3 hidden Pixel Camera features that completely change how I take night shots

There is fresh movement around 3 hidden Pixel Camera features that completely change how I take night shots, and the story is worth a closer look.

We pulled together what is known so far and what it could mean for the people following it.

I've used a Google Pixel smartphone for the last six generations simply because of its stellar camera.

Today, most cameras can take great photographs in everyday light, but the Pixel excels at low light. A lot of that has to do with Google's Night Sight feature, which does a lot of the heavy lifting automatically.

However, I've learned that simply pointing the camera at a dark scene and tapping the shutter button isn't always enough.

To truly elevate your photographs at night, it's a good idea to lean on a handful of Pixel camera features that don't get nearly as much attention as Night Sight.

These are easy to overlook because they aren't enabled by default or are hidden behind obvious buttons, yet these are the tools that I use whenever I want better results after sunset.

These tools are easy to figure out and don't require extensive photography experience, but they solve everyday pain points when it comes to shooting in low light.

Here are the three features that have become a permanent part of how I take photos at night with my Google Pixel.

The Google Pixel ships with an Astrophotography mode. Going by the name, it's understandable that you would imagine this mode is meant specifically for shooting photos of stars at night.

Yes, that is precisely what the mode was initially meant for. The feature activates automatically when the phone is stable on a tripod or on a flat surface, and it detects a sufficiently dark environment.

As it turns out, while the feature is great for shooting stars, it can also be used for other situations.

In my case, I often use Astrophotography mode when taking photos of stationary scenes after dark. This can include city skylines or landmarks, even bridges and architecture, whatever catches my fancy.

Whenever I come across a location with interesting lighting, and I know I can keep the phone completely still, I try to activate Astrophotography mode instead of relying on a standard Night Sight.

Astrophotography mode goes further than Night Sight mode because it takes a far longer exposure. This surfaces more detail than what you can capture with a regular handheld photograph.

The Pixel camera captures multiple exposures and combines them into a single image.

The result is often a photograph that contains significantly more detail throughout the frame because of its implementation of multiple exposures and longer exposures by default.

You'll notice this difference most when photographing buildings and cityscapes. These are areas that traditionally appear dark and featureless, even in Night Sight mode.

Since Astrophotography mode takes a much longer exposure, it can reveal textures and architectural details that can be hard to see otherwise.

The best part is that the feature doesn't really require any special equipment.

While a tripod is ideal, you can activate Astrophotography mode simply by resting your Pixel against a wall or a bench. Just keep in mind that this is not a feature that you can use handheld.

Since the Pixel takes longer exposures, you'll also have to wait a few extra seconds every time you click a photograph, but in return, you get a much richer image.

It's easily one of the most valuable features for everyday night photography.

The next feature that I highly recommend checking out is Long Exposure mode. It can turn even the most boring setting into something much more creatively interesting and artistic.

A common challenge with nighttime photography is that movement can ruin an otherwise great photograph.

You might have a car passing through a frame or people walking across a scene. You might try to time it when people are not around or try to eliminate motion.

Long Exposure mode, on the other hand, takes the opposite approach. It turns motion into a part of the image.

Nighttime environments tend to be full of movement, especially in cities. Things like traffic flowing through intersections or headlights cutting through the darkness.

While a standard photograph freezes a moment in time, Long Exposure mode captures all of this movement and helps you create things like light trails from the tail lights of a car.

If you're photographing a road at night, instead of an individual car that is frozen in time, the resulting image will contain a stream of light created by headlights and taillights, making it more interesting to look at.

You can also use this feature at waterfronts or busy public spaces.

When shooting a waterfront, Long Exposure mode can turn the regular water body into a more ethereal-looking scene.

If you're shooting crowds with it, it can once again elevate the setting instead of making it stand out from the usual frozen crowd shots.

Finally, it also helps you be a little more creative by looking at a scene just a bit differently.

The feature that I use the most is also the one that gets the least attention on Pixel phones.

If you tap your screen, you'll notice that Pixel phones include separate brightness and shadow controls.

When you tap on the viewfinder, sliders appear that let you adjust how bright the image looks and how much detail is preserved in the darker areas.

This might sound simple, but these controls solve one of the biggest challenges with astrophotography.

Modern cities tend to be full of extreme lighting conditions. Be it bright streetlights that are next to dark alleyways or neon signs.

While HDR and automatic exposure are able to get the balance right most of the time, they don't always manage it. These dual controls can help you gain a little more control over your final image.

Before taking a photograph, I often lower the exposure levels slightly to preserve details around signboards, streetlights, and illuminated buildings.

Similarly, you can adjust the shadows to brighten the darker parts of the image a bit.

You'll want to be a little careful here because pushing the shadows too much can bring out digital noise and artifacts, but a nudge or two never hurts.

By doing this, you also avoid unnecessary editing later in the process.

While Google's Night Sight mode deserves much of the credit for making Pixel phones excellent for low-light settings, these additional features have had a bigger impact on how I photograph after dark.

I use Astrophotography mode to pull a little more detail from static scenes, and long exposure mode helps me get a little more creative.

Meanwhile, dual exposure controls give me more control over difficult lighting situations before I even press the shutter button.

All three of these are valuable photography features that solve very different problems. Rather than relying entirely on automatic processing, they give me the tools to adapt to the scene in front of me.

After years of using Pixel phones, they've become the features I use almost every time I take photographs in less-than-perfect settings.

The Pixel 10 Pro XL packs all the same features you'll find on its less expensive siblings, along with a few exclusive features like a 6.8-inch display and faster charging.