The Google Pixel 8 Pro's video boost feature was released as part of the December Pixel Feature Drop, and it appears there was more to it than was originally realized.
According to a report from Android Police, there has been a slight change found in the UI for the camera app that makes it easier for users to enable Video Boost in certain situations.
Supposedly when trying to take a video in a dimly lit environment the camera app on the Pixel 8 Pro recommended using the Video Boost with Night Sight. This is reportedly different from the message sent when Night Sight was first rolled out. Originally it was a much larger prompt that took up three-quarters of the screen and made use of a big toggle for the video boost.
The new prompt is decidedly less intrusive, but also more specific in its activation. Apparently, the new prompt will only appear on the Google Pixel 8 Pro camera when trying to shoot in low-light situations. It is important to note that having a prompt is important for the simple reason that Video boost is not activated automatically, so it can be easy to forget about.
Video Boost is an interesting addition to the Pixel 8 Pro, but there are several restrictions for getting it to work properly. In theory, Video Boost should be used to improve the quality of videos with an updated dynamic range, sharpness, color and stabilization for uploaded videos. However, the function needs Google Photo Backup to be activated to function.
It should also be noted that Video Boost does not actually work locally on the Pixel 8 Pro, despite the reported power of the Tensor G3 Chip. Instead the feature works by transmitting the recorded video to the Google Cloud servers where it will run every frame through an HDR Image+ pipeline to improve the video quality. This transfer is also why the Video Boost feature is constantly activated and has to be turned on each time the camera app is activated.
This is a simple change, but one that will certainly make it easier for users to get the best results out of their phones. The Video Boost feature has been reported to have a massive improvement on low-light videos so improving the toggle is a great addition.
