iPhone XS Users Complain About Skin-Smoothing Selfie Camera

[ApfelKuchen]

What do people expect a selfie camera to be? I think "easy to use, and reasonably flattering" sums up the average expectation. The comparison images say a lot. Not only is the Xs image smoother, but the skin tones are warmer (which is generally considered more flattering) as well.

In low light (which is where the maximum smoothing takes place), it's purely a matter of how much noise reduction/smoothing is needed, not a matter of whether it's useful. So to a large extent, this complaint comes down to a matter of taste. Those who say it's too much are also trying to say, "I have better taste when I Photoshop."

Photo and computer enthusiasts always want more control, but to what degree does that control have to burden the masses who want point-and-click simplicity? Even if a smoothing/no-smoothing control is buried deep in the Settings app, it's one more setting for the less-than-knowledgable to puzzle over, if they ever make that deep dive. Our devices are far more complex than they were even a few years ago. There has to be some resistance to the trend towards complexity, or eventually the system collapses under its own weight. But then, there are enthusiasts who prefer the masses disappear from their field of interest. Fewer computer users, not more. Fewer photographs taken, etc. The higher the barriers (complexity), the happier they are.

To the person who said, "I want to shoot RAW and post-process..." Sorry, I DO shoot RAW and post-process, but not when I'm at a party or sporting event and want to share the fun - it just means more time spent doing something other than the thing I'm there for.

 

[charlituna]

What do people expect a selfie camera to be? I think "easy to use, and reasonably flattering" sums up the average expectation. The comparison images say a lot. Not only is the Xs image smoother, but the skin tones are warmer (which is generally considered more flattering) as well.

That’s all well and go but I think you miss the point of the complaints. Folks are saying that Apple is basically airbrushing photos against folks will. As if to say that folks are imperfect and even ugly. Like the magazines that brush away cellulite, pump up cleavage etc.

if that’s what they are doing then their ‘beauty filter’ needs work cause my selfies actually make me look worse than I do in real life cause they flatten my face to make it look fatter (just like regular cameras in poor light always have) and every pore and pimple stands out rather than being brushed away. And I’m using a Xs. A proper ‘beauty’ filter should at least be covering up my pores and pimples and my genetic black under the eyes,right.

 

[krspkbl]

to be fair that fat neckbeard in the article needs it.

 

[mac*jedi*g]

Over the course of the last week, the front-facing camera in the iPhone XS and XS Max has been receiving a lot of attention because the selfies captured on the new devices are drastically different from those captured with the iPhone X or earlier iPhone models.

In a MacRumors forum thread and on Reddit, Apple has been accused of using a skin-smoothing feature or a "beauty filter" for prettier selfies from the front-facing camera. The effect was demoed by a Reddit user in the image below:

We covered the issue in our recent iPhone XS Max vs. iPhone X camera comparison, where we did see the smoothing effect, but the front-facing camera's performance has garnered so much attention since then that we wanted to more prominently highlight the problem.

When taking a selfie in a situation where lighting is less than ideal, such as indoors or outdoors in areas with lower lighting, the iPhone XS Max appears to be applying a drastic smoothing effect that can hide freckles, blemishes, and other issues.

In full outdoor lighting the problem is less apparent, which has led to speculation that the skin smoothing is actually a result of some heavy-handed noise reduction techniques.

You can test the new camera yourself with an iPhone XS or XS Max and an older iPhone like an iPhone X model by taking selfies indoors and outdoors and comparing the differences between the two. In almost all cases where the lighting is low or uneven, photos captured with an iPhone XS Max look dramatically different.

It makes sense that we'd see differences between the iPhone XS and say, an iPhone 8 because the front-facing cameras are different, but as far as we know, the iPhone X and XS are using the same 7-megapixel front-facing camera. Apple detailed several changes to the rear-facing camera in the iPhone XS models, but beyond a new Neural Engine, there were no announced changes to the TrueDepth camera system.

Because the camera is the same, Apple is doing something different with the way photos are processed after being captured, which could be related to the new HDR features that have been implemented. Apple has a new A12 chip and next-generation Neural Engine that are aiding in photo processing to enable a Smart HDR feature that applies to both the rear and front-facing cameras.

Turning off HDR does not remove the smoothing effect, nor does tweaking any other camera setting, so if the ultra skin smoothing is a result of something like unintentional excessive noise reduction, it needs to be tweaked on Apple's end through a software update. YouTuber Unbox Therapy recently demoed the issue with a series of selfies.

While it's mostly the front-facing camera that's been under scrutiny, this is a problem that affects both the front-facing and rear-facing cameras and it's not entirely limited to skin. Excessive smoothing can be seen affecting other images as well.

