{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/phone-camera--family-light-color","type":"mechanic","id":"phone-camera--family-light-color","lang":"en","title":"Light, color and shadows","summary":"A game extracts brightness or color from the image. phyphox shows a camera preview and brightness estimate; autoexposure complicates uncalibrated comparisons.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/phone-camera--family-light-color/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/phone-camera--family-light-color.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/phone-camera--family-light-color.md","aliases":[],"tags":["Phone camera interactions","Mechanics catalog"],"sourceIds":["source-c121374ae20b1406","source-c95f287c6c516bc9","source-bdbe910fe2426deb"],"sources":[{"id":"source-c121374ae20b1406","title":"Apple AVFoundation: Camera Capture and Control","url":"https://developer.apple.com/documentation/avfoundation/capture-setup","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-c95f287c6c516bc9","title":"Android CameraX: zoom, torch, focus, exposure","url":"https://developer.android.com/media/camera/camerax/configuration","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-bdbe910fe2426deb","title":"phyphox","url":"https://apps.apple.com/us/app/phyphox/id1127319693?uo=4","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"Simple visual quantities are extracted from the image. Auto exposure and auto white balance change the measurements. An uncalibrated camera is not a replacement for a light meter or colorimeter."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### Variants and applications\n\n<a id=\"family-light-color-variants\"></a>\n\n- Brightness as a regulator. Action: Bring a light or dark surface to the camera to change the parameter. Application: Instrument volume, creature energy, setting virtual light. Technologies: Image analysis. <a id=\"variant-cam-025\"></a>\n- Light threshold. Action: Move between lit and dark scene to switch state. Application: Day and night, hidden world, light puzzle. Technologies: Image analysis. <a id=\"variant-cam-026\"></a>\n- Showing color. Action: Bring a colored object; its shade is determined by a command or resource. Application: Mixing paints, color spells, teaching colors. Technologies: Image analysis. <a id=\"variant-cam-027\"></a>\n- Collection of palette. Action: Find several desired shades in your surroundings. Application: Collecting, creative walks, design selection. Technologies: Image analysis. <a id=\"variant-cam-028\"></a>\n- Color sequence. Action: Show colors in a given order and tempo. Application: Visual code, music sequencer, memory game. Technologies: Image analysis. <a id=\"variant-cam-029\"></a>\n- Light drawing. Action: Move a small light source; the program accumulates its trajectory. Application: Drawing in the air, runes, creating light creatures. Technologies: Image analysis. <a id=\"variant-cam-030\"></a>\n- Shadow as a controller. Action: Move or change a shadow on a prepared surface. Application: Shadow theatre, catching targets, shape puzzles. Technologies: Image analysis. <a id=\"variant-cam-031\"></a>\n- Lighting direction. Action: Rearrange the light source and evaluate shadows or highlights in a controlled scene. Application: Educational laboratory, portrait setup, optical puzzles. Technologies: Image analysis; Own algorithm. <a id=\"variant-cam-032\"></a>"},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"Games, learning, creativity and interactive applications. Author's systematization of game rules based on proven technical capabilities. Examples are application ideas and not statements of released products."}],"relations":[],"placements":[{"catalogId":"phone-camera","id":"family-light-color","title":"Phone camera interactions","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/phone-camera/#family-light-color","categoryIds":["section-1"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Light, color and shadows","description":"A game extracts brightness or color from the image. phyphox shows a camera preview and brightness estimate; autoexposure complicates uncalibrated comparisons.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/sensor-phyphox-2.webp","width":663,"height":1440,"crop":{"x":0,"y":171,"width":663,"height":974},"game":"phyphox","sourceUrl":"https://apps.apple.com/us/app/phyphox/id1127319693?uo=4","originalUrl":"https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/PurpleSource221/v4/cd/9b/f6/cd9bf6f7-2965-318a-ed9d-37fd0f031daa/iphone-03-camera-luminance.png/720x1560bb.jpg","credit":"RWTH Aachen University","rights":"© RWTH Aachen University. Developer-distributed App Store screenshot. All rights reserved; excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.","caption":"phyphox: camera-based brightness estimation, not a separate light sensor","alt":"phyphox: camera-based brightness estimation, not a separate light sensor","markers":[{"x":60,"y":20,"label":"The brightness estimate relates to the scene observed by the camera"}]},"tips":["Lock exposure and white balance for comparisons when the device permits it."],"examples":[{"title":"phyphox","url":"https://apps.apple.com/us/app/phyphox/id1127319693?uo=4"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Original editorial design catalog consolidated from project discussions on 2026-10-20. Complete discussion item lists and contextual limitations are preserved; linked primary sources support specific techniques, not the entire classification. English translation was prepared with machine assistance and editorial review.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/phone-camera"}}