I'm a pro photographer, and the best photo I took this month was shot on my Google Pixel 8 Pro, using a feature iPhone owners would give their right arm for

Date:
Sat, 22 Aug 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Description:
Long exposure is a popular technique among keen photographers, and Google Pixel offers a simplified mode in its camera app that creates the same effect.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter As TechRadar's Cameras Editor and a professional photographer, I regularly have my hands on top-rated
camera gear. However, my absolute favorite photo that I took this month was casually snapped with my Google Pixel 8 Pro smartphone.

I used my Pixel's dedicated Long Exposure photography mode, which, unlike the latest iPhones, has its own space in the camera app and makes what is otherwise a fairly complicated technique with my pro mirrorless camera really quite simple. Is my photo technically perfect? No. I took it and several similar shots handheld while taking a walk on a beach with a friend. If you look closely at the fine detail, it's a little blurry in parts. To really get the best out of this mode, a tripod support or firm surface would have
yielded technically better results, but it really wasn't the moment for serious gear. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here:

And considering these images were made with my phone, handheld, the results really are something. I'm not surprised, mind you the Long Exposure mode was made available to Pixel phones a few years ago , and I have regularly been using it ever since.

If you use a Pixel phone, it's a mode well worth playing around with you might just bag a frame-worthy shot. And if you shoot with an iPhone, I'll quickly explain how to get this effect in the camera app. You may like I
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this app made it possible Here's how you can watch and photograph the Perseid meteor shower tonight Image 1 of 4 (Image credit: Tim Coleman) (Image credit: Tim Coleman) (Image credit: Tim Coleman) (Image credit: Tim Coleman) Image 1 of 4 View Original Image 2 of 4 View Original Image 3 of 4 View Original
Image 4 of 4 View Original Long exposure, explained There's very little to
run through with the Google Pixel's Long Exposure mode. It has its own place in the camera app, and you simply try to keep the camera as steady as
possible during capture, much like you would with the Night Sight mode.

Long Exposure blurs movement, while keeping stationary subjects in sharp focus. It works particularly well for blurring fast movement, say, of moving water or traffic light trails at night, but a Pixel is less suitable for
truly long exposure photography of moving clouds, for instance because there's a limit on the time of exposure. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Once you've taken a photo using the Long Exposure, the image appears in your gallery alongside the standard photo without the effect applied (see below). For some of the photos in this article, I've taken them into the editor and played around with the exposure and color settings I think the black and white edit looks particularly striking and made other edits such as straightening the horizon. Image 1 of 8 The standard image (Image credit: Tim Coleman) And the long exposure version. I've included a few for comparison (Image credit: Tim Coleman) (Image credit: Tim Coleman) (Image credit: Tim Coleman) (Image credit: Tim Coleman) (Image credit: Tim Coleman) (Image credit: Tim Coleman) (Image credit: Tim Coleman) Image 1 of 8 View Original Image 2 of 8 View Original Image 3 of 8 View Original Image 4 of 8 View Original Image 5 of 8 View Original Image 6 of 8 View Original Image 7 of 8 View Original Image 8 of 8 View Original If you shoot with an iPhone, it is possible to get the same effect, but not through a dedicated mode like Pixel has instead, it's buried in the Live Photo interface (or you can try the Spectre app ). At night, iPhone also has Night Mode Max for long exposure astro shots.

For daytime long exposures, you'll need to enable the Live Photo mode (which effectively takes a three-second video and selects the best frame for your gallery). Next, hit the Live button in the top left of your photo in the gallery, select Long Exposure, and your iPhone will produce a long exposure shot from the frames in that Live Photo sequence. This handy YouTube Shorts explainer takes you through the process. What to read next I took over 500 photos on the telephoto master Xiaomi 17T Pro here are my favorite zoom
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The same advice for technique applies keep the camera steady. However, we've played around with the iPhone's Long Exposure editor in the TechRadar office, and it's not quite as effective as the Pixel's.

Hopefully, one day we'll see Apple release a dedicated mode for this shooting style, because iPhone users are missing out it really is the kind of effect that can bag you framable shots.

Have you tried long exposure photography with your Pixel, iPhone, or other camera gear? Do share your experiences in the comments below. Follow
TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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