Augmented reality - the future is very close. Convert slow motion video to regular video
One of the main features of the iPhone 7 Plus is its dual camera, which allows you to shoot in . When shooting in this mode, the entire focus is on the subject, and the background is blurred (bokeh effect).
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Which devices support Portrait Lighting mode?
The functionality is only present in the iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X models. It is unlikely that this feature will appear in the iPhone 7 Plus, since the device uses the A10 processor.
In addition, it should be noted that the Portrait Lighting mode works on both cameras of the iPhone X (main and front), while on the iPhone 8 Plus it works only on the main one.
The Portrait Lighting feature uses machine learning. An infrared sensor is used for focusing, and a screen is used for illumination, which creates the necessary shade of light.
In the application "Camera" select option "Portrait", compose your shot, and then select the desired effect using the button at the bottom of the screen and take a photo.
How many styles does Portrait Lighting mode offer?
This mode offers five styles: “ Daylight"(soft natural light), " Studio light"(illuminates the subject's face), " Contour light"(allows you to manipulate highlights and shadows to highlight the details of a person's face in a portrait), " Stage light" (places the face (in color) of the model on a black background), " Stage light - mono”(works on the principle of the “Stage Light” filter, but the photo turns out to be black and white).
Can I cancel the Portrait Lighting effect after the photo is taken?
Yes, but shooting must be done in portrait mode. You won't be able to add a lighting effect if the photo is taken in Standard mode. To change the effect, open the Photos app and select the photo you want to edit. To start editing, click the slider icon. Above the bottom row of editing tools, you'll see a "dial" that lets you control the Portrait Lighting effects. Spin the wheel until you find the effect you want and click the Done button in the bottom right corner.
Is portrait lighting just a filter?
As Apple's senior vice president of marketing Phil Schiller explained, "Portrait Lighting is not just filters, it is an analysis of the lighting on the model's face in real time."
Portrait lighting creates a depth map that separates the subject from the background. Artificial intelligence detects the facial features of the subject and changes the lighting, adding soft light, shadows or darkening the background.
Can I use Portrait Lighting mode when taking selfies?
Only iPhone X owners will be able to take selfies using Portrait Lighting mode. iPhone X features a TrueDepth camera system housed in a tiny module at the top of the display that lets you take great photos and use Face ID.
Is Portrait Lighting stable?
It is worth noting that the portrait lighting mode is still in beta testing, so the functionality may not work flawlessly. By the way, the original portrait mode in the iPhone 7 Plus was in the testing stage for 10 months.
On September 12, Apple introduced the futuristic iPhone X. The public has already expressed its “fie”, rightly noting that we have already seen the main innovation, namely a frameless screen, from Samsung. However, the iPhone X has many other innovations that are implemented on the smartphone market for the first time.
1. Face ID
The idea of facial recognition to unlock a device is not new, but no technology has ever been perfect. Known for always doing everything smartly, Apple introduced the TrueDepth ultra-precise 3D scanning system in the iPhone X, which, together with machine learning, guarantees 100% recognition, even if you haven't shaved or are wearing glasses and a hat. At least that's what Apple said.
2. True Tone
This technology first appeared in the iPad Pro, and it does a very simple thing - it adjusts the colors and white balance on the screen according to the ambient lighting conditions. As a result, the image on the device always looks as it should. True Tone is now available on iPhone X.
3. 4K at 60fps
For the first time, Apple implemented 4K video recording in the iPhone 6s. By that time, there were already many smartphones with the same function, but only the iPhone could make videos of unlimited length, and even with cool image stabilization. But the iPhone X became the first smartphone that learned to record smooth 4K video at 60 frames per second - just what you need for dynamic scenes.
4. Slo-mo in Full HD and 240 fps
Yes, there is one smartphone that can shoot slower video - the Sony Xperia XZ Premium, which can handle 720/960p. However, when it comes to Full HD resolution, the iPhone X is ahead of everyone with 240 frames per second. This is not just slo-mo, but ultra-quality slo-mo.
5. Animoji
Funny animated emojis in Apple Messages. The TrueDepth camera, which is also responsible for Face ID, creates a mask of your face based on the movements of 50 muscles. iPhone X then applies this mask to a virtual animated character, so it mimics your facial expressions exactly. You can even record audio messages this way.
6. Portrait lighting
When taking portraits, iPhone X brightens or darkens areas in the frame in real time. This is how the smartphone simulates different types of lighting: stage, backlight and others.
