The Smartphone AI Photography Controversy: What's Really Going On?

The smartphone photography world is having a bit of an identity crisis right now, and it's forcing us all to ask an uncomfortable question: when does making a photo look better cross the line into just making stuff up?

Samsung's Moon Photo Fiasco

The whole thing kicked off properly in March 2023 when a Reddit user called ibreakphotos ran a brilliant experiment. They took a high-resolution moon photo, blurred it until you couldn't see any detail at all, stuck it on a monitor, and photographed it from across the room using a Samsung Galaxy phone's Space Zoom. What happened next was pretty shocking: Samsung's camera added crisp crater details that simply weren't there in the blurry image.

This wasn't your typical computational photography where the phone combines multiple frames to pull out hidden detail. Samsung was using a neural network trained on hundreds of moon images to recognise the moon and basically paste texture where none existed. The company more or less admitted this in their technical explanation, saying they apply "a deep learning-based AI detail enhancement engine" to "maximise the details of the moon" because their 100x zoom images "have a lot of noise" and aren't good enough on their own.

The controversy came back round in August 2025 when Samsung's One UI 8 beta revealed they were working to reduce confusion "between the act of taking a picture of the real moon and an image of the moon". In other words, they admitted their AI creates moon photos rather than capturing them.

Other Companies Are At It Too

Samsung isn't the only one playing this game. Huawei faced similar accusations with its P30 Pro back in 2019, using AI to enhance moon photography beyond what the camera actually saw. The pattern is pretty clear: smartphone manufacturers are using AI to make up for physical limitations that no amount of clever software can genuinely overcome.

Google's Approach to Reality

Google went in a slightly different direction with the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro, introducing "Best Take", a feature that swaps facial expressions between different photos in a sequence. If someone blinks or frowns in a group shot, the phone finds a better expression from other photos and drops it into your chosen image.

They also launched "Magic Editor", which lets you erase, move, and resize elements in photos (people, buildings, whatever) with AI filling in the gaps using algorithms trained on millions of images. These tools work on any photo in your Google Photos library, not just ones you've just taken.

Tech commentators called these features "icky", "creepy", and potentially threatening to "people's (already fragile) trust of online content". Google's Isaac Reynolds defended the approach by saying that "people don't want to capture reality, they want to capture beautiful images" and calling the results "representations of a moment" rather than documentary records.

Photographers Are Fighting Back

The controversy has created what some observers call a "perfection paradox". As AI became capable of churning out flawless imagery at industrial scale in 2025, perfection itself lost its appeal. Social feeds filled up with technically immaculate visuals, but the images actually getting attention were the ones showing signs of real human touch.

Professional photographers responded by deliberately embracing film grain, motion blur, quirky colours, accidental flare, and cameras with intentional limitations. The message is clear: authenticity and imperfection have become the things that set you apart in an AI-saturated landscape.

One photographer noted that when clients were offered choices between AI-crafted footage and work shot by humans with clear creative perspectives, they "still gravitated to the latter". Despite AI's technical achievements, there's still a "gap between technological capability and cultural readiness".

The Trust Problem

The fundamental issue is that smartphone manufacturers market these AI enhancements as camera capabilities without clearly telling users when AI is manufacturing details rather than capturing them. Samsung's moon photos showcase this perfectly. Users think they've captured incredible detail through superior hardware and processing, when actually the phone has just overlaid trained data.

Professor Rafal Mantiuk from the University of Cambridge explained that smartphone AI isn't designed to make photographs look like real life: "People don't want to capture reality. They want to capture beautiful images". However, the physical limitations of smartphones mean they rely on machine learning to "fill in" information that doesn't exist in the photo, whether that's for zoom, low-light situations, or adding elements that were never there.

What's Happening Next

There's growing pressure on the industry for what's being called "the year of AI transparency" in 2026. People are demanding that manufacturers like Samsung, Apple, and Google disclose when and how AI is manipulating photos.

