The Galaxy S24’s camera and natural tones: a step back from Galaxy’s trademark saturation or the way to go?،
Even before Samsung made the Galaxy S24 official, we were hearing rumors about a possible move towards more natural colors from Samsung. The rumor turned out to be true and our first Galaxy S24 Ultra camera samples show a more natural look. The South Korean giant now seems to be abandoning the famous “Galaxy look”, and that's exciting. Let's talk about why it's exciting and why you probably shouldn't mourn Galaxy's distinctive look for your photos.
The Galaxy-branded look for photos: now gone
You probably know what the Galaxy look we're referring to is, but in case you don't, we're talking super-saturated, super-bright colors. In recent years, Galaxy flagships (and not only) produced photos with bright and vivid colors, quite unnatural, but for some, pleasant and lively. The phenomenon became known (unofficially, of course) as the “galaxy look.”
As you can see from the examples above, we're talking about extreme color amplification to the point where they almost look fantasy-like. It might be pretty, no one can deny that, but it's far from natural. Look at that green or look at the skin tones. Even the table my coworker Vic is sitting at looks like it's made of (what I'd call) wood on steroids.
But Samsung has decided to now return to a more natural look. Here are some of the quick samples we took during our hands-on experience with the S24 Ultra, which show the color change. Examine greens, oranges and skin tones. Keep in mind that these photos were taken under artificial lights, so outdoor photos should look even better.
On most of them we can clearly see the new approach taken by Samsung. We see the difference in the greenery, for example. We no longer have the bright plastic green, we have a deep and much more natural green. The same can be said for other colors, including blue and orange. We are now entering a new era for Samsung Photos.
And if you want, you can still get the Galaxy look…
If you're disappointed by this change, don't worry! We doubt Samsung will do away with this signature look – after all, a lot of people like it. Most likely this will remain as a filter option. But even if it doesn't, you can always edit the image afterwards to amplify the colors.
But it's this freedom that Samsung fans deserve: the ability to decide whether or not you like this look, whether or not it's something you want to tout in your photos. Now, with the new natural look of these phones, you have the option to go either way.
Natural tones: why is it better, anyway?
Ultimately, natural tones are the best way to go. But why would that be? First of all, there are many possibilities in which you would like the photo to look more natural. An example is if you take a photo of a person. It's more likely than not that the person wants their skin tones to match reality, and their clothes to accurately reflect their true fashion sense. You would probably want that too, as a photographer.
Nature photos are another option where you want a natural look.
The S24 Ultra now captures greens more naturally, highlighting color nuances. This is a zoom sample – 3x
Nature has the ultimate… well, natural beauty, and you may want to highlight the true elegance of green leaves, the softness of the bright blue sky, or the millions of shades of green and blue of a river . This beauty doesn't really need any extra vivacity to take your breath away. Plus, natural tones give you more opportunities for further editing. Before, no matter what you wanted, you couldn't get rid of that Galaxy look in your photo. So editing the photo didn't really help.
But if your starting point is natural, you have a lot more opportunity to play with it. You can get very sophisticated bright colors if you want. You can also just lightly emphasize the beauty of the image without emphasizing it so much that it becomes fake.
The point I'm making is this: Samsung hasn't taken anything away, and this decision is not a step backwards. The company now gives you more options to take better photos and create a look that is ultimately yours: the choice is in your hands. And it’s always better to have a choice than no choice. Now get ready to take great photos when the Galaxy S24 the models will soon arrive on the shelves!