7. TrueDepth Camera
There have never been such front cameras before! Yes, the resolution is only 7 megapixels, but the camera can blur the background, so selfies look like they were taken on a DSLR.
8. True Tone Quad-LED Slow Sync Flash
The True Tone Quad-LED flash was already present in the iPhone 7, but in the iPhone X it received the Slow Sync mode, which is necessary for night and evening photography in order to accurately illuminate the subject and at the same time work on the background. Here's how it works: the camera shutter fires a long shutter speed, and the flash sends out a short pulse of light.
9. Chipset with neuroprocessor
Apple included a dual-core neural processor in the A11 Bionic chipset, capable of performing up to 600 billion operations per second. It is thanks to him that such innovative features of the iPhone X as Face ID, Portrait Lighting and Animoji became possible.
10. Truly solid screen
Apple was not the first to create a completely frameless smartphone with an all-over screen. However, it was she who managed to occupy the maximum possible area of the front panel with the display, getting rid of areas both above and below it.
1. Taking pictures without using the touch screen
Just call Siri with a long touch on the Home button and ask her to turn on the camera. To take a photo, press any volume button on your smartphone or headphones.
2. Emergency reboot
In those rare cases when the iPhone freezes or you need to free up the device's RAM, an emergency reboot will help. Just hold down the Home button and the Lock button for 10 seconds.
3. Triple press the Home button
Go to the "Accessibility" item in the main iPhone settings. Scroll down to the “Keyboard Shortcuts” tab - a list of functions will open in front of you. Triple-clicking the Home button launches VoiceOver, color inversion (useful for reading), some display settings, on-screen zoom, and Switch Control or AssistiveTouch.
To turn on the magnifying glass by triple-clicking the Home button, simply select the appropriate item in “Universal Access.”
4. Double tap the Home button sensor
Perhaps all iPhone users know that double-clicking the mechanical Home button opens the application selection window. But not everyone is aware that double tapping the button sensor “lowers” the screen a little, allowing owners of large smartphones to easily reach the top icons.
5. Using 3D Touch
If you have an iPhone 6s or later, using 3D Touch can make your life a lot easier and save time. This technology will speed up movement between applications, make typing more convenient and...
6. Reassigning volume buttons
The iPhone has two volume settings: the first is for calls and notifications, the second is for music and applications. Turning off the “Change with buttons” toggle switch in the sound settings will fix the ringer volume in its current position and transfer control of music and applications exclusively to the side buttons.
Work with text
7. Undo last action
Just shake your smartphone, and iOS will offer to undo the last action, be it typing, pasting or, conversely, deleting text.
8. Quickly enter a domain
In cases where the keyboard prompts you to quickly enter domain.com, hold your finger on this button. A list of popular domains will open in front of you, where you can quickly switch to cherished.ru.
9. Removing the microphone icon from the keyboard
The microphone icon between the space bar and the language change button is intended for voice text input. You can remove the icon by moving the “Enable dictation” slider to the inactive position in the keyboard settings.
10. Listening to the text
iOS supports Screen Speak. To enable it, activate the slider in the speech settings: “Settings” → “General” → “Universal Access”. To have iPhone speak text on the screen, swipe down with two fingers in any app.
Safety
11. Create a letter password for unlocking
If you don't trust four- or six-digit passwords and don't like Touch ID technology, you can set a long one.
Go to the password code settings and select “Change password code”. The system will require you to enter the old combination first, and then the new one. On the screen for entering a new password, click on “Passcode Options” and select an acceptable option.
12. Improve Touch ID accuracy
To help iPhone recognize you more confidently and quickly, create multiple prints of the same finger.
13. Create hidden photos
If you take photos in the standard camera application, they will be saved in the library. To protect a photo with a password, you need to resort to a trick. Turn off photo exporting and set a password in the Notes app settings. To take a secret photo, go to create a new note and tap on the camera icon. Once the photo is taken, click on "Export" and select "Lock Note."
14. Guided access
We often give our smartphone into the wrong hands to “pass a level in a game,” “read an article,” or “watch a video on YouTube.” If you don't trust who will be using your iPhone, turn on Guided Access in Settings: General → Accessibility → Guided Access.
When handing over an iPhone to someone, triple-click the Home button to turn on Guided Access, and the person will only be able to use the open app.
Siri
15. “Whose iPhone is this?”
