--- title: "Here’s Why Smartphones Are Struggling to Take Pics of Apocalyptic Skies" description: "Find out why smartphone cameras are struggling to capture San Francisco's orange skies. Learn what settings to change for an accurate photo." date: "2020-09-10" modified: "2020-09-16" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/smartphones-struggling-take-pics-orange-skies" categories: - "Computing" - "Devices" - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "california" - "smartphone" - "the digest" - "wildfires" --- # Here’s Why Smartphones Are Struggling to Take Pics of Apocalyptic Skies ![]() *\Image: @mithrilmaker/Twitter\* ## Orange Skies Smartphone cameras are having an unusually difficult time capturing the [apocalyptic orange skies]() hanging over much of the West Coast right now. Massive clouds of smoke, caused by dozens of uncontrolled wildfires, have turned major cities across California and Oregon into something resembling a Martian landscape. But onlookers found their smartphones [were struggling]() to capture the unusual, vivid shade of orange. The result: most photographs ended up being washed out or turned the orange sky grey. https://twitter.com/DrewTumaABC7/status/1303702667437330433 ## Color Correction That's mainly due to automatic color correction built into the default camera apps preloaded onto most smartphones, [according to *Axios*](). The software controlling the cameras is desperately attempting to correct hues and exposure to resemble more normal-looking sky. In other words, the smartphone expects a blue, overcast, or night sky — not an orange hellscape straight out of "Mad Max." It's easy to forget: some handsets, especially iPhones and Google's Pixel phones, are doing a lot of heavy computational lifting when you take shots. ## Manual Override That's why, to get an accurate picture of California's orange skies, color correction must be manually overriden, as [*CNET* explains](). Third-party apps such as Halide or Adobe's Lightroom will get you far more accurate results right off the bat thanks to more manual controls. "If you want a more realistic orange photo, try putting something in the frame the AI recognizes the 'normal' color of — like a human being," advised *Washington Post* tech columnist Geoffrey Fowler [on Twitter](). Turning off auto white balance in the main camera app will also get you far better results. Try setting it to "daylight" rather than having the app try to estimate it itself. https://twitter.com/geoffreyfowler/status/1303742585526132736 **READ MORE:** [Smartphone cameras struggle to capture San Francisco's orange sky]() \[*Axios*\] **More on the orange skies:** *[The Skies in California Basically Look Like the Apocalypse Right Now]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()