Apple has released a video that describes the genesis of Portrait Lighting mode

The Portrait Lighting photo mode was (and still is) one of the big draws to entice customers to buy the new iPhone X, or iPhone 8. Apple has published a video on its official YouTube channel in which it describes how this mode actually came about. It is nothing technical, the minute and a half long spot is rather illustrative and partly intended to serve as an advertisement.

The Portrait Lighting photo mode should allow iPhone X owners to take portrait photos of "studio" quality, especially with regard to the lighting of the photographed object, the lighting of the scene and the composition. Its operation uses the front camera and, above all, the software tools inside the phone. After taking a portrait photo, it is possible to change individual face lighting modes according to the user's requirements. There are several modes available and all of them are captured on video.

https://youtu.be/ejbppmWYqPc

Apple claims in the spot that when preparing this feature, they were based on both classic portrait photos and paintings. They researched different ways of lighting the photographed object, the resulting images, specific exposures, etc. During the development of Portrait Lighting, Apple collaborated with the best in the field, whether it was the photographers themselves or individual technology companies that operate in the photography industry. Thanks to the possibility of using machine learning, the company managed to combine years of proven lighting techniques together with the ability to dynamically edit the image after it is taken. The result is the Portrait Lighting feature. According to Apple, a tool that will make you no longer need a professional photographer.

Source: YouTube