Google has started responding with detection tools, rolling out AI detection capabilities through Gemini that can spot artificially generated photos using hidden SynthID watermarks and C2PA metadata. These watermarks stay detectable by machines whilst remaining invisible to human eyes, surviving compression, cropping, and colour adjustments. The system analyses images on-device without sending data to external servers.

Samsung, meanwhile, continues embracing AI integration. They recently published an infographic declaring that future cameras "will only get smarter with AI" and describing their camera as "part of the intuitive interface that turns what users see into understanding and action". This language notably sidesteps the authenticity questions that plagued their moon photography feature.

The Cultural Pushback

Perhaps most tellingly, younger users are increasingly seeking cameras that produce "real" and "raw" photos rather than AI-enhanced imagery, driving a resurgence of early-2000s compact digital cameras. This represents a rebellion against smartphone AI manipulation and a genuine desire for photographic authenticity.

The controversy forces a broader reckoning about what photography means in the AI era. As one analysis noted, 2025's deeper story wasn't simply that AI improved, it was "the confrontation it forced: what counts as real, what counts as ours, and what creativity looks like when machines can mimic almost anything".

The Bottom Line

The core issue is straightforward: smartphone manufacturers are using AI to create photographic details that cameras never actually captured, then marketing these capabilities as camera performance rather than AI fabrication.

Companies haven't clearly disclosed when AI is manufacturing versus enhancing, which is eroding trust in smartphone photography. Real photographers are differentiating themselves by embracing authenticity and imperfection as AI floods the market with technically perfect but soulless imagery.

And 2026 is shaping up as a pivotal year for AI transparency demands and authenticity verification tools.

This controversy represents more than just technical debates. It's fundamentally about trust, authenticity, and what we expect from our photographic tools in an increasingly AI-mediated world.

2 Day Cornwall Photo Road Trip with just my iPhone

Two Days on the Road: Cornwall & North Devon – Shot Entirely on iPhone

On the morning of July 26th, my friend Andy Hughes pulled up outside my place ready for two days of coastal exploring. Andy’s someone I first met through my Photography Community, and like so many photography friendships, it has quickly grown beyond just swapping images online. Now we were heading off on our first road trip together with cameras ready, or in my case, just one very capable phone.

This trip was going to be different. I left the heavy camera gear at home and relied entirely on my iPhone 15 Pro Max. For the long exposures, I used the Reeflex ReeXpose app, and for everything else, I shot in ProRAW with the native camera app. It was part challenge, part experiment … could I come home with portfolio-worthy shots using nothing but the phone in my pocket?

We hit the road towards North Devon, the playlist set, the weather promising clear skies and soft light.

Day One – Arches, Harbours & Evening Glow

Our first stop was Blackchurch Rock.

That iconic arch rises from the sea like something from another world. We timed our arrival with the tide and hung around, waiting for the light to hit just right. The ReeXpose app worked perfectly here, smoothing out the water and pulling movement from the clouds.

From there, it was on to Sandymouth; a stretch of golden sand with the kind of long, rolling waves that hypnotise you if you watch for too long. Light wasn’t great with it now being midday and a high sun with little cloud so instrad we sat, we had a cold drink and chatted enjyoing each others company.

The afternoon took us down to Boscastle, a small harbour village packed with detail; stone walls, colourful boats, and weathered textures everywhere you looked.

By evening, we rolled into Trebarwith Strand. The sea was glowing, the rock formations catching the last light of the day. Condioptns weren’t ideal but a little patience and I grabbed this shot of a surfer about to brave the battering waves…

Then it was time for some dinner (which was delicious) and then stepping outside Andy suggested we maybe take some shots of the incopming tide and wow … amd I glad he did because the conditions were stunning!

We then drove to Wadebridge and checked into the Premier Inn for the night which I have to say was spotless with quiet surroundings, and just the right amount of comfort after a day of climbing over rocks and chasing light.

