yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] Deepgreen23:
Sorry, I am not an IT expert, just a new phone owner and photographer - what is "the AGC apk"? I have, as far as I know, been downloading GCam versions from 8.8 backwards onto my phone (uninstalling each one before trying the next, as the thread advised) - and the icon appers on my apps screen on the S23U but it will not stay open for more than half a second before crashing (all the 30+ versions I have tried). I appreciate I am probably operating at a more basic level of IT knowledge than many here, BTW!
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] PhilMorin:
No all that list on the website will not simply work out of the box. You need a configuration file to make it work with most of them.

Follow exactly the instructions here with the apk link provider in that post and it will work:

Post in thread 'Working GCAM for S23 Ultra' https://xdaforums.com/t/working-gcam-for-s23-ultra.4550019/post-88407193

Don't forget to download the v3 XML file (config file) at the end of the post
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] MilgeS:
No need to be an IT expert, I certainly am not! You've actually been doing everything correct except you have been "tapping" that icon to open the app (it then crashes as you say), instead just hold that icon for a couple of seconds and a menu will appear, in that menu tap "Take a selfie" and then you can use the app from there, ignore my AGC APK, that's just one of the GCAM versions available, I chose that one as it doesn't really need any further configs, it's very good on it's own.

Grab the 8.4 version shown in red (BigKaka) here https://www.celsoazevedo.com/files/android/google-camera/dev-BigKaka/
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
I have here two my posts with links to GCam + config and instruction how to install... :(
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] ajarosz:
I cannot believe that you have a camera, that you use with full awareness and can't see the difference between stock apps from Samsung and GCAM. GCAM gives you that subtle definition of details, closer to the proper camera look that anything that ExpertRAW or Samsung Camera App can produce. Not trying to judge, again, I just cannot believe it. I have like 14 years of earnings in photography, and after installing GCAM I don't remember the easiest decision to make, then switching to that app. I made some comparisons, which you can find here:

https://xdaforums.com/t/major-updat...-series-improves-camera.4570457/post-88386541

Like someone said here if you look at the pictures taken with your mobile only on the mobile screen, then yes, maybe it is hard to spot the difference, but if you are an aware photographer... I mean cmon.

And it is not complicated at all. Just read. It is literally on the very first page of this thread on how to make it work. It would take you less time, to just make a good read and search to find it, than it took you to write your post here.

Here is a list of posts with tips on how to import config or even with full manuals and links, from the first two pages of that thread:

https://xdaforums.com/t/working-gcam-for-s23-ultra.4550019/post-88105649

https://xdaforums.com/t/working-gcam-for-s23-ultra.4550019/post-88178597

https://xdaforums.com/t/working-gcam-for-s23-ultra.4550019/post-88180055

https://xdaforums.com/t/working-gcam-for-s23-ultra.4550019/post-88180055

https://xdaforums.com/t/working-gcam-for-s23-ultra.4550019/post-88180227

So if you want to try again, here is the latest version with the full manual:

