HTC Amaze Camera Hack (Unrooted Too!)

[CarrieK]

Hi All! Below is a link to a modded camera app on XDA from the HTC Amaze. There are .apks for non-rooted users and .zip versions for rooted users. There are several attachments, most are for development. The ones with "08" in the file name are the most recent versions and the ones for the general public. I am rooted using CleanROM 2.8 so I tried the higher-resolution .zip and haven't had any force-closes or issues. There are a couple of the settings that do not work, though, but they are described in the post. I can't speak for the performance of the .apk versions.

As always, try at your own risk, and read all instructions/information before doing anything.

Enjoy!

[MOD] HTCCamera from Amaze 4G(rooted stock rom ready,2048x1152/1920x1080 in 3D), v0.8 - xda-developers

 

[eyebeam]

Thanks Carrie.

I saw this and was going to post it as well, but I haven't gotten around to trying it out yet. I'll post back when I do.

 

[DonB]

Here is a video for those that want to see it first

T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide and HTC Amaze 4G - Camera Overview - YouTube

 

[CarrieK]

So far I am liking it a lot. The default settings are pretty good.

 

[DonB]

I wonder if the APK are for CDMA, as it is not posted

So far I am liking it a lot. The default settings are pretty good.

 

[CarrieK]

Very good question. I would think that it would be CDMA, but I could be wrong. Yes, I know that is hard to believe!

 

[LBPHeretic]

I wonder if the APK are for CDMA, as it is not posted

I read the thread in the original post and it says it works for GSM and CDMA versions of our handset. Is that what you were talking about?

I will probably give it a whirl later. The features seem pretty cool.

 

[Adar]

I'm confused. What makes this camera app better than the stock app on the Evo3D? From the video link that was posted, I can't see any reason I would want it. Does this app somehow make the shutter faster? I thought that was hardware, not software. I'm honestly asking, because I can't tell what the big deal is.

 

[LBPHeretic]

I'm confused. What makes this camera app better than the stock app on the Evo3D? From the video link that was posted, I can't see any reason I would want it. Does this app somehow make the shutter faster? I thought that was hardware, not software. I'm honestly asking, because I can't tell what the big deal is.

I think the main draw is that it can do 1080p video capture in 3D mode. That is not possible with the stock camera app because it is limited to 720p video capture even in 2D mode.

It also seems to have a couple new features with picture manipulation and so forth. I have not completely checked it yet though so there may be even more stuff it can do.

 

[DonB]

Yep correct, I will test it a bit also and let you know, I want to try the APK, so we can report to others how the APK works, and also allows higher resolution I think

I read the thread in the original post and it says it works for GSM and CDMA versions of our handset. Is that what you were talking about?

I will probably give it a whirl later. The features seem pretty cool.

 

[DonB]

I am not sure thus the reason I want to test it out to see, but looks like it has some neat features and also looks like it focuses on a face image

I'm confused. What makes this camera app better than the stock app on the Evo3D? From the video link that was posted, I can't see any reason I would want it. Does this app somehow make the shutter faster? I thought that was hardware, not software. I'm honestly asking, because I can't tell what the big deal is.

 

[DonB]

Here some more info on the camera

Pushing its photography credentials, the Amaze camera can record 1080p video, with a dedicated camera button (and even a direct-to-camcorder button) to make the most of the handset's promised "zero shutter lag."

T-Mobile and HTC are really excited about the Amaze's camera, and you should be, too. it rocks an 8-megapixel shooter with dedicated buttons, constant focus, image stabilization, face/blink detection, and much, much more.

As noted, the camera can be launched without unlocking the phone. Just press and hold the camera key at any time and the camera app will launch in about two seconds. Alternately, the camera can be launched from the lock screen, as well as from the main menu.

There are convenient controls on the side of the screen that let you adjust the flash and scene modes without opening the menus. These controls also let you jump to the user-facing camera, or the video camera.

You have to touch the phone's menu button to get at the camera's other controls. These let you adjust the shooting mode, exposure, and add effects. The camera natively shoots in the 16:9 aspect ratio. You can manually select 4:3 shooting ratio if you want to be all old-school. Using the 4:3 mode uses fewer pixels, you're better off sticking with 16:9 Other options include geo-tagging, face detection, and an on/off switch for auto-focus.

The Amaze has touch-to-focus; if you see something on the display and you want it to be in focus, press it. The camera will focus on that spot. Press the dedicated shutter button or the on-screen button to actually take a picture. The Amaze focuses and shoots pictures very quickly. In fact, it is one of the fastest cameras on a phone that I've seen. It returns you to the shooting mode in perhaps one second.

