Samsung Selfie Camera Settings
Samsung selfie camera settings: stop selfies saving flipped, pick wide or normal framing, turn off beauty effects, use Show palm, and fix blurry selfies.
The mirror selfie option can be found under Camera settings, while the beauty effects are located behind the effects button. Switching between the wide-angle and regular selfie views is available directly from the viewfinder. And if you want to know how to take a selfie without touching your phone, check out the options under Shooting methods.
In this guide, we’ll show you where to find all of these selfie-related options in the latest versions of One UI. We’ll also tell you how to fix blurry selfies and improve your front-camera videos on your Galaxy phone.
Selfie settings at a glance
| Setting | Where to find it | What to choose |
|---|---|---|
| Save selfies as previewed | Camera settings, under General on One UI 8.5 and 9, or under Selfies on older versions | Off for text that reads correctly, on to keep the mirror view |
| Wide or normal view | Icons at the bottom of the front-camera viewfinder | Wide for groups and scenery, normal for one face |
| Face effects | Effects button at the top of the viewfinder, or a beauty icon on A-series phones | Zero for a natural look |
| Portrait mode | Portrait in the mode bar, then switch to the front camera | Good light and some space behind you |
| Show palm and Voice commands | Camera settings, then Shooting methods | On for hands-free selfies |
| Settings to keep | Camera settings, under General | On, so the camera remembers your selfie angle and filters |
| Photo softening | Camera Assistant, where the phone supports it | Off if skin looks smeared |
Access Camera settings on any recent Galaxy by launching the Camera app and tapping the Quick controls button (four dots), then the gear icon. The options in this guide are the same as those listed in Galaxy user guides and on Samsung support pages. The screen names here are from a Galaxy S25 Ultra with One UI 9 as of November 2026. Our camera settings guide covers every other item in that menu.
Why Samsung selfies come out flipped
When Save selfies as previewed is enabled, images captured with the front camera will be saved the same way they’re displayed on the screen (including images in videos). The preview in the front camera acts like a mirror. For example, if you raise your right hand, the hand in the preview will also be on the right side. Some people prefer their selfies saved like this because that’s how they’re used to seeing themselves.
When this option is disabled, photos taken with the front camera will be flipped so other people see you the way you actually look. For example, if there’s writing on your shirt or a sign behind you, the text will appear flipped if this option is enabled and will be readable if it’s disabled.
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Open Camera settings
In the Camera app, tap the Quick controls button, then the gear icon.
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Find Save selfies as previewed
On a Galaxy S25 Ultra, with One UI 9, it’s in the General section. That’s also where Samsung puts it in its One UI 8.5 guide for the Galaxy S26. But in its guides for older versions of One UI (One UI 7 and 8 on the Galaxy A17, for example) it’s under a section called Selfies.
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Test the result
Take a selfie while holding up something with text on it. If it’s reversed in the image in Gallery, then Save selfies as previewed is enabled.
Once you’ve taken your selfie, you can always flip it later. Just open the image in Gallery, tap the Edit icon (the little pencil), and then tap the option that has a square with an arrow in it. Once there, select Flip (Samsung’s support page for US customers lists this option right next to Ratio and Rotate).
Wide or normal selfie framing
For selfies, Galaxy phones have just one camera at the front, so both the normal and wide views use the same camera. Use the normal view for a tighter selfie of just you or use the wide view if you’re taking a group selfie or want to include the scenery behind you. According to Samsung’s S26 support page, you can switch between these views using the icons at the bottom of the viewfinder.
Keep in mind that, according to GSMArena, the S26 Ultra’s selfie camera lens is wider (23mm) than the S25 Ultra’s (25mm), which means more people can fit in the frame. That said, anyone’s face near the edges of the frame could look distorted/stretched, so it’s best to avoid positioning people’s faces in the corners of the frame when taking wide-angle selfies. According to Samsung Indonesia, Distortion correction (available in Camera Assistant) can also help as it can straighten out objects like buildings and horizons in the background.
If you frequently switch between selfie views, you may want to enable Settings to keep, which remembers your shooting mode, selfie angle and applied filters the next time you open the camera app, according to Samsung’s US support page.
Turning off beauty and face effects
On the S25 and S26, according to the respective Samsung support pages, there’s a Face option in Quick controls to make selfies more flattering (tap the Effects icon in the top right corner of the viewfinder on the S26, then tap Face). On more affordable Samsung phones like the A17, according to Samsung’s user guide, there’s a beauty effects icon you can tap while previewing a photo. Either way, make sure it’s turned off or the effects are dialled all the way down to zero.