There has been speculation that Apple intentionally implemented the skin smoothing feature to mimic the beauty mode that's popular in Asia and common on some other smartphones, but it's not clear if that was Apple's intention.

Many MacRumors readers and Reddit users have reported the issue to Apple, and given that this issue has received so much attention, we may see front-facing camera tweaks in a future iOS update.

Article Link: iPhone XS Users Complain About Skin-Smoothing Selfie Camera

[doublepost=1538248639][/doublepost]Ah stop bellyaching. It only the “AAM” feature of the AI: Auto Anti-Monet

Sure, most of us, including yourself, look fine from distance. But as you get closer, you’re a hot mess - none of which should be shared amongst the masses. Apple is doing their part — from blinding the world.

 

[jazz1]

This looks pretty bad, "plastic" "fake", it should be optional

If my Fujifilm X-Pro2 did this I'd drop it in the nearest river I'd much rather have the option to turn this "feature" off. But maybe this is where we are going. Check out this Zeiss Camera with many in camera adjustments.

https://www.engadget.com/2018/09/28/zeiss-zx1-full-frame-compact-camera/

 

[PickUrPoison]

We're talking about a cellphone camera that’s designed to get the best shots possible under a wide variety of conditions. Noise reduction is seemingly overly aggressive, and Apple will likely tweak the algorithms in a future release of iOS.

Not much of a scandal, but boy are the YouTubers laughing all the way to the bank lol.

 

[mattxr87]

Rememeber when everyone complained about the x being too sharp?

 

[hellopupy]

unbox therapy channel is insufferable, comes off as not genuine at all

 

[Regbial]

Shut up and go away. If you’re taking an actual photo you don’t use the front facing camera. That’s for selfies and face time and Apple is trying to do the ugly a favor. So those complaining should shut up and say thank you. Apple is quite literally making them look better and all they can do is complain.

lol.... bruh

well why don't they just add it as an option? a little magic wand around there in the UI as usual?

 

[dilbert99]

It's apparently the camera smoothing compensating for low-light, not so much a "beauty feature". Right observation, wrong conclusion.

I don't believe that for a few reasons...
It applies to the selfie cam and not the other one.
Many/most of the photos I have seen it in are well lit, even the iPhone 6 was able to take the pic with no noise.
Your source is not Apple and never will because Apple will quietly fix this.
[doublepost=1538270896][/doublepost]

unbox therapy channel is insufferable, comes off as not genuine at all

Thats what I now think about Apple Keynotes

 

[groadyho]

Those pics are terrible, looks like you belong in wax museum. In all fairness, Apple has to give you something to feel good about.

 

[AlliFlowers]

Honestly...at my age I'm not going to complain about any skin smoothing.

 

[groadyho]

This looks pretty bad, "plastic" "fake", it should be optional

You even look better el natural. Agreed X takes a better pic

 

[Abazigal]

I don't believe that for a few reasons...
It applies to the selfie cam and not the other one.
Many/most of the photos I have seen it in are well lit, even the iPhone 6 was able to take the pic with no noise.
Your source is not Apple and never will because Apple will quietly fix this.
[doublepost=1538270896][/doublepost]
Thats what I now think about Apple Keynotes

How about a testimonial from a developer of a camera app then?

https://twitter.com/halidecamera/status/1046078241683984387

 

[groadyho]

Honestly...at my age I'm not going to complain about any skin smoothing.

Unless it makes you look a mortician just got done with you for a viewing
Lol jk

 

[AlliFlowers]

Unless it makes you look a mortician just got done with you for a viewing
Lol jk

Could be an improvement some days.

 

[VictorTango777]

Ooh. Boo hoo. Isn’t life tough with me Millennial First World Problems an’ all! What next? Me shoelaces are a bit too tight. Can’t you do my studying for me? Why can’t I have money now and work for it later? Life is SO unfair!

So this is going to be about personal responsibility? In that case:

Nearly half of the posts so far are from people claiming that Apple is doing this to help ugly people and then pointing to those online reviewers as evidence. Well, how is that Apple's responsibility in the first place? Why should Apple be responsible for bailing out people who choose not to eat healthy, exercise, or practice good hygiene? The best thing that Apple can do is to show everyone how they really look. Without moral hazard, what is to stop those people from further damaging their own bodies? Why should people decide to take better care of themselves when they can just use an iPhone to snap an "improved" version of themselves?

Have we also considered that altering people's appearances might undermine the Health initiative that Apple are currently pushing? What's next? Should Apple Watch start displaying more favorable heart readings so fat, out of shape people can feel better about themselves?

