Amaya Toman The start of sales of the iPhone XR is literally just around the corner, so the first concrete information and responses are beginning to be released to the public. Among other things, users were wondering if the iPhone XR would take artificially beautified selfies just like the iPhone XS and XS Max. However, it seems that Apple has managed to find out what is behind the problem and will fix the bug soon.
A few weeks ago, user complaints began to appear that the front camera of the latest iPhone unnaturally smoothes the skin at the expense of details. Server editors The Verge but found that Apple tinkered with the Smart HDR algorithm in the iOS 12.1 update to better preserve detail and address over-smoothing issues. Owners of iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR will feel the change for the better, i.e. all three models with the Smart HDR function. The official version of the operating system iOS 12.1 should be released during the next month - most likely it will go to the world together with the new iPad Pro models.
The Verge reports that the Smart HDR tool chose the wrong base image to process the selfie – instead of choosing a photo with a short shutter speed, it chose a shot with a slower shutter speed, resulting in the loss of desirable detail and stop motion. In addition, the front camera lacks optical image stabilization, so the photos you take with this camera are blurrier than photos from the rear, stabilized camera, even at the same shutter speed.
Hopefully Apple will be able to improve the way Smart HDR combines different exposures in the next iOS 12 update. If Smart HDR starts working with a sharper base image, details will be preserved and the resulting photo will look noticeably more natural. iOS 12.1 is currently in beta testing.