https://xdaforums.com/t/working-gcam-for-s23-ultra.4550019/post-88407193

Hopefully, you will be able to install it and try it yourself. If you find that app not useful, it is fine. Good thing is that we can all choose what we like. So have a good luck and more patience in the future!
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] Deepgreen23:
Nope - I already tried just holding the icon (I wondered mysef if it would help) and what you say does not happen - I just get options to uninstall or move to recycle bin, etc. The trouble is that everything disappears in a flash and trying to hit any button in that instant is ludicrously hard. Thanks anyway.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] ajarosz:
That is odd. Every app should give you context menu. On the top - actions specific to the app like 'open a new tab' and 'open new incognito tab' in chrome. And on the bottom, you should have ones you described. For LMC gcam version it should be like this:
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] MilgeS:
This is what I see, if it's different to what you're seeing then I'm afraid I'm all out of ideas to help but hopefully you can pick up the advice you need from the other replies here to get it working.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
Which GCAm exactly?
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] Deepgreen23:
Well, your sneering aside, I have looked at posts on this 77 page thread which claim to show 'stock' and 'GCam' versions of the same image and the 'GCam' versions I have seen are darker, duller and have no more detail than the 'stock' images. Perhaps my MacBookPro 15" screen is not resolving the GCam images properly but I cannot see how or why that would be possible. I can assure you that my "patience" is not the issue, having spent about three hours today laboriously trying countless versions of the app. My lack of IT expertise may well be the issue, I don't deny that, but for a photographer rather than a software engineer, an app that requires this much 'hit and miss' attempts to find the needle in a haystack that is the right version to get it to work is not user-friendly for someone like me. All credit to those who have worked on it and to those with the skills to get it to work for them, but it's obvious that I will have to stick with my R5 for proper photography and just use the S23U for record shots, etc. I bought the S23U because my 8 year-old phone was damaged and hoped my reluctance to trust phones for serious photography was misplaced, so I took the risk. Don't get me wrong, some shots from the phone are adequate for some uses, but not for proper imagery. Anyway, I'm glad you are enjoying the GCam stuff and have managed to get it to work for you.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] Deepgreen23:
I have lost track of which of the thirty-plus versions I have tried over three hours or so today, I'm afraid, so I can't answer that.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] ajarosz:
My intention was not to disrespect you or anything like that. I meant what I said - disbelieve. In my case a process was quiet easy. When I got my s23 ultra I was so unhappy with image quality, that I have started to googling how to make it more natural. I have found that there is gcam that for the smartphone. Got and and it has crashed. Got back to the forum and first post worked for me. So for the moment of downloading to make it work it was like 3-4 attempts and 10 min max. But I understand that it is not a case for everyone.

As for comparison and pictures - what can I say. For me it is like comparing completely two different devices. And yes, they might be duller and darker than stock images, as samsung produces too bright, too processed, over sharpened and over saturated pictured for my taste. I prepare output more similar to what I have with my mirorless cameras and I this is what GCAM gives me. Buy for details part I do not agree. On first glance it might look that picture from stock is more detailed, but it is just matter of oversharpenning the output to the point where you see halos around some objects, whereas GCAM is more detailed, but is not overprocessing it, so looks softer and less processed. For me, it is only a good thing. Again, you can have a look at my detailed comparison under the link from my previous post.

I encourage you to give it a shot. Maybe try another day, with fresh head. Sometimes it help when you cannot do something, and after some break that comes easy. The point is - it might be a bit hard for you to get it work, but you are going to use your phone for months? Years? It would be a darn sad to miss a chance to have maybe bit better pictures. :) so good luck!
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] Fl1nt91:
Yes right, but there are instructions to follow for a specific version that works.

You're like trying to put diesel into an electric vehicle and claim that horses are better cause your car doesn't turn on.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] koahhe:
Edit.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] koahhe:
I have made a video detailing the process of installing the APK file and applying the XML. I hope you find it useful.

New video by Daniel S

photos.app.goo.gl

@JavaSabr Feel free to attach the video to your installation instructions.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] cogelindo:
When I try to update the quick measure of the spen, it gives me an error in galaxy store. And if I want to open the app from the store, it opens the gcam directly.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JohnTheFarm3r:
Use a different package name for Gcam.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] GroovyGeek:
If you are not an It expert then you have two choices a) follow the simple instructions provided to you by multiple people here b) don't use GCAM
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] cogelindo:
Thanks, it works
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] penfold:
sorry but why is everyone filling up two pages trying to help someone who professes to have a professional camera but can't see the difference between stock and gcam lol

....he's better off with stock and not hijacking this thread
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
Thanks.