Day Two – Lighthouses & Seals

The next morning, we were up early and heading for Trevose Head. The air was fresh, the waves were crashing, and the lighthouse stood tall against a blue sky. As we stood there framing shots, a seal surfaced just off the rocks. Beautiful andthe sort of unexpected moment you always hope for on a trip like this.

Before the drive home, we swung by Bude for breakfast. It was one of those meals that feels even better because you’ve earned it after days of fresh air, walking, and late nights on the coast.

Light, Patience & a Pocket Camera

Both days gifted us exactly what we were hoping for; perfect light, a touch of drama, and just enough waiting around to make the results feel even more rewarding. Shooting entirely on the iPhone was freeing. No heavy gear, no fuss … just ProRAW files for maximum editing control and the ReeXpose app for those silky long exposures.

Two days, five locations, countless photos, and one very good reminder: the best camera really is the one you have with you.

Project Indigo: Adobe Release NEW Pro Camera App for Mobile

A Research-Based Mobile Camera App

OVERVIEW

Project Indigo is a free experimental camera application developed by Adobe Labs, available for iOS devices starting from the iPhone 12 Pro and all non-Pro models beginning with the iPhone 14.

The app is intended as a platform for exploring advanced photography workflows on mobile devices. It combines traditional manual camera controls with computational imaging methods to improve photo quality and give users greater flexibility over how images are captured and processed.

Image Processing and Output

Unlike typical smartphone camera apps that rely heavily on automatic adjustments and stylised enhancements, Indigo emphasises subtle, globally tuned image processing. It also supports capturing both JPEG and RAW (DNG) formats, with computational benefits applied to both. This allows users to maintain editing flexibility while still benefiting from improved noise handling and dynamic range.

One of the core features of Indigo is its multi-frame image capture system. Instead of taking a single photo, Indigo records a short burst of up to 32 frames per shot. These frames are underexposed and then computationally aligned and merged to reduce noise and preserve shadow detail. This technique is applied even when shooting in RAW formats, uncommon for mobile photography apps, and the result of which enables cleaner, more editable files with fewer artifacts.

Manual Controls

The app includes full manual controls, giving users the ability to adjust:

• Shutter speed

• ISO

• Focus (including manual focus override)

• White balance (with both temperature and tint sliders)

• Number of frames to capture per burst

These settings allow photographers to fine-tune their exposure and image quality, and to optimize for different conditions such as low light or motion.

Specialised Shooting Modes

Indigo also introduces dedicated capture modes for specific photographic techniques. The Long Exposure mode allows users to create effects like light trails, or light painting using a mobile phone, without needing an actual long shutter time. This though I hasten to add is unlike Long Exposure in such apps as EvenLonger or ReeXpose where we simply choose a time period for the long exposure from 0.5 seconds up to Bulb Mode (ReeXpose) or 1 second to 24 hours (EvenLonger), and the app then creates the long exppsure.

Another feature, Super-Resolution zoom, enables extended zoom up to 10x on the 15 and 16 Pro Max model. It is model dependant how much you get however you can use it to pinch and zoom too and the results are actually impressive. This technology is definitely going to affect sales of add-on zoom lenses.

Super-Resolution zoom is active for 10x+ zoom levels, all the way up to 25x. What it does is it increases the effective resolution by 2x horizontally and vertically (4x in pixels). As a result of this, at 10x, instead of a 3MP image you get 12MP, and at 20x instead of 0.75MP you get a 3MP image

Lightroom Integration

For users working within the Adobe ecosystem, Indigo integrates directly with Lightroom Mobile. Images can be exported to Lightroom with a single tap. In the case of DNG files, Indigo embeds tone and color metadata that Lightroom can interpret and apply as default settings—though users retain full control to adjust or reset these as needed.

You can also set the Project Indigo camera to be used within Lighroom Mobile.

To do this make sure you have updated the Lightroom Mobile App. Once updated go the App settings from within the Lightroom Mobile App and then go to the EARLY ACCESS section and turn on the Use Indigo for Camera (Tech Preview)

Experimental Features

The app also includes access to experimental tools, that currently include AI DeNoise and Remove Reflections.

