I felt like my Pixel photos were missing something, so I tried to fix them

Google Pixel smartphones have always been praised for their excellent cameras, and rightly so.

The Pixel 2 XL it changed the way we think about mobile photography, and I still remember the first time I saw an image shot from the device.

Google built on that guide, and if you’re serious about smartphone photography, I still recommend the Pixel.

However, some manufacturers did not give up. Samsung and Apple have improved so much that I think it’s a matter of your preference.

After testing the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, I found myself wanting more from my Pixel photography, and that’s how I got it.

You can only talk to your Pixel

Editing in natural language helps

I’m the first to admit that I’m not a risk taker. I know how to adjust the saturation slider, but if you told me to adjust the photo balance, lighting, or shadows, I’d give you the blank stare only a beagle can reproduce.

Fortunately, I don’t need to know anything about exposure and apertures if I have a modern Pixel. When I go in to edit a photo, I can use natural language commands to explain what I want to do.

I prefer brighter colors in photos from Galaxy S26 Ultra. I think they are good for social media, and how I want to remember that time.

My Pixel 10 Pro XL offers a technically better image, but that’s not always enough. I open the editing function and tell Gemini that I want the photo to be more perfect.

It is not always perfect, but you can continue to promote as needed until you get the desired result.

Low-light images can also benefit. Night Sight is amazing, and that’s where Google still has an edge over the competition.

Not everyone will agree, but I think there are times when night photos can be pretty good, bringing a ton of light. I don’t always want that.

I recently used my Nokia Lumia 1020 again, and when you take photos with the old camera system, you are thankful for the location of those photos.

I want some of that back in my low light photos. I’m not sure what settings will make me that way. That’s where I ask Gemini, and after a little shuffling, I get the feeling I’m looking for.

If you know what you are doing, you can organize yourself

Google offers many tools

I would prefer photos from the Galaxy S26 Ultra, but they Pixel 10 Pro XL it gives me a lot to work with.

If you’re a shutterbug, you’ll probably want to capture what you’ve seen and be in control of what happens next.

If you know what you’re doing, there are many tools available to edit photos without AI. It’s almost as if Google is relying on that, in direct contrast to Apple’s solution, which we’ll talk about in a moment.

I can change the lighting, tone, and brightness of my photos with a few taps.

I use the saturation slider a lot, leaning my images towards warmer color tones. It gives you granular control, as opposed to the broad strokes you get when you rely on AI to edit your photos.

Professionals and enthusiasts can still throw images into Lightroom or other editing programs, so having a natural, accurate image is more important than taking a photo intended to be uploaded immediately to Instagram.

Apple has the best solution for all of them

I wish Google had introduced something similar

Apple Photo Styles is the cleanest solution to this problem that I’ve seen. It uses a permanent filter that you see in the preview, before the photo is taken. You know exactly what to expect, without guessing.

Google offers a lot of tools and powerful post-snap functionality, but I’d prefer a more advanced filter before I take a photo.

I bet the Tensor G5 is powerful enough to produce filtered previews, so I hope Google will add something similar in the future.

Being able to adjust the whites and tones before I take my photo is helpful, but Photo Styles in iOS is a solution for those who don’t like photography.

Don’t get bogged down with misleading solutions

Color P3 won’t help you much

It’s very confusing because in the settings of the camera app, there is a toggle for better colors. On the surface, that sounds amazing, but it doesn’t do what you think it does.

Yes, it unlocks a deeper color profile, but unless you’re using a specific monitor or hardware designed to handle it, you won’t notice the difference. That’s why it’s off forever.

However, my Pixels take great photos; I wish I could get some media pop right away with the lens.

Fortunately, there are plenty of resources to get me there, even though I know nothing about photography.