I have updated this post:

https://xdaforums.com/t/working-gcam-for-s23-ultra.4550019/post-88407193
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] woffu22:
You are Shure that you Longpress on LMC cam and not Samsung Camera?
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] MilgeS:
I use AGC cam, not LMC, I'm definitely sure I longpress on the correct camera.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] Deepgreen23:
I have taken screenshots of two comparison shots from post number 24 in this thread, by JavaSabr. They are details/moderate crops from each shot. Apart from colour rendition, brightness and so on I see no resolution or detail differences, which is what I originally sought from the GCam installation. I am aware that the tonal rendition differences are important aspects, but I can edit those elsewhere. If resolution remains the same no matter what camera OS is used then I am wasting my (and others') time. I thank you all for your efforts and wish you luck. BTW, I only attach the screenshots to show which set of photos I was looking at when saying I could see no detail difference, not claiming that the screenshots themselves show the pure rendition.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] Deepgreen23:
I appreciate the post - I followed your instructions and got the 'take a selfie 'prompt. I pressed that and it crashed repeatedly.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
If there is no details difference then I have nothing to say :)
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] Benoe:
If you installed 30 gcam versions before, then you probably need to uninstall all, clear the cache and restart your phone. Then you can try again installing this LMC version
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] ajarosz:
Again, I am a bit surprised by your statement keeping in mind that you are using a great camera. Details rendering is much, much better even on the print screen that you have provided on the GCAM example (and mind you, that comes from an older configuration, that was a bit tweaked in the last few months). A number of details are better again on GCAM, but the picture is not as oversharpened as it is from Samsung. That's it. If you find them to be the same, then probably you are good to stay on the stock app and GCAM is just not meant for you.

Again, for me, one from Samsung looks like someone has applied noise reduction all the way, and then, when are no small details left, applied on top of that massive sharpening. While the other, has subtle details, with some noise, but looks much, much more natural and appealing to me. But it is just me, and you are free to have your opinion.

And you are mistaking image resolution with the resolution of the details. Again, you can check the link with a comparison that I have made for GCAM, ExpertRAW, and the base Camera app. The latter two, despite having higher output resolution, have smaller detail resolution.

You can have a camera with 999 Mpix, and that will be the resolution of the image that it produces. But if the lens is small, the processing is bad, and the image (details) resolution is much, much smaller. Just take off the lens from your camera, and snap a picture. The output will still have 45 Mpix, but what will be the resolution of the details? I assume it will be 1x1.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] Deepgreen23:
Thanks - I took a screenshot of the maximum enlargement I could get of the car number plate in each case and I can now see a slight clarity improvement in the brighter of the two images compared with the other. I don't know which image is which regarding GCam deployment, of course, and brightness increase may account for some of that apparent clarity difference. BTW, I am not dismissing GCam as not being worthwhile, I just couldn't see a meaningful difference in previous comparisons, and I actually still don't know which is which in this case, but I'm hoping the better of the two is GCam! As ever, I appreciate your efforts.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] Bck2Monke:
It's amazing how bad the stock camera app handles tree details.

Even with the latest update there's still lots of noise with stock which isn't present in GCam; object shadows are handled poorly in average-lit environment.

Weirdly S22 didn't have any of those noise issues, despite having almost the same sensors.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
the first screenshot is from GCam, but again, it's not a good comparation... let's compare trees/grass or something like this. because syntactic sharpening works well for letters/numbers, but is very bad for natural objects.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] Deepgreen23:
All good points, of course, and I happen to prefer good sharpening (not over-sharpening though). All this remains moot, though, as I can't get GCam to work for me, despite excellent efforts by people here! I would very much like to make a comparison of shots I have taken myself...
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
Some evening shots, stock auto/gcam hdr+
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] Deepgreen23:
How about these (the only tree/grass parts I could find) - which is which, please?
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
first is stock, the first image pair contains many trees...
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] Deepgreen23:
As I previously said, I uninstalled all versions before trying each new one and re-started the phone. I have been clearing the cache frequently. I have just tried it all again, with the same result, except that the app caused my phone to freeze! I have re-started, uninstalled it and cleared the cache again.