Personally I’d prefer to see these in the Lightroom Mobile App instead of inside the Camera App itself.

Planned Features and Roadmap

Looking ahead, Adobe plans to expand Indigo with several features:

• An Android version of the app

• Additional tone presets and photographic "looks"

• Support for portrait, panorama, and video capture

• Exposure and focus bracketing modes for use cases like astrophotography

INITIAL FEEDBACK

By far my favourite feature so far is the Super Resolution Zoom, but there are definitely things that I would want adding such as Burst Mode and a Long Exposure function that work very similar to EvenLonger and ReeXpose, so fingers crossed these appear sooner than later.

OVERHEATING

However, on release day I’ve already been receving feedback from folks saying that they are getting an overheating warning appear on their iPhone after only a short period of use.

This I discussed with the development team at Adobe during the time before this was released hen I was testing the app. I too noticed my phone getting much warmer than normal.

It was explained to me that this is in part due to the the fact that the App uses a different process when handling files in that it makes use of other hardware within the phone. Also because the heat dispersal of the iPhone 15 Pro Max which I currently have is known for not being good.

I have heard from folks using the 16 Pro Max and reporting the same warning appearing even though it has improved heat dispersal, so fingers crossed this is something Adobe are able to iron out in the near future.

Check out the official Project Indigo Blog Post for more information …

TRANSFORMING a CAR PHOTOGRAPH in LIGHTROOM Mobile STEP by STEP 💥

This car photograph was taken on location, and in this video I show how I retouched it step by step using Lightroom on an iPad. The whole edit relies on masking, which is incredibly powerful and useful for isolating certain areas of the image so you can work on them on their own. By building up adjustments area by area, you can transform the photograph and really make the car pop.

Photographing Cars with my iPhone 15 Pro Max

Now primariy I’m a Portrait Photographer however this past few weeks, for the fun of it, I’ve been experimenting with my iPhone to see how it would fare when taking pictures of my car … both still and moving.

So a few weekends back I met up with friends in South Wales and headed to Crickhowell; an area I’ve photographed in before when working on this Harley image …

kit used

For these car photographs I was using my iPhone 15 Pro Max along with …

• Polar Pro iPhone Case

• 67mm Filter Adaptor + 67mm Circular Polarising Filter

• ReeFlex Pro Camera App

The circular polariser is the car photographers secret weapon because of how effective it is in reducing / removing reflections in the car windows and on the bodywork …

I used the ReeFlex Pro Camera App purely so that I could use shutter speed and ISO to lock in the exposure that I wanted.

Here’s the ‘out of camera’ result …

Here’s the final retouched image which was done using Lightroom Desktop.

I also added a long exposure effect to the clouds using a technique in Photoshop which works really well however now I want to do the shoot again and capture it all ‘in camera’ using a long exposure app like ReeXpose or EvenLonger 😃

I also tried some panning shots and did get some results, however the ratio of keepers to rejects was very low.

I was trying to do this using the ReeFlex App and a Neutral Density Filter on the front of the iPhone so that I could lock in an exposed photographed at 1/30 second. However, the ReeFlex app at the time I did this did NOT have burst mode. This meant I was having to try to capture a single frame as I panned with the car passing at no more than 30 mph.

Here’s an edited result of what I managed to capture …

Later having shared this image online I spoke with a friend of mine who is a Professional Car Photographer. It was great to hear that he was impressed with the results expecially considering they were from an iPhone but he also gave me some settings that he and other pro car photographers use to capture a moving car.

My friend told me that moving car shots often see the car travelling at no more than 20 mph and that they also use a shutter speed of around 1/15 sec or 1/20 sec … but ALWAYS shoot in burst mode.

So armed with these settings I set about finding a pro camera app that would allow me to manually dial in the shutter speed but that also had Burst Mode; and the app I turned to was MOMENT.

