All Systems Looking Good

Articles in this section

See more

Photos and Videos (KitKat)

Avatar
Tiggs M.

This document is intended for Moto E (1st Gen.), Moto G (1st Gen.), and Moto X (1st Gen.) users

If your phone is currently running on Lollipop, you can find the instructions for photos and videos here: Photos and Videos (Lollipop)

Take photos

 

To open the camera app

Tap Apps, then tap Camera.

OR

Tap, hold, then swipe right on the phone's lock screen.

  

For Moto X (1st and 2nd Gen.)

Use Quick Capture to open the camera app by quickly twisting your wrist twice while holding the phone.

To take photos

Tap the screen anywhere once to take a single photo.

OR

Touch and hold the screen anywhere to take multiple photos.

Camera controls

  • To adjust zoom (1X-4X), drag up or down on the screen with one finger to adjust zoom (1X - 4X).
  • To capture a still photo while recording a video, touch the screen anywhere.

For Moto G (1st Gen.) and Moto X (1st and 2nd Gen.)

Touch the icon to switch between the front and rear cameras.

 Camera settings

IMG1.png

To access camera settings

  1. Drag from left to right on the screen with one finger to open settings.
  2. Spin the wheel by pressing and dragging up with one finger to view more settings (if available).

 

 

To enable/disable camera settings

  • Tap a setting icon to enable/disable or view options for that setting.
  • Enabled settings will display a blue edge; disabled settings will display a grey edge.

  

  Camera settings
3.png

High Dynamic Range (HDR)

Best for landscapes or outdoor portraits; not recommended for action shots.

(Note: HDR mode will not work when flash is on.)
4.png Flash (Moto G (1st Gen.) and Moto X (1st and 2nd Gen.) only)
Set to On, Off, or Auto.
5.png

Control focus & exposure

  • Moto G (1st Gen.) and Moto X (1st and 2nd Gen.): Drag the bracket anywhere to set focus and exposure
  • Moto E: Drag the bracket anywhere to set exposure.

6.png

7.png

Video

  • Moto G (1st Gen.):
    • Slo Mo

  • Moto X (1st Gen.)
    • Slo Mo
    • HD (720p)

  • Moto X (2nd Gen.)
    • Slo Mo (1080p)
    • HD (1080p)
    • Ultra HD (4K)(2160p)
8.png Panorama
Take a panorama photo.
9.png Geo-Tag
Tag photos with a location.
10.png

SD Card (Moto E only)

Set SD card as the default storage location for photos taken with the camera.

See MicroSD Card for Moto E  for more info.
11.png

Aspect ratio (Moto G (1st Gen.) and Moto E only)

Change the aspect ratio when taking photos from the default 4:3 to 16:9. (Photos will be saved with a 3.8MP resolution instead of the default 5MP resolution.)
12.png

Resolution (Moto X 2nd Gen. only)

Choose from Widescreen (9.7MP, 16:9) and Standard (13MP, 4:3).
13.png

Shutter tone
Turn shutter tone on or off.
14.png

Quick Capture (Moto X (1st and 2nd Gen.) only)

Twist your wrist twice quickly to launch the camera anytime. Turn on or off.

Take videos

  1. Tap Apps.
  2. Tap Camera to open the app.
  3. To begin recording, tap the recorder icon on the bottom right. (To pause while recording, tap the pause icon on the bottom left of the screen.)
  4. To stop recording, tap the stop button icon on the bottom right.

  

Change the camera resolution

For Moto X (2nd Gen.)

Under Camera Settings, tap the Resolution icon to change resolution:

15.png
  • Widescreen: 9.7MP, 16:9
  • Standard: 13MP, 4:3

For Moto X (1st Gen.), Moto G (1st Gen.), and Moto E

There isn't a setting to change resolution, but you can:

  • Change the resolution after a picture has been taken by cropping or trimming the image to reduce the file size.
  • View the photo in Gallery or Photos and take a screen capture by pressing Power and Volume Down keys at the same time.

When attaching a photo or using the video capture feature in a text message, the file will be automatically downsized.

View, edit, & delete photos and videos

View photos and videos

  1. Tap Apps.
  2. Tap Gallery or Photos.
  3. Select an album.
  4. Touch a photo or video to open.

To zoom in on a photo

Open a photo, then drag two fingers apart or together on the screen.

To view photos in a slideshow
Open a folder, then tap Menu and select Slideshow.

Edit photos

To edit a photo in Gallery
Open a photo, then tap Menu and select Edit.

 

Edit options

 

Style

None, Punch, Vintage, B/W, Bleach, Instant, Latte, Blue, Litho, X Process
  Border
 

Modify

Straighten, Crop, Rotate, Mirror
 

Adjust

Autocolor, Exposure, Vignette, Contrast, Shadows, Vibrance, Sharpness, Curves, Hue, Saturation, BW Filter

To edit a photo in Photos

Open a photo, then tap Edit to see a list of editing options.

