking frames with the same exposure as far as I can tell.

If so, that is very interesting and I have some questions:

1) How does the AGC HDR actually work? How many frames of each exposure are being taken? What is the exposure compensation step between different exposures? What is the maximum exposure compensation between the metered exposure and the darkest/brightest frame? Seems complicated to implement with so many different modes with different total exposure count. If it varies, I’m most interested in the highest quality mode disregarding speed. Is this the same algorithm used by the native Google Camera app on Pixel devices?

2) What happens (is supposed to happen, manual exposure still seems to be broken) when you manually set the exposure time? Does the same HDR algorithm get applied with the set time used for the middle exposure or are all exposures of the same length you selected?

3) Can this HDR algorithm be used for RAW files without the Google Embedded profile being applied? The profile is horrible with embedded oversaturation, noise reduction and banding showing up in extreme HDR scenarios. The files are really bad for editing and when you try some difficult scenarios (like a dark room + window on a bright day), you can see there really isn’t any more usable dynamic range compared to LMC.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] feverage:
Hello. I'm using 9.1 on s23u.

This was an amazing experience for me and I would like to thank the developers.

I am very satisfied with agc9.1, but there are a few things that leave me wanting.

The 1x 2x camera at the bottom of the screen applies the profile well, but

Profiles cannot be applied to the 3x 10x cameras located on the right.

Is there a way to apply a profile to a magnification camera?

And I know this is an ongoing problem, but is it difficult to apply 50mp and 200mp pixels forever? If these are applied, you will no longer need to use Samsung's default camera app.

Once again, I would like to thank the developers for giving me a new experience, and I hope for a slightly improved app.

Chears!!
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] Steerpike58:
Thanks for the info! Is there a simple answer to 'why' the HDR+ algorithm is upscaling 1.1x? I don't really care whether the images are 4000x, 4080x, or 4488x but I am curious as to what is going on behind the scenes. Upscaling is generally considered to be a bad thing so I presume there's a good reason for it; something about applying the HDR algorithm that 'needs' it.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] Turbo Crasher:
The simple answer is that whoever made the config you are using likely thought that upscaling might provide a slightly better result, did a quick test and left it on. There is nothing about HDR+ specifically that would require upscaling. Upscaling might have helped the sharpening algorithm used produce slightly less artifacts. Either way, I doubt 1.1x will be noticeably worse at 100% magnification. You can turn it off and check if you are able to see any significant change, but I really don’t think you will.

On a side note, the stock camera app is upscaling the images from the telephotos from 10MP to 12MP and has been doing so for several generations now. That’s pretty much the same amount of upscaling as you are getting here with 1.1x and that is being done with far less capable hardware and algorithms and there is no way of turning it off. They have even upscaled their worse 8MP telephotos to 12MP on some phones. As far as the main camera goes, the stock app doesn’t even allow you to use the native 12.5MP mode, but always downscales to 12MP instead.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] Fl1nt91:
Is there any way to hide the digital zoom toggle?

I had a look in the dev settings but couldn't find anything
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
My HDR profiles in AGC configs have the real HDR with bracketing... In GCam we have 2 steps bracketing, short frames (main) and long frames, when you use HDR profile with night mode, you will have 50% short and 50% long frames.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
you cannot hide it
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
I don't understand what you mean
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] Fl1nt91:
Ok.

Actually I found out that disabling camera.toggle_zoom_bar

toggle is replaced by a zoom bar that automatically hides after couple of seconds
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
Have uploaded the new release for base s23:

Working GCAM for S23 Ultra

EDIT: I RECOMMEND FOLLOWING THIS POST TO INSTALL WORKING GCAM LMC version (remind to enable HDR++) Post in thread 'Working GCAM for S23 Ultra' https://xdaforums.com/t/working-gcam-for-s23-ultra.4550019/post-88407193 AGC 9.1 Post in thread...

xdaforums.com
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
And have uploaded v32 for ultra:

Working GCAM for S23 Ultra

EDIT: I RECOMMEND FOLLOWING THIS POST TO INSTALL WORKING GCAM LMC version (remind to enable HDR++) Post in thread 'Working GCAM for S23 Ultra' https://xdaforums.com/t/working-gcam-for-s23-ultra.4550019/post-88407193 AGC 9.1 Post in thread...

xdaforums.com
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] gcamiscool:
GCam and @JavaSabr's config are lifesavers. With the s23 Ultra's flaws that never have been fixed, and the s24 Ultra that doesn't look much better, the only reliable way to take good photos (without switching brand) is the GCam.

Thank you again 🙏
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] Steerpike58:
Where does one access such settings?

Thanks for all the info!
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] gcamiscool:
About the 200mp, just wanted to share something... If you turn off the adaptive pixel (in the camera assistant), you'll be able to capture the highlights at nighttime, and the level of details will be as good as in daylight.

Because no 12mp frame will be used to brighten the photo. The result can be very interesting.

In others words: the viewfinder will be darker, but what you actually see in it will be captured in true 200mp. Just wanted to share that info, because I love doing that 😊.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] MilgeS:
Out of interest, which of the GCam versions you work on do you think captures best photos?

LMC, AGC 8.8 or 9.1
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] gcamiscool:
I was using LMC since the beginning. Downloaded AGC 8.8 1-2 weeks ago, but I kept LMC as well.