If you find a lost iPhone, Siri can help you contact its owner without entering a password. Ask her “Whose iPhone is this?” or “Who owns this iPhone?”, and a window will open in front of you with the name of the owner of the gadget.
So that the person who finds your iPhone can find you in this way, go to Siri settings and in the “Data” tab, assign a contact with information about yourself.
16. Siri male voice
Not everyone knows, but our faithful electronic assistant can speak in a pleasant male voice. This option is available in Siri settings.
Calls
17. Calling the last number dialed
To repeat the last call, it is not necessary to go to the “Recent” tab. Click on the green handset on the screen with keys, and the iPhone will offer to call back the last number dialed.
18. Quick access to favorite contacts
To quickly dial important numbers, add them to the Favorites tab in the standard Phone application. Swipe right on the desktop to go to the widget panel. Scroll down and click “Edit”, and then tap on the plus sign next to the “Favorites” widget. Now you can call your loved ones faster and even when the screen is locked.
19. Detection of an incoming call in headphones
Answering calls using headphones is sometimes much easier than reaching for your phone. To find out who is calling you without taking your iPhone out of your pocket, turn on the “Call Announcements” toggle switch in your phone settings.
Messages
20. Deleting old messages
Deleting irrelevant messages will help bring order to your correspondence and free up precious megabytes of memory. Find the “Leave messages” item in the settings and set the required time after which the messages will be deleted.
21. Saving traffic in “Messages”
To avoid wasting traffic on heavy attachments, turn on low quality mode in your message settings.
22. Time of sending messages
One of the non-obvious functions of “Messages” is viewing the exact time of sending. Just swipe from the right side of the screen.
Alarm
23. Setting up a call from Apple Music
The ability to set your favorite song as an alarm is not a trick, but a basic iPhone feature that many people don't know about. When creating a new alarm, click on the Sound tab. Rewind the list to the very beginning, before the standard ringtones, find a panel with familiar names and click on “Select song”.
24. Snooze alarm
To reschedule the alarm to a later time, you don’t have to look for the corresponding button on the screen. Press any side button and iPhone wakes you up again in nine minutes.
This interval was not chosen by chance: old mechanical alarm clocks could not count exactly 600 seconds. They did not take into account the current minute and began counting nine minutes from the next one.
Safari
25. Search by word on a page
Enter the desired word in the address bar. In the drop-down menu under the search engine suggestions, select “On this page.”
26. Recently closed tabs
Go to the screen that shows previews of open pages, and hold your finger on the “+” button. A list of recently closed tabs will open in front of you. This is useful if you accidentally closed a long-open page that is difficult to find in your browser history.
27. Convert a Safari page to a PDF file
28. Opening links in the background
Other basic applications and services
29. Spotlight as a converter
Swiping down on any iPhone screen opens Spotlight. Its use significantly reduces the time spent searching for something on a smartphone. Spotlight provides results from many applications: it will help you find the desired episode of a podcast, a message by keyword, or a person on Twitter. Also, a standard search engine can act as a converter. Just search for "1 usd" or "15 inches in cm".
30. Convert slow motion video to regular video
If you've been playing around with the slow motion function and accidentally shot something in slow motion that would look better at natural speed, it's easy to bring the video to the original tempo without additional applications. Open the video editing section and adjust the values on the speed bar. This strip is located above the timing field, where we usually cut the videos.
Level 31
The compass in the basic application is practically useless in the city. But if you swipe the screen to the left, you can get a level - an indispensable device for repair and installation.
32. Optimizing Apple Music storage
Turn on Storage Optimization in Music Settings and iPhone will automatically delete songs you rarely listen to. This will only happen when the device’s memory runs out.
To set the minimum amount of music that will not be deleted from iPhone, you can set the storage size.
33. Geolocation reminders
Task managers in the App Store offer a lot of functions, but standard “Reminders” are also capable of a lot. For example, a basic application can remind you to buy milk not only at 15:00, but also when you visit the store. To enable this function, select “Remind me by location” and find the desired geolocation in the task settings.
Battery
34. Turn on power saving mode
If your iPhone has more than 20% charge left, but the nearest outlet is still very far away, it makes sense to switch to power saving mode. To enable the mode, just ask Siri about it or find the corresponding item in the battery settings. In these settings, you can also find a list of the most energy-consuming applications and close them in a timely manner.