Edit videos

Adjust video length

  1. Open a video, then tap Menu and select Trim.
  2. Use the slider to adjust the length of the video:

Slow motion

To turn a normal-speed video into slow motion, open a video and tap Menu, then Slow Motion Edit.

Delete photos and videos

  1. Select the photo or video in Gallery or Photos.
  2. Tap the trash can icon.
  3. In Gallery, tap OK to confirm.

Share photos and videos

Note: MMS (picture/video text messages) can currently only be sent to or received from certain carriers.

Share photos

  1. Tap Apps.
  2. Tap Gallery or Photos.
  3. Select the album and photo of your choice.
  4. Tap the Share icon to see a list of apps where you can share the photo.

Share photos via MMS

  1. Tap Apps.
  2. Tap Messaging to open the app.
  3. In a new message, tap the paperclip at the top right to bring up the Attach menu.
  4. Select Pictures (to send an existing photo) or Capture picture (to take a picture).
  5. When you're done with your message, tap the Send icon.

Share videos

  1. Tap Apps.

  2. Tap Gallery or Photos.

  3. Select the album and video of your choice.

  4. Tap the Share icon to see a list of apps where you can share the video.

Share video via MMS

  1. Tap Apps.

  2. Tap Messaging to open the app.

  3. In a new message, tap the paperclip at the top right to bring up the Attach menu.

  4. Select Capture Video.
  5. Tap the Send icon.

Note: Only videos taken through the Messaging Capture Video function can be sent in a message. Existing videos captured through the Camera app will result in an error message stating the video is too large. (The best way to share existing videos is through email.)

Back up photos and videos

You can automatically back up your photos and videos to Google+ by turning on Auto Backup. This can include photos you take with your device’s camera, photos you download onto your phone, and photos saved by other apps.

  • Your automatically backed up photos are private unless you choose to share them.
  • You can back up an unlimited number of standard size photos (2048px or less) and videos (less than 15 minutes long, 1080p or less) for free. Auto Backup is set to back up at full size by default, but can be changed to standard size in Settings.

To turn on Auto Backup

16.png
  1. Open the Photos app.
  2. Tap Menu in the top left corner.
  3. Tap Settings.
  4. Tap Back up & sync.
  5. Ensure the toggle on the right is on. Tap it to turn it on if it isn't.

To back up photos from other apps

You can automatically back up your Android device's photo and video folders, including photos you've downloaded, screenshots you've taken, or photos saved by other apps.

To turn on or off for individual folders:

  1. Open the Photos app.
  2. Tap Menu.
  3. Tap On Device to display a list of folders on your phone.
  4. To the right of each folder title, tap the cloud icon to turn Auto Backup on or off for that folder:
    17.png  Auto Backup is on for that folder
    18.png  Auto Backup is off for that folder

To view photos and videos you've backed up to Google+

  1. Open the Photos app.
  2. Tap the main menu icon at the top left of the screen.
  3. Tap Photos.
  4. Tap Search.
  5. Type #AutoBackup in the search box.
  6. At the bottom right of the keyboard, tap the search icon.

To delete photos and videos from Auto Backup

Note: If you delete a photo or video from Auto Backup, the photo or video will be deleted from your Google+ account but will still be on your device (if it was taken with your device's camera).

 Delete from just your device

Clear space on your device but keep your photos and videos saved in Google+.

  1. Open the Photos app.
  2. Tap Menu.
  3. Tap On Device to display a list of folders on your phone.
  4. Tap and hold the photo or video you want to delete, then press and drag to the Trash icon.

 Delete from just your Google+ account

Keep your photos and videos saved on your device, but delete them from your online account.

  1. Open the Photos app.
  2. Tap the main menu icon at the top left of the screen.
  3. Tap Photos.
  4. Tap Search.
  5. Type #AutoBackup in the search box.
  6. At the bottom right of the keyboard, tap the search icon.
  7. Tap and hold the photo or video you want to delete, then press and drag to the Trash icon.

 Delete from everywhere

Delete a photo or video from your device and from your Google+ account. If you delete a photo this way, you'll no longer see it in your Gallery, the Photos app, or your Google+ account.

  1. Open the Photos app.
  2. Tap the main menu icon at the top left of the screen.
  3. Tap Photos.
  4. Tap and hold the photo or video you want to delete, then press and drag to the Trash icon.

 Content provided by Google Support.

Accessibility

 To turn on closed captioning and subtitles:

  1. Tap Apps.

  2. Tap Settings.

  3. Under System, tap Accessibility.

  4. Under System, tap Captions.

  5. Move the slider from OFF to ON.

  To adjust settings

From the Captions screen, you can adjust:

  • Language
  • Text size
  • Caption style (background and text color of captions)

 Some content was provided by Motorola Support.

Related articles