I'm afraid that's it for me - the time and effort I (and others) have expended on this has not been worth any quality improvement I may or may not have perceived from GCam. The Canon R5 will remain my proper photography choice. That, BTW, is not without its own issues - I have tried their new 400mp firmware upgrade and it is near-useless too! That's another story, though.

My thanks to all who have spent time trying to help with this.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] MilgeS:
Damn, that's frustrating, I'm all out of ideas I'm afraid, hopefully someone else's methods will work for you.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] C9H13N:
To put it clearly:

I don't know anyone who has 'wasted' 3 hours of their life to get the GCam running on their s23 (despite the instructions which also consist of 4-5 steps) - you blame yourself for your pointless wasted lifetime . ( :

I wish you the best of luck with your alternatives. Since you no longer use the app, it would be appropriate not to make any comments about it.

Thanks very much. ( :
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] Bck2Monke:
Stock vs GCam handling shadows (cropped & zoomed)
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] maex-la:
With new version (LMC 8.4 R16, config v.3) it crashes again using video/slow motion on my S23 (no ultra).
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] maex-la:
Is there no config needed / available for AGC?
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
GCam is not good for video on Samsung device at all, it's only for photo
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] GroovyGeek:
For the specific version AGC 8.4.300_V9.5Fix there is no config needed to launch the app and capture images. The performance is decent out of the box but some people find it slightly over-sharpened and regions of extremely fine detail are not great.

For unknown reason AGC 8.4.300_V9.6 (which is supposed to be the stable release) breaks all of this . At the moment all versions of AGC 8.7.250 are too buggy to be useful.

I am working on a config for AGC 8.4.300_V9.5Fix but due to limited time it is slow going. It works well in good light but is somewhat limited in difficult conditions (particularly very low light). Not ready to release it in the wild for general use, but if you are interested in test driving it DM me and I will provide a copy. Caveat: the performance may not be sufficiently different from LMC to be worth your time. I am specifically trying to address shadow level detail performance and some color rendition peculiarities.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
Just test samples, stock auto/gcam hdr++:
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] penfold:
the previous 2 sample batches you posted were better ...these have too much noise
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
Which exactly?
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] penfold:
**my bad, i just realised the second one was a night zoom shot ...noise excused lol

...i didn't notice it was the same scene initially
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] Fl1nt91:
Noise processing is bad since v50 (or so)

Personally i manually increase exposure time in low light to solve the problem
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] penfold:
ffs anyone have any idea why i can't get the hoizon level to work with r16?

I've tried enabling framing hints and nothing happens. If i try enabling live photo the app crashes.

@JavaSabr I see you have managed to enable it ...is there a magic trick?
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
Could you look at this version of my config? I have totally changed light config
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] jutley:
Tried the instructions to the book keeps crashing on start of camera app once i done everything?
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] Fl1nt91:
This is nice, thank you
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
New examples of stock vs my last config with fixed darkness issue:
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
Night shots, stock auto vs gcam auto/night:
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] GroovyGeek:
With which GCAM and XML combo? We now have three GCAM versions and three XML variant families in this thread 😀

Tried it, on first inspection seems like a great improvement of the darkness issue over v20. Today is a grey rainy day here so not the best time to test light and color fidelity, will try it more on Sunday. However the overall color balance looks to be on the cool side.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
I use AWB profiles from s21u and s20+ depends on sensor, if you disable AWB you will have my custom color corrections optimized for night street shots.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
Have prepared new version of my config (v25). Main change is configuration of light/shadows to resolve the issue with too darkness photos.

