A close encounter.

a reply to: WeMustCare

On my photo? Yes.

As I wanted to take a photo of an aeroplane I looked at flightradar24.com to see if there was any plane near the Lisbon airport. I only had to wait a minute or so for it to reach my field of vision from my balcony.

As I know the time I took the photo it looks like it was easyJet flight U22461 from London (Luton) to Lisbon.

a reply to: Unwokenone

Thanks

originally posted by: Unwokenone
Yes how do does one obtain the EXIF file?

The EXIF data is inside the photo file.
Although there are some programs just for working with EXIF data, most image processing programs like Photoshop, Gimp and even Irfanview show some of the information.

The operating system also shows some of that information.
For example, if you have Windows computer, right-clicking the image file and choosing "Properties" and then the "Details" tab will show some of the EXIF data, like F-Stop and exposure time.

Starlink string went over or house Friday about 6:30 as we sat in the hot tun. We're just south of the 45th parallel in the eastern time zone. was rather impressive because it was just launched.

a reply to: ArMaP

Yes, ArMaP, there are numerous ways to obtain the EXIF details, even online services.

The problem is the night mode that was used. If I'm correct, all the EXIF info we'll get pertains to the physical properties of the camera; not what was actually applied to the photos in question.

Unfortunately, night mode would have taken a series of bracketed shots at various exposures, then AI is used by the top of the line phones to interpret and render what AI determines was in the image.

The most important aspect of photography is light, which is obviously at a premium in night photography. Night mode on phones doesn't extend exposure times, but rather use multiple shots to rebuild what the sensor took in and add artifical lighting to fill in the blanks. That's why it can't handle moving objects.

If we're going to get anything from the images then we need the raw files from the phone, without any further compression or manipulation; the phone's software has already done enough damage...

If we get those from the OP then I would also like to know the make, model/year of the car and exactly which of the photos were taken inside or outside of the vehicle; if inside, were they taken through the windshield or side windows?

originally posted by: Encia22
The problem is the night mode that was used. If I'm correct, all the EXIF info we'll get pertains to the physical properties of the camera; not what was actually applied to the photos in question.

Unfortunately, night mode would have taken a series of bracketed shots at various exposures, then AI is used by the top of the line phones to interpret and render what AI determines was in the image.

From my understanding (I'm far from an expert on cell phones) of "night mode", no AI is used, what it does is a kind of "frame stacking", a method used on astro-photography. Basically, what it does is take several photos and then add them all together, similar to HDR, but while HDR takes several photos at different settings to get the best from dark and bright areas, "night mode" only adds the frames to increase brightness.
"Frame stacking" may also be used to increase detail, as the individual pixels may be slightly offset on the different images taken and used to create an artificial increased resolution.

But I think we need to know the exact phone model to know what type of "night mode" does it use.

If we're going to get anything from the images then we need the raw files from the phone, without any further compression or manipulation; the phone's software has already done enough damage...

True, but I don't think the camera stores the individual frames, so we could only get the original final result of the "night mode".

a reply to: ArMaP

Yes, I've never found a way of extracting the multiple frames (HDR). They are definitely stored in the phones hidden memory... this allows future editing via the camera's software.

Here's more about how AI is used by Google, so Android. I know Samsung also does this via its own software and most probably, Apple, too.

From Android Authority

Essentially, Android Night Mode (or whatever your manufacturer may call it) uses artificial intelligence to analyze the scene you are trying to photograph. The phone will consider multiple factors, such as light, the phone’s movement, and the movement of objects being captured.

The device will then shoot a series of images at different exposure levels, use bracketing to merge them, and bring out as much detail as it can into a single picture. Of course, there is a lot more going on behind the scenes. The phone must also measure white balance, colors, and other elements, which is usually done with fancy algorithms most don’t fully understand.

The short of it is that the images are not what the OP saw with the naked eye.

So, yes, the raw images will only provide a single frame, but at least they will be of the highest resolution possible and contain all the EXIF data that ATS's image server tends to strip, leaving just some skeleton info.

originally posted by: Encia22
Here's more about how AI is used by Google, so Android. I know Samsung also does this via its own software and most probably, Apple, too.

I don't know if that's an Android feature, as Google has their own phones, and even if these things are done in software, it may be dependent on some hardware (that's the best way of doing processor intensive work).

As for the AI mention, I take that with a grain of salt, as today is too easy to say that something is done with AI when in fact it's only using specific algorithms to process statistical data.

But thanks for the information.

a reply to: ArMaP

Google does make phones, the Pixel range... I've got the Pixel 7, so I'm familiar with how its features work.

However, apart from One+ and Apple, I believe the majority of phones use Android as a base. Some provide the pure, untainted Android One experience, whilst others slap on their own launcher and software.

Enter stage left, the evil Samsung that were the focus of manipulated moon photos, verging on fake.

