In an example embodiment, an application is executed on a mobile device, causing generation of application graphical output in an application layer. The application layer is rendered on a touchscreen display. A first gesture of a user is detected, and in response to the first gesture a viewfinder layer is generated, the viewfinder layer containing real-time image data from the embedded camera via a camera service. A composite of the application layer, the viewfinder layer, and a transparency mask is rendered so that a portion of the viewfinder layer is visible and a portion of the application layer is visible on the touchscreen display at the same time. Then a second gesture by the user is detected, and in response to the second gesture, viewfinder data from the viewfinder layer is captured and the viewfinder layer and transparency mask are removed.