Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL has one of the best cameras installed on any smartphones. What Google has achieved with one camera lens is achieved by dual-camera setup when it comes to other manufacturers. Google is a software giant and they have proved it by developing such a brilliant software for the camera that it doesn’t require dual-camera to create DSLR like blur effects. And this is not all, Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL also has a secret custom imaging-focused SoC. Google calls it the Pixel Visual Core. This beast was sleeping, until the release of Android 8.1 Developer Preview. If you are running Android 8.1 Developer Preview on Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL then you can enable Pixel Visual Core on Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL.
Google’s image processing magic was only confined to the built-in camera app, means only the photos taken within the Google Camera app got the HDR+ Treatment. Any third party app which plugs into standard Android Camera API didn’t get the HDR+ treatment. However, in Android 8.1 Developer Preview you can unleash the beast contained in Pixel Visual Core and enable it to get the HDR+ effect for pictures taken from third-party apps. Once you turn on HAL HDR+ processing, any third-party app that plugs into the standard Android Camera API will have its photos processed with the Pixel Visual Core. So, you will get the results as good as Google camera app.
Without any further ado, lets jump straight to the guide on how to enable Pixel Visual Core on Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL.
How To Enable Pixel Visual Core on Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL
- Go into Settings >> System >> About phone.
- Scroll down to the end and Tap on Build number 5 times.
- Now go back and Tap on Developer Options.
- Scroll down under the “Debugging” subsection and tap the toggle marked Camera HAL HDR+.
- Now Reboot your phone.
That’s it! That’s how you can enable pixel visual core on Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL.