From The Verge

For years, Samsung “Space Zoom”-capable phones have been known for their ability to take incredibly detailed photos of the Moon. But a recent Reddit post showed in stark terms just how much computational processing the company is doing, and — given the evidence supplied — it feels like we should go ahead and say it: Samsung’s pictures of the Moon are fake.

A relatively detailed photo of the Moon.
A Samsung smartphone identified a blurry photo of the Moon and added detail to create the above image. Image: u/ibreakphotos

But what exactly does “fake” mean in this scenario? It’s a tricky question to answer, and one that’s going to become increasingly important and complex as computational techniques are integrated further into the photographic process. We can say for certain that our understanding of what makes a photo fake will soon change, just as it has in the past to accommodate digital cameras, Photoshop, Instagram filters, and more. But for now, let’s stick with the case of Samsung and the Moon.

The test of Samsung’s phones conducted by Reddit user u/ibreakphotos was ingenious in its simplicity. They created an intentionally blurry photo of the Moon, displayed it on a computer screen, and then photographed this image using a Samsung S23 Ultra. As you can see below, the first image on the screen showed no detail at all, but the resulting picture showed a crisp and clear “photograph” of the Moon. The S23 Ultra added details that simply weren’t present before. There was no upscaling of blurry pixels and no retrieval of seemingly lost data. There was just a new Moon — a fake one.

And more...

This is not a new controversy. People have been asking questions about Samsung’s Moon photography ever since the company unveiled a 100x “Space Zoom” feature in its S20 Ultra in 2020. Some have accused the company of simply copying and pasting prestored textures onto images of the Moon to produce its photographs, but Samsung says the process is more involved than that.

In 2021, Input Mag published a lengthy feature on the “fake detailed moon photos” taken by the Galaxy S21 Ultra. Samsung told the publication that “no image overlaying or texture effects are applied when taking a photo” but that the company uses AI to detect the Moon’s presence and “then offers a detail enhancing function by reducing blurs and noises.”

The company later offered a bit more information in this blog post (translated from Korean by Google). But the core of the explanation — the description of the vital step that takes us from a photograph of a blurry Moon to a sharp Moon — is dealt with in obfuscatory terms. Samsung simply says it uses a “detail improvement engine function” to “effectively remove noise and maximize the details of the moon to complete a bright and clear picture of the moon” (emphasis added). What does that mean? We simply don’t know.

So, with all that in mind, I don't feel confident we can trust what we see in pictures taken with high end phones. All this because phone camera sensors are tiny compared to dedicated cameras. And in digital photography, bigger sensors equal better images. Phone cameras need a little help from software to compete.

a reply to: ArMaP

Ok, as the OP hasn't come back yet with more information, I had a look at the EXIF data of what we were given so far. I've not posted all the data, but just the essentials:

The first image:

Camera Make and Model Samsung S23 Ultra

6.3 mm at ISO 3200 and 1⁄2sec at ƒ/1.7

Taken: 2023:12:29 18:25:25

So, yes, top of the range Samsung in 2023.

And now the mystery. The second image appears to be stripped of its data. I tried about six online services and none could extract anything apart from one which indicated the image was last modified a few hours ago, which can't be right.

So, is the second image damaged in some way from resizing for ATS? Now I'm even more curious to see the original files.

ArMap & Encia22

Happy New Year!!!
Since the OP hasn't returned & there is much discussion re his cell phone & the photos. I hope its ok to ask you both some questions without getting in trouble re cell phones, photos & video. I have Android Note 9 & it's suppose to have great camera & etc. I have never looked into it but I really want to know how to take great photos & videos. I have not gone thru
& studied the camera settings at all, re light, shutter speed & etc. I know I need to.

So what would be great settings for photos & videos for space ie Moon & more? I know many people connect phones to
telescopes & binocs. But I have not had time to look into any of it... I have had encounters since a wee kid & still
going on...all simple photos of the moon or sun rising & setting are just crap...

Also these phones are smart so can you pre program a certain mode ahead of time on the phone to take photo or video
when a possible UFO is present? I apologize for not knowing much about photography but I am interested in Space stuff & Nature. I heard many many years ago that the Original Polaroid Camera would show paranormal stuff like ghost due to the
infrared..? & they stopped making the original or without the infrared camera?

My father has a Rebel (sorry forgot the make & model) but it does have the infrared & I hope I get it for the paranormal.
Thank you both so much for being active in these recent UFO & Alien threads. I initially came here just for that but also
discovered & participated in other interesting topics here...!

Cheers
Ektar

a reply to: Ektar

PM4U

a reply to: Ektar

Hi Ektar, sorry for the delay in replying.

There's so much to say in order to answer your questions that it wouldn't be fair to derail this thread.

If you like, it would be better to start a new thread and pose your questions in a way that it would be easier to address each one. Also, you'll get the benefit of more members seeing it and giving you advice.

All I will say here is start studying the basics of photography because without some knowledge no amount of advice will be of any use.

Double post.