How to Take Kindle Fire Pictures & Videos

This tutorial shows you how to take Kindle Fire pictures and videos with the built-in camera on the HD tablets.

Amazon has made accessing all the camera's features quite unfriendly, so this Kindle Fire tip is super useful and much more user friendly than Amazon's lack of instructions and access!

Taking Pictures and Videos on Your Kindle Fire

There are several options for accessing the camera on your Kindle Fire HD tablet.

For this tutorial I'm going to show you the two methods I use for taking pictures AND videos. I also explain some additional ways to access your photos besides the main photo features section on your device.

Be sure to read all the way to the bottom of this tutorial for links to some optional free apps that also let you take and edit photos.

Lights, Camera, Action!

Alright, here we go!

Method #1: Use GoToApp

The easiest method discovered (thus far) for accessing both your Kindle Fire photo and video camera, is to use a fabulous little app called GoToApp!

You can download the free version, which works perfectly for this tutorial, or feel free to pay for additional features in the paid version:

• GoToApp Demo - $0.00
  
• GoToApp Full - $2.25

Did you download GoToApp? Alright, now open it. It should automatically scan your Kindle Fire for apps and organize them in a somewhat acceptable way.

You can organize, rename, create, and delete folders for organizing your apps, but for now, let's focus on the camera.

After opening GoToApp you should see the camera app icon right in the main folder. Tap it:

That will open your camera and you can continue on to the section below on how to use your Kindle Fire camera for taking both photos and videos!

But don't miss my next instructions for using an alternate method, you might prefer it.

Method #2: Use ES File Explorer

The first thing you will need to do is find and install the amazing FREE app, ES File Explorer.

Once you've downloaded this super handy app, go ahead and open it up.

UPDATE NOV 2021: The most useful features of ES File Explorer have now been moved to the premium version (which is NOT free). However, at the time of writing there is a 7 day free trial on offer.

Now tap on the icon that looks like a globe with a phone on it:
(If your screen is in portrait, the icon will be at the top left)

Tap "Tools":

Tap the icon that looks like a window with a clock on it:

Tap "System Apps":

Tap "Camera" and then "Open":

Voilà! You have now found your Kindle Fire's hidden camera!

Just take a picture of something, or someone, and there you go. Here, I'll show you how.

Ready, Aim, Fire!

Taking a picture can be a bit of a challenge since the camera on the HD Kindle Fire is a front-facing camera (to use as a webcam with Skype). Couldn't Amazon have given us a forward facing camera too?!

Anyway, to take a Kindle Fire picture you "just" aim and then tap the blue button, all without moving- it's harder than you think! The picture will automatically be saved until you're ready to find it later:

Uh oh! Someone doesn't want her picture taken.

Video Time!

To take a video, tap the video icon at the top left. This is another great reason to use these methods to access the camera app, as some of the other apps don't have the video option.

There's a simple zoom bar right on the screen, that's easy to use, as well as a panoramic camera option to the left of the camera icon. I wasn't too successful in my brief attempt to figure it out, perhaps you'll have more luck/patience.

The camera app also has some fun settings you can toy with, just tap the icon to the right of the camera icons, as shown in the screenshot below.

I don't know what all the settings do, so have fun experimenting with them. :)

Accessing Your Photos and Videos

Now that you've taken some pictures and videos, you probably want to look at them, don't you? Of course you do!

You can go to the Photos section on your Kindle Fire and then make sure you're viewing photos on your "Device". There will be a folder that says, "Camera", your pictures should be there!

That's all there is to it. :)

Finding Kindle Fire Photos with ES File Explorer

You can also access your photos with the ES File Explorer app which is an excellent way to have access to the folders and files on your Kindle Fire.

To start, exit out of the camera by tapping the Kindle Fire menu viewer (double lines next to the blue button), and tapping the back button.

You should be back in ES File Explorer, if not just open it back up.

If you are still in the System Apps screen (where you tapped on the camera) tap the "X".

Tap the "DCIM" folder:

Tap the "Camera" folder:

Now you should see your pictures and videos:

Tap a photo or video that you want to view. When you do you will get a couple of options, depending on what other apps you have installed on your Kindle Fire.

(Note: the following screenshots are from an older version of ES File Explorer, but they have the same basic info.)

Each photo/video viewer is a little different, but the basic options are the same.

Delete, Delete, Delete! Share, Share, Share!

With the camera not being a regular forward facing one, you'll no doubt need to delete many of your attempts at capturing the world around you. I know I did! Just tap and hold down on a picture or video and you'll be given a ton of additional options, such as delete, rename, and share.

Photo Editing Apps

As I mentioned above, here are some great apps for taking Kindle Fire photos and then editing them right on your tablet.

Optional Apps:

• Photo Editor - $0.00
• PicShop Lite - $0.00
• PicShop - $2.49

There are several others out there, but the top two free ones are those I've tried out thus far.

I hope you've enjoyed this fun tutorial! Learn even more about your Kindle Fire with my other Kindle Fire Tricks and Tips.