Take responsibility people! If you want to look better, work for it! Make America great again!

 

[groadyho]

Could be an improvement some days.

Ahaha. I think I can safely say that applies to all of us, us old tymers atleast.

 

[ToddJ]

The back camera has been doing something similar for a few years now.....when you zoom in on it, it almost looks like strokes of a paint brush. When you look at the pictures as a whole, it usually gives it the illusion of sharpness..back in the iPhone 5 days, instead of a 'paintbrush strokes" look, it would just show up as normal noise (which was way better and more realistic.)

 

[cfurlin]

Unbox Therapy has to be the most annoying "Tech reviewer" right now.

Constant click bait, annoying thumbnails, and always obnoxious with that fake over the top personality.

He's just angry because the smoothing makes others look better, but it didn't help him at all.

 

[dilbert99]

How about a testimonial from a developer of a camera app then?

https://twitter.com/halidecamera/status/1046078241683984387

One camera does it (front facing) the other (rear facing) does not. How does one explain that.

At the end of the day, its the end result that matters. It doesn't matter why or how the 'beauty mode' (insert what even name you want to call it) made it in there. Apple will fix it so that either the 'beauty mode' is an option or removes it.
[doublepost=1538278279][/doublepost]

Unbox Therapy has to be the most annoying "Tech reviewer" right now.

Constant click bait, annoying thumbnails, and always obnoxious with that fake over the top personality.

He's factually correct. Bringing to the attention of the masses issues with beauty mode and failure to charge. I guess facts hurt.

 

[Abazigal]

One camera does it the other does not. How does one explain that.

At the end of the day, its the end result that matters. It doesn't matter why or how the beauty mode made it in there. Apple will fix it so that either the beauty mode is an option or removes it.

The point is that it isn’t a beauty mode, so it’s not about enabling said option to be turned on or off.

 

[dilbert99]

He's just angry because the smoothing makes others look better, but it didn't help him at all.

Don't let the facts get in the way of a quip.
[doublepost=1538278463][/doublepost]

The point is that it isn’t a beauty mode, so it’s not about enabling said option to be turned on or off.

If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck...
As I said, the end result is a beauty mode and Apple does not allow you to turn it off.

It is not capturing a true likeness and Apple will fix it - do you agree with this point?
[doublepost=1538278645][/doublepost]

So this is going to be about personal responsibility? In that case:

Nearly half of the posts so far are from people claiming that Apple is doing this to help ugly people and then pointing to those online reviewers as evidence. Well, how is that Apple's responsibility in the first place? Why should Apple be responsible for bailing out people who choose not to eat healthy, exercise, or practice good hygiene? The best thing that Apple can do is to show everyone how they really look. Without moral hazard, what is to stop those people from further damaging their own bodies? Why should people decide to take better care of themselves when they can just use an iPhone to snap an "improved" version of themselves?

Have we also considered that altering people's appearances might undermine the Health initiative that Apple are currently pushing? What's next? Should Apple Watch start displaying more favorable heart readings so fat, out of shape people can feel better about themselves?

Take responsibility people! If you want to look better, work for it! Make America great again!

You are missing the point and making a strawman argument.

People object to Apple putting out a camera that is not capturing a true likeness and not having an option to turn off that feature.
[doublepost=1538281768][/doublepost]

The point is that it isn’t a beauty mode, so it’s not about enabling said option to be turned on or off.

You are missing the point. Would you agree that Apple have an issue with their selfie/front facing camera that is not present on the rear facing camera where it is not taking realistic photos and that said feature will be fixed either by removing it or adding an option.

Its a strawman to argue about the name of the feature. The name of it doesn't matter. Just that said feature is there and you cannot turn it off.

 

[Baymowe335]

One camera does it (front facing) the other (rear facing) does not. How does one explain that.

At the end of the day, its the end result that matters. It doesn't matter why or how the 'beauty mode' (insert what even name you want to call it) made it in there. Apple will fix it so that either the 'beauty mode' is an option or removes it.
[doublepost=1538278279][/doublepost]
He's factually correct. Bringing to the attention of the masses issues with beauty mode and failure to charge. I guess facts hurt.

His presentation is totally over the top and annoying.

 

[inscrewtable]

Wow this is an uncharacteristically amateur attempt at 'skin smoothing' by Apple. They've gone way too far now and it looks like someone has given it a photoshop blur, (Filter>Noise>Median filter) then blended it back in using one of a dozen possible methods. Except they've done it with no finesse and a heavy inexperienced hand causing them to lose texture. A worrying direction for Apple to move towards unless it's a toggle abled option.