US Patent 11399136 Automated camera mode selection

A camera mode to use for capturing an image or video is selected by estimating high dynamic range (HDR), motion, and light intensity with respect to a scene of the image or video to capture. An image capture device includes a HDR estimation unit to detect whether HDR is present in a scene of an image to capture, a motion estimation unit to determine whether motion is detected within the scene, and a light intensity estimation unit to determine whether a scene luminance for the scene meets a threshold. A mode selection unit selects a camera mode to use for capturing the image based on output of the HDR estimation unit, the motion estimation unit, and the light intensity estimation unit. An image sensor captures the image according to the selected camera mode.