Apple's Reference Image feature is here: How it helps photographers
What's the story
Apple announced a new feature, called Apple Reference Image, to verify the authenticity of photos taken with its iPhone 18 Pro. The tech giant announced the development at its Surprise and Shine event. The company believes this feature will be especially useful for photojournalists and photographers who need to ensure their images are genuine.
Functionality
How Apple Reference Image works
The Apple Reference Image feature works by capturing signed sensor data when a photo is taken.
This data is then processed by Apple's Private Cloud Compute service, creating an "unalterable image" that can be viewed in the Photos app.
The reference image can be compared with other versions of the same photo to check for any alterations, similar to a "digital negative."
Developer support
Support for SynthID standard
While reference images will only be viewable in the Photos app initially, Apple is providing APIs for developers to integrate this feature into their own apps.
The company has also announced its support for the SynthID standard, which helps users identify if an image was created or altered using artificial intelligence (AI).