I’ve yet to use the app in a planned car shoot however when in Germany a couple of weeks back I was waiting for a friend to pick me up and whilst waiting near a fuel station forecourt I attached the Variable Neutral Density Filter to my iPhone using the Polar Pro Case and Adaptor, and set the shutter speed using the MOMENT app.

I then simply took a burst of panning shots of passing cars as they negotiated a roundabout and drove away, which from my position would have meant them travelling around 20 mph.

Here’s some of the results …

So, yeah I’ve been very impressed with how the iPhone has dealt with this and the results I’ve managed to get.

Lots more experimenting and fun to be had!

Mobile versus Mirrorless: Decisions to be made in 2025

This is the recording of a live broadcast where I chat with my friend, photographer Brian Matiash of the Adobe Lightroom team, about using mobile devices for photography. The question was whether I should carry on doing so in 2025, and from there we get into lenses and filters for mobile, what I'll be using my Sony mirrorless for, what I make of the OM-1 Mark II and a whole lot more. It's a relaxed conversation about the decisions to be made between phone and camera, and the reasons behind each choice.

links mentioned in the video:

• Brian Matiash Website: ( LINK )

• Brian Matiash YouTube Channel ( LINK )

• Glyn’s Lyme Sunset Picture + Edits in the Lightroom Community: ( LINK )

NOTE
If you’d like any of your images to be considered for one of my ‘LIVE RetouchingBradcasts’ simply create a Collection (Lightroom Classic) or an Album (Lightroom Desktop) and Share it with me at gadewis@mac.com making sure that you set permissions to Edit and not just View.

My First Photography and Print of 2025 : Stormy Sea on New Years Day 2025

There’s no better way to kick off the New Year than doing something you love, and for me, that means grabbing my camera, which in this case was my iPhone, and heading out to take some photographs; and this January 1st did not disappoint with a stormy high tide.. How could I resist?

My wife Anne, who’s as much of a storm lover as I am, joined me to not only keep me company, but she also helped capture some behind-the-scenes footage, which added to the fun of the morning.

We headed down to The Cobb ( Lyme Regis) and straight away it was a WOW moment!

The waves were crashing hard against The Cobb sending water shooting high into the air like fireworks. The sound was thunderous, the kind of deep, powerful roar that makes you feel alive just being near it.

I knew where I wanted to head to … the only issue was getting there; the lower part of The Cobb to the side of the Aquarium. The problem here was that water was crashing and pouring over The Cobb wall into the Harbour like a giant Ice Bucket Challenge ( remember that??? ) , however I’ve learned my lesson and now travel with full wet weather kit in a bag in the boot of my car.

Still, even though I was weather-proofed it meant timing the run to perfection to avoid the weight of the water crashing down on me … which I’m rather proud to say I managed to avoid.

Weather like this always fills me with excitement BUT that said you do still need to have your wits about you. No photogbraph is worth putting yourself and others at risk. I never want to be THAT guy!

Once at the side of the aquarium I was able to photograph the small beach area behind it and still be safe, protected by a wall and railing. I managed to get the composition I wanted, grab some shots but then the wind seemed to pick up a bit more. So, I decided enough was enough and timed a run back to Anne ( who was near the RNLI Station ) without getting hit by any waves breaching The Cobb Walls.

Actually on this, I’d heard some time ago that waves come in 7s and it did see to be the case. Running there and back I initially counted 7 clear waves breaches and then ran and managed to avoid getting soaked so, clearly there’s some truth in it; if not and it was pure fluke, I’m getting an extra Lottery ticket this week 😃

As for my iPhone, I used the native 0.5 ( 14mm ) lens and the native Apple Camera App set to Apple ProRaw. The image was edited using Lightroom Mobile on my iPad Pro.

So now I’m up and running; first photograph and print of 2025 is ‘in the bag’ 😃

After walking around a bit more, grabbing some extra shots and some video footage, it was time for breakfast at our favourite spot … Town Mill Bakery.