35. Silent charging connection
You can avoid vibration when connecting the charger to your iPhone by opening the Camera app before connecting the Lightning cable. The device will begin to charge, and your light-sleeping relatives will not be awakened by a sudden sound.
Augmented reality (AR)
In fact, all the AR features have long been used in Sony smartphones, but Apple, as always, managed to make an “innovation” out of old-new technology.
The game The Machines was shown at the presentation. When launched, the camera opens, a flat surface nearby is scanned, onto which a virtual battlefield is projected. Robots walk around and beat each other to pieces.
I don’t even understand what’s going on in the game, but everything looks cool, of course! Literally a minute later, like a child, I was crawling on the floor with a smartphone, looking behind virtual mountains, crawling under bridges and looking at robots from all sides. The entertainment is extremely entertaining, but only for 10 minutes if you are over 16 years old.
The next application is IKEA Place (not yet available in the Russian App Store). It scans the surface of the apartment and places virtual furniture on it. You can select items from the current catalog, move furniture back and forth, twist, twirl, and so on. It sounds cool, but in practice the application is glitchy and often objects end up either on the ceiling, sometimes too large for your apartment, or jumping around on their own, as if at the behest of a pike.
In general, AR is a cool and promising thing. But not now.
Oh yes! 20 minutes of playing The Machines ate up about 20 percent of my iPhone 8 Plus. One percent per minute is augmented reality, baby!
Cameras
The main thing why people buy the plus version is the 12 Megapixel dual rear camera. Now I’ll tell you what’s what.
Keep in mind, the main plus camera with wide-angle lens is exactly the same as in , so please go to iPhone 8 review, where I tested the new product in detail.
Here I will share a few more examples and make a brief conclusion:
Apple iPhone 8 Plus shoots great! This is absolutely one of the best camera phones on the market. Everything works simply and elegantly, according to the “point, shoot, get an excellent result” principle.
By the way, there is an HDR function in the settings. It's enabled by default, and rightly so. Here are examples:
If anything, we take all examples in original quality.
Portrait mode
The most important advantage of the Plus over its younger brother is the portrait mode. iPhone 8 Plus dual camera can blur the background, unlike single .
However, the background of the iPhone 8 Plus does not lather well. I couldn't get anything good off. Pay attention to the hair - the rough work of software algorithms is visible.
There were more successful situations, mostly not with people.
However, even here the automation does not always work and this is what happens...
And now, just to expand your horizons, here are a few shots from, which can do the same thing.
I hope that all the bugs will be corrected in the next iOS updates and the new super smart processor will finally begin to evaluate the frame more intelligently.
Portrait lighting
New exclusive feature for Apple iPhone 8 Plus. It's still the same portrait, only Apple added some cool filters.
For clarity, let’s look at what the company is proud of on its official website.
Now let's look at the examples that I came up with.
After a couple of dozen frames, I understood how to shoot in order to create something more or less worthwhile.
We turn on, for example, “Stage Light”, tap on the model’s face, the smartphone focuses, but we don’t click on the final button yet, we immediately lower the exposure slider with our finger, the picture becomes darker, but the subject is still visible and only after that we can press the shutter .
However, only one frame out of ten is suitable. What can I say? No wonder Apple warned that the function is in beta testing mode.
By the way, portrait lighting does not work with subjects - the face must be in focus.
Optical zoom
I have never seen a smartphone that takes the same cool and high-quality picture with the second camera as with the main one. iPhone 8 Plus is no exception.
On the screen of the device, the frames turn out bomb. You download it to your computer and it’s immediately clear that the notorious “Optical Zoom” is just a feature, not a serious tool at all. They can only remove the ad at the entrance if they don’t want to come closer.
Regarding the second camera, only the lens aperture is known - f/2.8. This is a lot, less light hits the matrix, and the picture turns out to be of lower quality.
But optical stabilization works on both modules. This is, of course, cool. You can safely zoom in on the image while recording a video and it will not shake.
Front-camera
Exactly the same as in number eight. Moreover! It is the same as in 7 and 7 Plus. It shoots well, there is no problem with the exposure, in the dark the face turns into mush, but the flash of the Retina Flash screen saves the situation.
Video recording or video blogger's dream
Both new iPhones shoot amazing 4K videos.
Among the innovations, we have access to shooting at a frequency of 60 frames per second. The end result looks amazing and this feature of the iPhone 8 Plus makes it the best smartphone on the market. And period!
Even at night, the videos are of quite decent quality.