There’s also Photo softening (Picture softening in versions of One UI prior to 9) in Camera Assistant that Samsung Indonesia says can help if you’re taking pictures in bright, direct light like at midday. In Photo mode it smooths out textures and softens edges (our Camera Assistant guide shows where to find it). Experiment with taking selfies with this on and off. Of course, there’s image smoothing/processing that happens whenever you take a picture, and there’s no way to turn that off completely.
It’s easier to add smoothing in post than take it away, so consider taking all your pictures with smoothing turned off and only smoothing out pictures that need it after the fact. There are Face effects you can apply to pictures of people using Samsung’s built-in photo editor in Gallery, and according to Samsung’s support site in the US, Smoothness and Tone are among the options.
Selfie portrait mode
For best results with portrait mode (which does extend to selfies taken with the front camera), select Portrait from the mode bar, tap to flip to the front-facing camera, slide the slider to set the amount of blur you want in the backdrop, wait for Ready to appear on-screen and only then press the shutter button (yes, really, we’re talking Samsung’s own user guide here, not us!). The guide adds that blur quality suffers in portrait mode when there’s movement (on your part or the phone’s), if the subject is see-through or slender, or when the backdrop is featureless or has similar shades to you.
Messy tresses and the rims of spectacles are also likely to confuse the effect’s object-detection algorithm, so keep in mind that a well-lit scene with a textured backdrop a few steps behind you provides the best chance of success. Our portrait mode guide covers blur strength and editing the effect afterwards. Our guides for the Z Flip8 and Z Flip6 go over how, on the Galaxy Z Flip, you can use the cover screen to take selfies with the phone’s rear cameras.
Hands-free selfies with Show palm and voice
Show palm and Voice commands can be enabled and disabled under Shooting methods in Camera settings. With Show palm on, holding an open hand towards the front camera takes a selfie or starts a video. Palm shots are handy for solo selfies, but not for group shots, where the raised hand would end up in the photo.
Voice commands aren’t limited to selfies. Say “Capture”, “Cheese”, “Smile” or “Shoot” to take a picture, or “Record video” to shoot a clip (per Samsung’s A17 support page), and you can use this method for group shots and selfies alike.
- If Press Volume buttons to is set to take pictures, pressing a volume button can also take a picture. This can be steadier than tapping the screen.
- Note: Samsung’s guides say Show palm is limited to selfies taken with the front camera. For a selfie with the rear camera, use a voice command or the timer.
Why selfies look blurry, and what helps
| What you see | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Face soft, background sharper | Too close for a fixed-focus front camera | Hold the phone at full arm's length |
| Whole frame hazy, halos round lights | Smudged front lens or a lifting screen protector | Wipe the punch-hole lens and check the protector over it |
| Soft in dim rooms | A slow shutter and hand movement | Face a window, hold the phone with both hands, use the palm trigger |
| Skin looks smeared or waxy | Face effects or Photo softening | Set Face to zero and turn Photo softening off |
| Hair blends into the background | Portrait mode edge detection | Use Photo mode, or step further from the background |
| Sharp preview, soft photo | Moving before the capture finished | Hold still until the shutter animation ends |
Autofocus is a point of differentiation for Samsung phones. Samsung’s spec sheet for the UK lists no autofocus for the A17 5G’s 13MP front camera, and GSMArena discovered that the A57’s selfie camera also uses fixed focus. Meanwhile, the S26 and S26 Ultra’s 12MP selfie cameras support dual-pixel autofocus, according to GSMArena. If the selfie camera doesn’t have autofocus, you’ll have to get up close or far away to change the focus. Samsung’s user guide even mentions that images may not be in focus if the camera is too close to an object.
Clean your phone’s camera lens if photos are blurry, according to Samsung. A camera protector or cover can impact focus or distort light, according to Samsung’s support page for Australia. Selfie cameras are located behind the display’s glass panel, which you rest your cheek on or press with your thumb, so consider giving the camera a quick wipe-down before taking important selfies. Our blurry photo guide goes through the rear-camera causes as well.
Front-camera video
Front-camera videos follow the same rules as photos, so if you enable Save selfies as previewed, that’ll apply to videos too. Maximum video recording resolution and frame rate vary by phone. According to GSMArena, you can record in 4K at up to 60fps on the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Ultra; 4K at 30fps on the Galaxy A57; and 1080p at 30fps on the Galaxy A17.
According to Samsung’s Galaxy S26 support page, Horizontal lock with Super steady isn’t available when using the front camera, so brace yourself with both elbows in when recording front-camera videos. You can also swipe up or down on the preview to switch cameras during video recording, according to Samsung’s user guide. For both angles in one clip, our Dual recording guide shows how to film front and back at once, and our video recording tips cover sound and lighting.
Why does my Samsung flip my selfies?+
Why are my Samsung selfies blurry?+
How do I turn off beauty mode on a Samsung camera?+
How do I take a wide selfie on a Samsung?+
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