Apple’s new AI photo editing tools: impressive but imperfect
▼ Summary
– iOS 27 introduces the first serious AI photo editing features to the iPhone’s native Photos app.
– These features are considered tame compared to Google’s Pixel phone capabilities, but represent a major shift for the iPhone.
– The new tools allow editing that Apple describes as creating “memories,” raising questions about photo authenticity.
– The features are currently in the iOS 27 developer beta and may change before public release.
– The article mentions three new features, or possibly two and a half, though specifics are not fully detailed.
The most widely used camera system on the planet has finally entered the AI photo editing arena with iOS 27, and the shift feels more significant than the features themselves suggest. For the first time, iPhone users can manipulate their images with native, on-device intelligence that rivals what competitors have offered for years.
Let’s be clear: compared to the advanced AI editing capabilities on Google’s Pixel lineup, Apple’s new tools are relatively modest. They don’t yet erase objects with the same precision or reframe shots with the same seamlessness. But for the iPhone ecosystem, this update marks a major turning point in what Apple’s Photos app allows. The company is now actively encouraging users to alter their captured moments, to create what it calls “memories” rather than mere photographs. The line between documentation and digital creation has officially blurred.
These features are currently available in the iOS 27 developer beta, which means Apple could still refine them before the public rollout. The suite includes three core tools, though you could argue it’s really two significant additions plus a smaller enhancement. The first is Clean Up, which lets you tap on unwanted objects or people to have the AI remove them, similar to Google’s Magic Eraser. The second is Reframe, which intelligently recomposes a photo’s crop, shifting the subject to a more pleasing position within the frame. And then there’s Extend, which uses AI to generate new content beyond the original photo’s borders, effectively widening the shot.
In practice, these tools are impressive but imperfect. Clean Up works well on simple backgrounds but struggles with complex textures or overlapping subjects. Reframe can produce awkward results when the original composition is too tight. Extend is the most experimental, often creating plausible but not entirely convincing scenery. Still, this is a bold first step for Apple, and it signals that the company is fully embracing generative AI within its core apps. The question now is how quickly these tools will evolve, and whether iPhone users are ready to embrace a future where every photo is a starting point, not a finished product.
(Source: The Verge)