The result looks almost the same, but I've noticed that the alternative white balance in AGC is perfect for night photo and artificial lighting. Also, I'm not sure, but I think that the RAW files you get with AGC are better (didn't test it much with LMC.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] Fl1nt91:
I keep using LMC with HDR++ 28 frames, I like it because is consistent and you can shoot in every condition with that single mode.

Overall, I also find the quality slightly better, especially since AGC produces some artifacts in some scenario.

Also I like in LMC interface quickest access to exposure/iso regulation.

Every few weeks I test new version of AGC but then I always stick with LMC.

AGC is better only when you need real HDR, but I can use stock for that rare scenario
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] BoneXDA:
Excellent work. V32 usharp slightly improves level of detail for the main cam and significantly for ultrawide on the S23U. However, 3x and 10x shots are softer than V20 sharp profile. All noise & config files are properly loaded.. Is there a solution for better zoom cam level of detail?

As for the S24U, the main cam outputs scrambled images (see below) yet 0,6x, 2,7x and 5,1x cams work well (fun fact: the 3x 10mp cam is actually a 12mp 2,7x cam, Samsung just crops). S24U main cam apparently needs some sort of configuration, perhaps on ISP side? Changing modes or device interface doesn't help and I get scrambled images on both V20 and V32. Do you have any solution that might remedy this?
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] gcamiscool:
Ahhh, I also was under the impression that LMC fitted more situations, although the LDR max in AGC is very similar.

Everytime I made a comparison, both gcams have a wider HDR than the stock app (and the stock app is less detailed, which is crazy, in addition to overexposing some photos); right now, I use it only when I need to take a photo quickly. Gcam the rest of the time.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] Steerpike58:
So this new config is for AGC 8.8, reinforcing the idea that we non-Ultra users should stick to AGC 8.8? Why are there some non-Ultra configs for AGC 9.1 (eg v24) - are they just failed / substandard attempts with 9.1?

Also- when your config instructions say "-v33 only for base s23:" - does 'base s23' include S23 and S23+, or only the very lowest S23? (that is - does 'base s23' really mean 'non-Ultra'?)
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
I tried to make a good config for base s23 and AGC 9.1, but base X1 works very bad and I reverted to continue working with 8.8 only for base s23

Base s23 is s23 and s23+ because it has the same set of sensors
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
Without samples I cannot understand about which details you talk
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] tomaskubec:
Thanks for the release :) Is there any reason why the 1x lens selection is shown twice?
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] Steerpike58:
Following the link, it takes me to page 103, and there we see a list of possible versions: as follows:

AGC 8.8v2: GCam HUB

AGC 8.8v4: GCam HUB

AGC 8.8v5.1: GCam HUB

AGC 8.8v6: GCam HUB

AGC 8.8v7: GCam HUB

But when I follow the link for 8.8v7, I can see an APK for 8.8v8. I presume we should really be sticking with 8.8v7 and not using the 8.8v8 APK? Further, viewing the list of config files, I see AGC8.8v7_v20.zip, then we jump to AGC8.8v8_v26.zip, AGC8.8v8_v31.zip, AGC8.8v8_v33.zip. So this would suggest we should be going for 8.8v8.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
The first X1 from top is only for video and 3d sphere
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
Added a link to the GCam 8.8v8
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] Steerpike58:
Thanks - so 8.8v8 and v33 it is.

The instructions on p103 specifically states in bold red:

-v33 only for base s23:

But in the detailed instructions, it says "

3. Extract ALL noise model files (with extension .c) from the archive to the folder "<internal storage>/Download/AGC.8.8/noise/"

!!!Don't need to additionally import these noise model files!!!"

So that suggests all we need to do is copy the .c (noise) files to the appropriate folder and we are done. Is that true, or is there an explicit 'import' step we need to follow? I can't find anywhere in the app where importing 'noise' files is possible. How can we confirm we have the right noise files?

Edit To Add: Also, the instructions say this: "1. Download and install the APK with the package samsung or aweme:". Is there any difference between the 'samsung' and the 'aweme' versions? They exist separately so I imagine they are different somehow. I've always gone for the 'samsung' but never understood why there's an alternative.

And finally - the configs available in this package are as follows:

Is there a simple explanation for each?
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] Smatas:
Are your configs v30 and v32 for AGC9.1v10 apk or for AGC9.1v9?
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
it's enough :)
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
I always put a required agc version to the config name
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] Steerpike58:
With AGC8.8v8 / v33, there are 4 configs, labeled 'medium', 'sharp', 'soft', 'ultra sharp'. This is pretty consistent with other versions. I haven't seen any explanation for these configs, but I assume they relate to the amount of sharpening that is applied to the final image? Just curious - why would 'sharpening' be treated in this way (through config files) rather than by the more typical 'settings' buttons within the camera UI? EG - we can select between three levels of HDR through the interface; why not offer three or four levels of sharpening also through the interface?
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] thegameksk:
E
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
because the gcam mode is not so much flexible :D
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] woffu22:
Thanks for your good work.

In the moment for Ultra I m only able to install 9.1 11 aweme, Samsung and ruler not possible, don't know why .

Next time we need Config for s24 ultra :-)