How to install:

1. Install this GCam mod:

https://1-dontsharethislink.celsoazevedo.com/file/filesc/LMC8.4_R15_scan3d.apk

2. Extract the attached archive to root FS

3. Hold on GCam icon and choose "capture video"

4. Double tap on free space between shot button and gallery and import my config

5. Profit!
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] GroovyGeek:
As mentioned earlier this is much better than v20. Here are a few comparisons to BSG 8.7 standard with the XML I posted a few posts back

First, under auto exposure, no AWB. Top image is LMC, bottom is BSG. The colors of LMC are slightly more vibrant but BSG is truer to life and does a better job with the highlights. Look at the exposure of the window, it is blown out with LMC but retains some detail with BSG

Next where the exposure is adjusted by tapping on the window. LMC on top, BSG on bottom. Results are closer now, but LMC is still more vibrant

The two versions are very close and what one chooses is based on whether you prefer slightly more muted vs slightly more saturated colors.

Both are CONSIDERABLY better than stock straight out of camera.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
Is it with hdr+ or hdr++?
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] GroovyGeek:
Oops I thought that both cams were set to HDR+ but BSG was HDR++, which explains the difference. Here are both with HDR++, LMC )#1) BSG (#2). Same conclusion as before about colors - LMC is slightly brighter and warmer, BSG is darker and a bit more true to life, but possibly duller for a general user. Both are better than stock (#3) and much better than expert raw (#4) which run too warm for my taste, expert raw comically so.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
Yeahh... I'm trying to keep it only a little bit nicer than as it is :) not as stock :D
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] MasterThiefGarrett:
We're missing 1 photo? ;)
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] GroovyGeek:
Yes I noticed that after posting. Fixed now
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] MasterThiefGarrett:
Very impressive guys, still a little bit of noise here and there, but I don't mind it, it gives off an analog film feel, kind of... at least it doesn't destroy the detail by going overboard with noise reduction... I like it!

@JavaSabr good work man, keep it up!!

Also good work by @GroovyGeek of course ;)
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
Thanks, I'm continue working on this 😎
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] GroovyGeek:
Here is another set of photos with a lot of red in them, which illustrates how the apps differ. The saturation assessment is vs real life with my screen, which is set to vivid but detuned white balance according to a separate thread here

#1 BSG, slightly under saturated

#2 LMC, slightly oversaturated

#3 stock, oversaturated

#4 expert raw, comically unacceptable
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] kevinmtz:
I really like your Gcam version I think it's my favorites from the ones I've tried my only issue with it is that sometimes it does not take selfie pictures, the shutter blinks as if the picture has been taken but nothing is saved, any solutions?
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] GroovyGeek:
I see, thank you for reporting this. Let me see what I can do.

There is a another issue I just discovered - it will not take pics when HDR is off.
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] GroovyGeek:
BSG xml update to resolve some issues

Download 8.7 version of apk (XML should also work with 8.6) https://www.celsoazevedo.com/files/android/google-camera/dev-bsg/f/dl129/

Download the XML attached to this post, save anywhere convenient on your sdcard

Install the apk

Long press the app icon and select "Take a selfie"

Double-tap space between shutter and gallery, navigate to xml file

Exit the setup menu and take a test shot

If the app crashes repeat steps 4-6

Changelog:

Modified the configuration of 1x cam to resolve the selfie crash

Known issues:

Photosphere not working when selfie crash is enabled. If you prefer to have photosphere use the v1 xml. At the moment I am unable to get both Photosphere and 1x selfie to work

Cannot save JPEGs with no HDR. Requires L3 or L3+ "surface", which crashes app when enabled.

Important note: I am unlikely to support further development actively. JavaSabr is doing a much better job than me, and the differences between this and his are minor. If you prefer a slightly less saturated look you can enable PRO mode in his LMC8.4 and then go to Settings - Photo Processing - PRO Mode - Main Settings - Saturation and reduce its value slightly from 1.0
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
It works for us only if enabled focus tracking
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] JavaSabr:
In my configs for R16 the expo time is very different compared to v58 for R15
[Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra] Fl1nt91:
True, indeed I like it

But before v50 was better (at the price of longer shutter time and processing).

Also i noticed a big step down for 10x zoom shot in low light, I'll do some test later