Can I make the camera stay "open"

[Android Central Question]

I need to prevent the camera from timing out. I would like to use my smartphone as a visualiser to display a live demonstration through a projector. I don't actually want to record anything.

Perhaps there is an app that acts like a visualiser but all I have found so far want to record video to the phone.

 

[ManiacJoe]

I think that the big problem you will have is that running the camera system uses lots of power and generates noticeable amounts of heat, both due to the camera sensor processing and the on-screen display. This is why the camera apps tend to timeout fairly quickly when not actually recording.

That said, any app of the type you are looking for would handle those issues, but it would probably be a separate app from the standard camera apps. It would be interesting to know what apps you eventually find.