How To: Mod Removes Note 3's Camera Quality Restrictions

With a 13 megapixel camera that can record in full 4K, there's a lot to love about the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 from a photographer's perspective. The image quality in my photos and videos are top-notch and nothing to complain about, but as with all things tech, things could always get better.

Developers (and image quality freaks) kevinrocksman and killa12222 have modded the Note 3's camera to the max by bumping up video recording bit rates, tweaking image compression for even more amazing picture quality, and enabling "unrestricted" 4K video recording.

Check out the video below to get this camera hack installed, and scroll down for more info on what this hack actually does and for the full written guide.

What This Camera Hack Actually Does

Normally, the Galaxy Note 3 will save photos as JPEGs at around 85% of the original quality to save space. With this mod installed, images will now be at 100% full quality and with zero JPEG compression.

Video bit rates are also boosted, which means higher video quality. If you've seen a low bit rate HD video online, you know that bit rate matters. Audio in videos has also been cranked up to record at 192kbps.

• Uncompressed image quality (no compression = bigger file size = better quality)
• Increased 4K video bitrate at 65Mbit per second
• Increased 1080p video bitrate to 44Mbit per second at 60P
• Increased 1080p video bitrate at 22Mbit per second at 30P
• Improved audio quality to 192kbps

What You Need to Install This Camera Hack

1. Your device must be rooted and be running Android 4.4.2 KitKat (Snapdragon models only, this is important). For rooting instructions, click here.
2. You also need a custom recovery installed. If you have AT&T or Verizon Wireless, use Safestrap Recovery. If you have Sprint or T-Mobile, use TWRP.

Step 1: Download the Camera Mod

Begin by tapping here to download the mod on your Note 3. I'll be using Safestrap Recovery to flash this mod, but the process will be similar if you're using TWRP, since Safestrap is based off TWRP.

Step 2: Back Up Your Phone

Before you get to installing this mod, it's advisable to make a nandroid backup of your entire phone just in case you want to revert back. In your custom recovery, tap Backup followed by Swipe to Back Up to perform a full backup.

Step 3: Flash the Camera Mod

Next, tap the Home key on the bottom-left of the screen to get back to the main menu. Tap Install and navigate to sdcard/Download/, then choose the ZIP file you downloaded in Step #1. Now, just Swipe to Flash to install the mod and hit Reboot System.

When your Note 3 is booted back up, just use the camera to take pictures and record video like you normally would. There won't be any new UI changes as all the tweaks and mods are under the hood. You'll see an improvement in both videos and pictures, especially on closeups.

Give this camera hack a try and tell us in the comments below how you're liking the improvements to the camera. Be sure to show us some of the great pictures you've taken, too.