If you’re like me, video calls are a crucial part of modern life. I rely on them to communicate remotely with my work colleagues, but also to stay in touch with people in my personal life.
However, there is one big thing that I often struggle with: lighting. Ensuring my face is properly exposed without a distracting background can often be a challenge, especially at home.
This is a particular problem with disappointing laptop webcams, but it also commonly affects phone selfie cameras. So when I heard about Qualcomm’s new AI Relighting feature, I was excited.
Available on the company’s new Snapdragon 8 Elite mobile chip, it uses artificial intelligence to add a virtual, customizable light source, keeping you perfectly exposed.
And after trying it at Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Summit in Maui, it’s as good as I hoped.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
The first thing that struck me was how realistic it was. The subtle lighting effect it applies could easily convince others on the call that it was coming from a real source. Being able to move the virtual light source anywhere in the frame helps a lot with this.
There are also many other customization options. Qualcomm lets you adjust the intensity and color temperature, as well as choose from six different colors. Classic tones of white and yellow are included, but you can make yourself appear more red or blue if you wish.
This might not seem like a revolutionary feature, but it’s an effective use of AI that would significantly improve my video calling experience. That’s why I’m so excited to see it come to the next generation of Android phones.
As a feature of the new Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, many Android flagships will have the option to add AI Relighting to their phones. It’s up to each manufacturer to decide, but I hope at least a few of them decide to adopt it.
You might also be interested in other features of the Snapdragon 8 Elite that I can’t wait to try.
