Samsung Cloud Photography: Which Mode Suits Each Sky

Galaxy cameras offer several options for capturing the clouds in the sky, and the best approach depends on the conditions. For a still bank of cumulus clouds, a well-exposed single image is all you need. A wide line of storm clouds may be better suited to a panorama. And for quickly moving clouds, try a time-lapse.

Photo mode, Pro mode or Expert RAW

The single-frame tools deal with highlights differently; since clouds are mostly highlight detail, how well each tool holds on to that detail without it just becoming blown-out white is the question.

Pro mode on Samsung’s camera doesn’t use HDR (according to their camera FAQ), so a bright sky will blow out sooner in Pro mode than Photo mode. On the flip side, you get more control and consistency (all shots in a series will look the same in Pro mode). Auto HDR can be turned down a notch (or two) in Photo mode. See the HDR guide for an explanation of this setting.

Settings for different skies

Tap the screen on the brightest area (usually clouds) before adjusting brightness, as your phone determines exposure based on what area you tap.

Note that if you adjust shutter speed manually in Pro mode, Samsung forces you to adjust ISO manually as well, and this turns the exposure compensation into an exposure indicator.

Reading the sky before you shoot

There are three different heights at which clouds can form and the Met Office recognises ten principal types of cloud.

A knowledge of which types of cloud to look out for will help you decide whether to hang around for better conditions or come back another day.

• Detached, cauliflower-shaped cumulus clouds are classic fair-weather clouds and are usually brighter on top with darker bases. They’re best photographed in side light, towards late afternoon, when they often show good shape and form.
• Thin, wispy cirrus clouds are formed from ice at high altitude and often indicate an approaching warm front. They can look great at sunrise or sunset when they reflect the colours of the sun, according to the Met Office.
• A uniform layer or blanket of white or grey stratus cloud rarely makes for exciting sky pictures, but look for interesting breaks in the cloud or consider shooting in black and white on stratus days.
• Gaps in cloud at either sunrise or sunset can allow crepuscular rays (sunbeams) to shine through. Expose for the brightness of the sunbeam and allow the surrounding cloud to fall to darker tones.
• A halo can occur when sunlight passes through ice crystals in high cloud, says the Met Office. A 22-degree halo is wide and is best photographed using an ultra-wide angle lens to capture the whole halo and include some foreground interest.

Which lens suits a big sky

All current Galaxy phones have a 0.6x ultra-wide angle camera. This is handy for capturing a huge storm front for example, but do bear in mind that clouds towards the edges of the frame will look somewhat distorted (stretched). The main camera (1x) also has the biggest image sensor, so images from this camera will retain the most detail, which is handy when shooting the sky in the last light of day.

You can use a telephoto lens (3x on Galaxy S24, S25 and S26, 3x and 5x on Galaxy S24 Ultra, S25 Ultra and S26 Ultra) to crop in tightly on just one cloud formation. For instance, towering cumulus clouds are particularly photogenic when the sun is low and lights just the tops of these towering clouds. Galaxy A phones, Galaxy Z Flip phones and the Galaxy S25 Edge don’t have a telephoto camera, so you’ll have to crop in post-processing using the main camera. If you’re planning to crop in significantly, consider using the 50MP photo option (when available and there’s good light) from the main camera. Our resolution guide breaks down when you should consider 50MP.

Panorama and time-lapse for moving skies

Panorama: Hold your phone steady and pan slowly in one direction. Make sure there’s enough detail in the background for stitching, e.g. don’t frame just the sky, but include some buildings or the horizon. The panorama guide covers the rest.

Hyperlapse and Panorama modes are under MORE in the Camera app’s modes list on the Samsung Galaxy S26. Hyperlapse: Use a tripod, tap the Speed icon to choose the frame rate (Auto works based on the action in the frame), and record for a few minutes instead of just a few seconds. Our Hyperlapse guide has more on speeds.

The Camera Assistant app from Samsung has Timer multi-photo options (listed under Shutter in One UI 9) to choose the number of photos and time interval. The free app from Galaxy Store works on Samsung’s flagship phones and the supported A-series phone list keeps growing.

Storm skies and staying safe

Dark storm clouds against a brighter sky make for great drama, so expose for the brighter areas of the sky and try to keep the land low in the frame. A lone tree or building at the horizon line can also add scale without distracting from the sky.

Don’t get too close to thunderstorms, as there’s no safe outdoor location during a thunderstorm according to the US National Weather Service, and if you can hear thunder, you’re likely close enough to be struck by lightning. Take cover and shoot the advancing front from there. For info on shooting in the rain and your phone’s water rating, see the bad-weather guide.

Why sky photos fall flat

• When taking photos of clouds, avoid metering off of the land as this can wash out clouds to a texture-less white. Instead, tap on the brightest part of the clouds and adjust the brightness slider down until you can see some definition in the cloud edges.
• Note that some types of clouds, like stratus clouds, will appear as featureless grey no matter what settings you use; your best bet here is to wait for some variation in the clouds before pressing the shutter button.
• Banding (coloured bands in otherwise smooth colour gradients) can occur when editing photos, particularly if the photo was saved as a JPEG and/or you’ve made significant changes. Try to avoid dramatic edits or, better still, shoot in RAW.
• Stitched panoramas can suffer from a discontinuous horizon line if you move your wrists (rather than pivoting on your hips) whilst taking the series of photos that will be stitched together. Try to keep the panorama guide level with the actual horizon.
• Scene Optimizer can artificially darken blue skies, and if you prefer a more true-to-life appearance, disable it (known as Scene detection, under Photo enhancer in Camera settings, on a Galaxy S25 Ultra running One UI 9, checked in November 2026).

Editing clouds

In Samsung’s Gallery app, you can open the image for editing (pencil icon) and adjust the brightness and contrast. It’s probably best to drop the brightness a touch before increasing the contrast to avoid too much clipping in the brightest areas of the clouds.

With Snapseed’s (free) Curves tool you can target the mid-tones of the sky to darken them a bit. The Selective or Brush tools will let you darken just one of the brighter clouds, while leaving the land alone. If the sky is a bit hazy, Snapseed’s Dehaze tool can add some punch. Just be careful not to overdo it or you’ll get glowing edges. Dramatic cloud often works in monochrome too, and the black-and-white guide shows when to drop the colour.