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Apple Reference Image: A New Approach for Verified Photography

539 points · 352 comments · imwally

  1. tristanj · · focus · HN ↗
    Apple doesn't address the modified photo replay situation, where you take a picture of an already edited image.

    Photoshop / AI-gen an image -> display on a high-resolution monitor -> photograph the monitor with iPhone 18 Pro -> valid Apple Reference image.

    To get valid reference photos, you can go to the actual physical location, put the iPhone/monitor in a cardboard box to block external light, then photograph the monitor. Paint the inside of the box using Vantablack (stopping reflections) and cover the LiDAR projector with tape.

    I can't wait to see Apple Verified™ photos of UFOs flying over the Golden Gate Bridge.

    1. amanj41 · · focus · HN ↗
      Sony&#x27;s analogous solution (<a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;authenticity.sony.net&#x2F;camera&#x2F;en-us&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;authenticity.sony.net&#x2F;camera&#x2F;en-us&#x2F;) claims 3d depth information is built in, I&#x27;m sure Apple could do the same given at least some iPhone models have LiDAR on the back
      1. tristanj · · focus · HN ↗
        This would work for close up shots taken on iPhone, but not landscape shots. The infrared dots the iPhone LiDAR projects are too weak to appear over long distances.

        Also the dots can be trivially blocked by putting your finger over the sensor, sometimes improving photo quality. I do this frequently when I want to take a photo through a window. The absence of the dot matrix tells the iPhone to focus on the background far away instead of the windowpane.

        1. dd8601fn · · focus · HN ↗
          &gt; I do this frequently when I want to take a photo through a window.

          I feel really dumb for not having thought of this.

        2. amanj41 · · focus · HN ↗
          I see, yeah good point. Perhaps the lack of reliable depth data also be baked into some signed metadata property. Wouldn&#x27;t tell you definitively if something were fake, but could be a context clue if a particular photo were dubious I suppose.
        3. Cthulhu_ · · focus · HN ↗
          What they could do instead is record a video while taking a photo, the subtle movements (at least if handheld) might have enough information to get an approximation of depth (parallax).
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