Top 9 helpful Samsung Gallery tips and tricks: Get the most from your photos

Samsung's photo gallery app is better than you think

Just like its phones, Samsung's apps are also filled to the brim with plenty of useful features — its Gallery app is the perfect example of this. At first glance, the app might look just like any other gallery app. However, once you dig deep into the settings menu, you'll find several useful options like OneDrive integration, Object eraser, Spot color, and more. I'd even say it is among the most feature-rich Gallery app available for Android.

Below are some of the best tips and tricks for the Samsung Gallery app to help you make the most of it.

1. Gallery Labs

You can enable some experimental features in Samsung Gallery through Gallery Labs. This hidden menu needs to be enabled in a similar style as Developer Options in Android.

1. Open Samsung Gallery.
2. Tap the 3-dot menu button in the bottom-right corner.
3. Tap Settings.
4. Scroll down and head over to About Gallery.
5. Repeatedly tap the Gallery version (the numbers, not the word "Gallery") 7-8 times.
   1. You should see a toast notification saying that Gallery Labs has been enabled.
6. Go back to Gallery settings.
7. Scroll to the bottom of the list where you should see the Gallery Labs option.

You can find many experimental and upcoming new features in the Gallery app here — I recommend enabling the Convert HEIF images when sharing option under Image Viewer as it will make sharing HEIF photos easier.

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2. Secure Folder

You can move photos and videos from your Samsung phone's gallery to a Secure Folder to keep them away from prying eyes. Secure Folder keeps all data in a safe and encrypted format so that it is not accessible by anyone else.

1. Select the photos, videos, or album that you want to move to Secure Folder.
2. Tap the More button in the bottom navigation drawer.
3. Select the Move to Secure folder option.

If you use this option for the first time, you'll have to set up Secure Folder by granting it the necessary permissions and entering a password/pattern/PIN lock. You can open Secure Folder from your phone's app drawer to access the hidden photos and videos.

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3. Object eraser

Google created a fair bit of hype for the Pixel 6's Magic Eraser feature that lets you remove unwanted objects from a photo. Samsung, however, has been ahead of the curve and debuted an Object eraser option in its Gallery app with the Galaxy S21 series in early 2021 itself.

Here's how to use it to remove unwanted objects or reflections from photos:

1. Open the photo in the Samsung Gallery app from which you want to remove an object.
2. Tap the Pencil icon from the bottom toolbar to enter into editing mode.
3. Tap the 3-dot menu button in the bottom right corner.
4. Select Object eraser.
5. Proceed to tap or draw on the object that you want to remove from the photo.
   1. You can erase shadows and reflections by selecting the appropriate option.
6. Tap Erase to see the results.

If the object is not completely erased on the first try, repeat steps 5-6 again.

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In case you did are not fond of Samsung's object removal implementation, there are plenty of other Magic Eraser alternatives that you can try.

4. Spot color

Besides Object eraser, Samsung's Gallery app has another fantastic editing tool that's buried inside sub-menus: Spot color. It allows you to turn a photo black and white, with only some specific parts or objects being in color. This can be used to make certain subjects pop in a photo.

1. Open the photo in the Samsung Gallery app from which you want to remove an object.
2. Tap the Pencil icon from the bottom toolbar to enter into editing mode.
3. Tap the 3-dot menu button in the bottom right corner.
4. Select Spot color.
   1. The photo will be automatically converted into black and white now.
5. Tap on an object that you want to be in color.
   1. The changes will also be applicable for all objects or subjects of the same color in the photo.
   2. You can use the Remove color or Erase color options to remove them from unwanted objects.
6. Tap Done to apply the changes.
7. Select Save from the top right corner to save the photo.
   1. This will replace the original photo, though. To save the edits as a copy, go to More options > Save as copy.

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5. View and edit EXIF data

Samsung's Gallery app makes it easy to view the EXIF data of the photos and videos you shoot. In fact, you can even edit this data if you wish to.

To view the EXIF data like resolution, size, and geotagged location, simply open a photo or video and swipe up. To edit EXIF details, follow the steps below:

1. Tap the arrow near the EXIF data in the Samsung Gallery app.
   1. You'll get a more detailed look at the EXIF data now.
2. Tap Edit in the top right corner.
   1. You can now change the date, time, file name, and the geotagged location of the file.
3. Select Save when done.

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6. Hide album

By default, new folders containing photos and videos on your Samsung phones will show up as a new album in the Gallery app, including those created by third-party apps. If you want to keep your gallery clean and organized, you can hide the unwanted albums and folders.

1. Open Samsung Gallery app.
2. Tap the 3-dot menu button in the top right corner.
3. Tap hide or unhide albums.
4. Proceed to toggle the albums/folders you want to hide.
   1. You cannot hide some important folders like camera and screenshots.

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7. Drag and drop content between albums

If you have multiple folders or albums in Samsung Gallery, you can move media files between them with a simple drag and drop gesture.

1. Open Samsung Gallery app.
2. Select multiple photos and videos and long press on them.
3. This will bring up the list of available folders or albums in a sidebar on the left.
4. Drag and drop the items to the desired folder.

8. Sync with OneDrive

As a part of its partnership with Microsoft, Samsung offers native OneDrive integration in its Gallery app. If you are already subscribed to Microsoft 365, you can take advantage of the 1TB OneDrive space and backup all your photos and videos to it. Here's how to set up OneDrive sync in the Samsung Gallery app:

1. Open Samsung Gallery app.
2. Tap the 3-dot hamburger menu button in the bottom right corner.
3. Tap Settings.
4. Select Sync with OneDrive.
5. Agree to the terms and conditions and then tap Connect.
6. Proceed to connect your Samsung and Microsoft accounts.
   1. You'll need to sign in to your Samsung account if you have not already done so.
   2. Then log in with your Microsoft account.
7. Now, all photos and videos in your Gallery will be automatically backed up to OneDrive.

The content will be organized, and you can search through them using dates and tags.

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9. Recover deleted photos and videos

Accidentally deleted a photo or video from your Samsung phone? Don't worry, as the Gallery app offers a Recycle Bin-like functionality, so you have up to 30 days to restore your deleted media files.

Here's how you can access the Recycle bin in Samsung Gallery:

1. Open the Samsung Gallery app.
2. Tap the 3-dot menu button in the bottom right corner.
3. Tap Recycle bin.
4. A list of all the deleted photos and videos from the last 30 days will be shown here.
5. You can open an individual picture/video and tap the Restore icon to put it back in the gallery.
   1. To restore multiple items at once, tap Edit, select the items, and then tap Restore at the bottom.

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Samsung regularly keeps updating its Gallery app with new features, so make sure to dive into the settings menu from time to time to check out what's new.

About The Author

Rajesh Pandey (191 Articles Published)

Rajesh Pandey started following the tech field right around the time Android devices were going mainstream. He closely follows the latest development in the world of smartphones and what the tech giants are up to. He loves to tinker around with the latest gadgets to see what they are capable of.

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