Separately, I was pleased with the work of optical stabilization. It’s not what you expect - the picture is vibrant, it’s clear that it was taken handheld and not from a tripod. But at the same time, the “stub” eliminates the smallest hand tremors - the most important thing. In addition, there is no “jelly” when all the images distort every second, as is the case on almost all Android flagships, including the .
There were some downsides too. The flow rate in these videos is so high (109 Mbit/s) that they can only be safely played on powerful computers. For example, on my 2011 iMac 27 with a Samsung SSD drive, the video slows down and is impossible to watch. But last year's MacBook 12 easily copes with this task.
We continue to praise Apple, fortunately there is a reason for it. Eights shoot excellent Slow Motion video: resolution 1920 x 1080, frequency 240 frames per second. Not a single smartphone can do this, and many flagships still produce pitiful 720p at 120 FPS.
A tale of glitches in iOS 11
iOS 11 is great! I finally really like the look of the operating system. I don’t know why, but for the first time since the release of iOS 7, the new operating system looks and works like a full-fledged, complete system.
Should owners of 7s update to it? Of course yes! Those using the 6S and 6S Plus should do this too. Nothing bad will happen.
Owners of sixes, just sell your smartphones and buy yourself a seven or something on Android. For example, .
However, like any other release of Apple's operating system, it was not without glitches. This is what I managed to catch.
Skype doesn't work at all. It doesn’t start, it crashes, so we’re waiting for a new version. If anything, the jamb assembly is 8.6.
Next, I decided to measure the volume of the speakers on both eights, and almost simultaneously the Music application closed itself. I had to restart it. If anything, the Music crashed the moment I decided to turn on airplane mode - I just didn’t want to be distracted by external notifications.
I didn’t notice any more problems and that’s a victory!
This is the first time that we have such an optimized system right out of the box.
Autonomy
There's nothing new in terms of battery life. A freshly baked “apple+” works as long as the previous one. Even despite the reduced battery capacity. The new A11 Bionic chipset is built on a 10-nanometer process technology, which means it consumes less energy than its predecessor (16 nm).
If you do not use AR applications, the new product will last one day from dawn to dusk.
The huge advantage of the Plus version over it is that when you leave home, you don’t need to take a portable battery with you. “Powerbank” for its younger brother is the first accessory to buy, after the case, of course.
Almost the main feature of the new device is support for wireless charging. Thank you, Apple, for taking the industry standard - Qi technology. Thanks to this, you can charge your iPhone using any compatible docking station, even from Samsung.
I specifically bought a Belkin charger from the Apple Store and here are the results of my measurements.
The smartphone charged from zero to one hundred percent in 3 hours and 40 minutes.
This is quite strange. After all, it took only ten minutes less to charge. And the difference in battery capacity is huge: 2675 mAh for the plus and 1821 mAh for the 8.
Moreover! From the included charger, the new plus takes 3 hours and 57 minutes to charge. It turns out that wireless charging is faster than traditional charging.
A few more facts about wireless charging. Energy is supplied in medium-thick plastic cases, and the device itself heats up just a little. Not critical at all.
Bottom line
iPhone 8 Plus is a very cool and powerful smartphone. However, if you go down to earth, you can conclude the following:
“Everything is very cool, powerful, but there is no point in buying it at all.”
Let me explain. The never-outdated iPhone 7 Plus copes with literally all tasks. Yes, the predecessor shoots a little worse, but the difference is not so critical as to make you drop everything and rush headlong to the store to buy a new product.
When you compare the iPhone 8 Plus to its Android competitors, it's better than most of them in almost every way right now. Of course, if you do not take into account the outdated and not very successful design. The hefty dimensions of the case, the wide frames - in the universe of the “green robot” they can simply be laughed at.
Last but most important is the cost.
In the USA, a smartphone costs 699 bucks for a basic 64 GB configuration (there are states where they don’t charge VAT, so don’t bother me about tax) or 40 thousand rubles. In Russia, a smartphone costs $990 or 64,990 rubles in US currency. AND buy iPhone 8 Plus we have the official price... sorry, but this borders on madness and lack of minimal respect for yourself and your money.
Okay, let's skip the question of money. In any case, you need to very clearly understand why you need the iPhone 8 Plus, if in a month the iPhone X comes out, which is better than the plus in everything. Even I, a tech blogger, can’t imagine why I need an 8 Plus when I can get an iPhone ten. We think and reflect...