So here we are in 2025. I’m now really looking foward to the coming months as I plan to be visiting some other coastal locations across Dorset, Devon, Cornwall and Wales ( West and North ) … and my thoughts are that I’ll be doing this with my iPhone to push it that bit more and see what I can get with such minimal kit.

I’ll keep you posted.

Happy New Year!

COMPLETE Retouching Workflow in LIGHTROOM on an iPad

This video is a complete retouching workflow for a seascape photograph, done from start to finish using only Lightroom on the iPad. I go through the edit step by step, from the raw file to the finished picture, so you can see how far you can take an image without ever leaving the tablet. If you've been wondering whether the iPad can handle a full edit on its own, this shows exactly what that looks like in practice.

Photographing Storms in the UK with my iPhone and Friends

There’s something special about heading out with your camera (or iPhone as it was for me) when a storm is brewing. It’s that mix of excitement, unpredictability, and the chance to capture nature at its wildest and recently, I had the chance to photograph two big storms—Storm Bert and Storm Darragh.

Storm Bert at Lyme Regis

First up was Storm Bert on the seafront at Lyme Regis with my good mate Steve Healy.

Lyme’s one of those places that looks stunning in any weather, but during a storm it really is next level.

The wind and rain was relentless, whipping around us as we walked along the seafront. The waves were smashing into the harbor wall, sending spray high into the air. At one point, I got completely drenched from the knees down (see photo below) by a rogue wave, but hey it’s all part of the fun, right?

I used my iPhone 15 Pro Max with the Lightroom Camera app, and honestly, it was spot on. The light was constantly changing, but using the phone to capture it was a breeze (no pun intended).

We took some time out for a bit of shelter and grabbed a coffee in the seafront Café, SWIM and it just so happened that on ther next table were a couple of people who had a dog, and well …

I couldn’t resist grabbing a photograph with my iPhone

I edited the portrait quickly in Lightroom on my iPhone and then showed the owners, who loved it and asked if I’d send it to them.

This again showed to me how powerful a mobile workflow is; being able to take a photograph and immediately edit it and sent it, I find so bloomin’ exciting!

Storm Darragh at West Bay

A few days later, Storm Darragh rolled in, and this time, it was off to West Bay with my friend Brian Dukes.

If you know West Bay, you’ll know those golden cliffs are absolutely stunning, but throw in a storm and it’s a whole different scene.

Brian and I spent most of the time trying to keep our footing while scouting for the best angles but oddly the sea wasn’t as rough as we’d expected it to be and we actually spent more time on the other side of the harbor.

Why I Love Storm Photography

Here’s the thing about photographing storms: it’s not just about the pictures. It’s the whole experience—being out in the elements, feeling the wind batter you, hearing the roar of the waves, and just soaking it all in (sometimes literally!).

For me, it’s also about the people you share it with. Steve and Brian are brilliant company, and there’s something about laughing at each other while dodging waves that makes the day even better.

If you’re thinking of heading out to photograph a storm, do it. Just make sure you’re prepared (waterproofs are a must … as I have well and truly learned), keep an eye on the tides, and embrace the chaos. The photos are a bonus!

I’m really happy with the keepers from both Storm Bert and Storm Darragh but honestly, the best bit was just being there watching the storm do its thing.

Can’t wait for the next one. Bring it on!

Taking Photos with my iPhone and taking TIme Out

This past couple of weeks have been quite eventful to say the least and with all that’s happened I’ve found myself even more grateful than ever that I live near the coast.

For me, being able to take some ‘time out’ and slow down whilst looking at and listening to the waves crashing against the shore is medicine … pure and simple, and this past week it was much needed.

Here’s some pictures that I took this past week when I took some ‘time out’ just down the road at Lyme Regis using my iPhone and edited in Lightroom on my iPad.

Each of these pictures I’ve also added to my Lightroom Community Profile Page wheere you can see all of the retoching steps and also download them as a Preset to use on your own images ( LINK )

Handheld 1 second Long. Exposure using the ReeHeld App