According to our colleagues at 9to5Google, the secret behind the beautiful images generated by the Google Pixel camera is the camera software originally created for Google Glass.
“Gcam was first revealed last year when Google X updated its website to list its ‘moonshots’. At the time, few details were revealed: ‘Gcam improved mobile photography using computer photography techniques’ ”, says the publication.
The project would have started in 2011 when the search engine developed an image sensor for Google Glass that was good enough to be compared with cell phone cameras.
Due to the restricted design of the device, the physical sensor would have to be relatively small and optimized for low light. In addition to limited dynamic range performance and battery power.
With the Gcam project, the hardware could make “smart software choices” by introducing an image fusion method that takes a quick sequence of images and then combines them into a single, higher quality image.
The technology debuted on Google Glass with the ability to photograph “poorly lit scenes in greater detail, and mix lighting scenes with greater clarity”. Then, Gcam was incorporated into Nexus 5 and 6 as HDR +.
Now, with technology advancing even further, Gcam uses machine learning “to achieve a better white balance” or make decisions about blur and lighting to improve the background of an image.