Blackmagic brings digital film prowess to Samsung & Google phones

Blackmagic Design has launched the Blackmagic Camera for Android, bringing advanced digital film features to Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel phones. This new application aims to enhance the quality of video content that users can produce on their mobile devices, making it suitable for television and film production.

The Blackmagic Camera app is built on the same operating system as the company’s digital film cameras. This allows users to access professional tools typically used in producing feature films, television content, and documentaries, the company states. Crucially, the app supports collaboration through Blackmagic Cloud, enabling multiple editors and colorists around the world to work simultaneously on media files.

The app is now available for free from Google Play. It provides digital film camera controls and an interface designed to be as intuitive and user-friendly as Blackmagic Design’s high-end cameras. According to the company, this means that users can adjust settings such as frame rate, shutter angle, white balance, and ISO with a single tap. It also offers the capability to record directly to Blackmagic Cloud in industry-standard files up to 8K resolution.

Grant Petty, CEO of Blackmagic Design, commented on the launch stating, “The Blackmagic Camera app for iPhone has been incredibly popular since it was launched last year.” He added, “We are excited to be able to give customers with Samsung Galaxy or Google Pixel phones the same controls for shooting digital film as our professional cameras. Plus, the Blackmagic Cloud workflow lets customers record to Blackmagic Cloud Storage and automatically sync with DaVinci Resolve. It’s really exciting to be able to give even more customers the ability to get their footage to the newsroom or post production studios literally in seconds.”

The app includes a comprehensive heads-up display (HUD) that presents vital camera controls such as lens selection, frame rate, shutter angle, timecode, ISO, white balance, tint, histogram, and audio levels. Users can modify these settings interactively by tapping on the corresponding icons. The interface also allows users to clear the HUD to reveal a full-screen image by simply swiping up or down.

In addition to basic shooting controls, the settings tab grants quick access to advanced options such as monitoring, audio settings, camera setup, and recording formats like H.264 and H.265. It also comes with professional audio meters and monitoring tools that include zebra settings for checking exposure, focus assist, and frame guides.

An integrated chat workspace within the app allows project members to communicate and share creative ideas in real-time, without leaving the application. Users can log into Blackmagic Cloud, select their project, and start messaging other team members such as editors, assistants, or VFX artists. This smooth communication feature aims to support seamless collaboration on media projects.

Users can browse, scrub clips, search, and sort media through the media tab, which links directly to their phone’s DCIM folder for easy access. Clips can be uploaded to Blackmagic Cloud Storage or synced directly with a DaVinci Resolve project for post-production processes. Three media management options are available based on users’ location and data coverage: recording directly to the phone, automatic upload and sync to Blackmagic Cloud after each recording, or manual upload when network conditions permit.

The Blackmagic Camera for Android aims to democratise film production capabilities, providing advanced tools and cloud-based collaboration to a broader range of creators.