 

[marctronixx]

fyi some of those features are not supported in the current apk posted. for example i dont think you can do 1080p recording in 3D mode from what i read...

 

[eyebeam]

Installed via the apk method. Higher resolution one had force closes, but the slightly lower res one seems to work well for me. Haven't played with it extensively yet, but so far, so good. Many added features and the pics look great. Overall camera response appears to be quicker. Auto setting looks like it produces better pics. The best part so far - 3D pics seem to blur less.

 

[Lozer_Kid]

So, I just installed it but I don't reallysee much difference from the stock camera besides the interface. What makes this camera better than the EV3 camera?

 

[CarrieK]

I don't think it matters a whole lot whether you use this app or the original. There is a school of thought that you have to play with the default settings too much in the original. I had read an article a while back that gave tips on how to get the most out of the stock app so it really wasn't a problem for me. I do enjoy modding my phone though, so when I ran across this hack I thought I would give it a try. I also thought maybe some of you here might be interested in trying it too.

As for my opinion, I like the UI and the default settings are pretty good. I have been able to use Clearshot, Night, and Action with pretty good results in 3D. Smartshot, Burstshot and Portrait didn't work in 3D though and reverted back to my previous setting. 2D pictures look really nice and clear, though I don't know if they are really much better than ones I took with the stock camera app with my own settings. Still haven't had any force closes.

 

[Lozer_Kid]

I see. I still prefer the stock app. I'm now used at manually changing the settings before taking a picture. I haven't tried all the features of the hacked version but the problem I found is having a hard time selection the preset settings, sometimes when I want to select one of the presets, it automatically goes back to the previous settings.

 

[DonB]

Correct, but I figured I would post the whole specs for the purpose and hype of this camera, and the Devs that are working on fixing all the features will eventually have most of these features working. So simply wanted to show it's potential.

fyi some of those features are not supported in the current apk posted. for example i dont think you can do 1080p recording in 3D mode from what i read...

 

[CarrieK]

I see. I still prefer the stock app. I'm now used at manually changing the settings before taking a picture. I haven't tried all the features of the hacked version but the problem I found is having a hard time selection the preset settings, sometimes when I want to select one of the presets, it automatically goes back to the previous settings.

I know what you mean. I am used to changing the settings myself too. There is a Manual setting in this app that allows you to do that if you prefer. Also, some of the presets don't work yet, which is why they revert back to your previous one. It is just a matter of personal preference. Some people don't mind and even would rather make their own settings while others want to just point and shoot without having to go into the manual settings at all. I think the second group of people would probably prefer this modded camera hack than the one that came on it. If the devs get the rest of the auto settings working on this then it will be pretty sweet. They've done a pretty good job with it so far.

 

[LBPHeretic]

Yeah, 3D video capture in 1080p is still a no go even with this camera app. I just tried it myself.

I am pretty sure they will get that working along with the other missing features soon though. I like some of the interface updates too.

 

[DonB]

Kool I will install it in a bit, I will try the APK, to see how it works, so I can report back for the n one rooters, how did you instal LBP ?? If you installed it that way, then I will flash it instead, let me know

Edited, I also noticed that the APK say HTC Camera and not HTC Amaze Camera ??

Yeah, 3D video capture in 1080p is still a no go even with this camera app. I just tried it myself.

I am pretty sure they will get that working along with the other missing features soon though. I like some of the interface updates too.

 

[DonB]

Here some good comparison camera reading for you all, xda-developers - View Single Post - [MOD] HTCCamera from Amaze 4G(rooted stock rom ready,2048x1152/1920x1080 in 3D), v0.8

 

[LBPHeretic]

Kool I will install it in a bit, I will try the APK, to see how it works, so I can report back for the n one rooters, how did you instal LBP ?? If you installed it that way, then I will flash it instead, let me know

Edited, I also noticed that the APK say HTC Camera and not HTC Amaze Camera ??

I flashed the .zip file in recovery since I am rooted. It worked without a hitch.

I flashed the 2048x1152 version and that seems to work fine. People should flash the 1920x1080 version if they have issues with the larger resolution one that was mentioned above.

 

[DonB]

K, I will test the APK then to report to the non users.

Also if you don't have a dropbox account sing up with my link below and we will both get an extra 250 MB of free space

I flashed the .zip file in recovery since I am rooted. It worked without a hitch.

I flashed the 2048x1152 version and that seems to work fine. People should flash the 1920x1080 version if they have issues with the larger resolution one that was mentioned above.

 

[krayziejoe]

They will most likely add these features to the E3D with the ICS update, no?