Adobe Teases New App That Uses Machine Learning To Fix Selfies

Adobe already has a suite of apps for iOS and Android devices for mobile photography enthusiasts. But the software developer is now teasing a new app that specifically fixes selfies using AI and machine learning.

Adobe Sensei is the company’s own AI and machine learning platform which was first announced back in November. It’s currently being used on the company’s Creative Cloud tools and is also being used for the company’s Marketing and Document Cloud services.

It appears as though that Adobe is showing off the potential of Sensei’s capabilities as an intelligent photo editor on smartphones. On the teaser video it published this Friday, Adobe showed off an unnamed app where a user is able to fix a selfie.

The demo shows that the man was able to use the app’s tools by adding artificial depth of field (background blur) through intelligent masking, adjusting the tilt of his head and even correcting the lens distortion making the photo appear more accurate, according to Gizmodo.

Probably the most impressive feature that was shown off is what Adobe calls “Style Transfer.” Style Transfer basically allows users to copy the style of other photos and let them apply it on their own image. The demo shows the man searching for images on Google. He was able to simply tap on a photo he liked, and Adobe’s app was able to copy and paste that photo's style and apply it to the user’s own selfie.

“The Adobe Research team has been exploring what the future may hold for selfie photography powered by Adobe Sensei. Great portrait photography requires the right perspective, equipment, and editing expertise,” Adobe said. “By combining perspective effect editing, automatic, software-only photo masking, and photo style transfer technology, we’re able to transform a typical selfie into a flattering portrait with a pleasing depth-of-field effect that can also replicate the style of another portrait photo.”

All the features shown on Adobe’s new teaser video have already been introduced by the company in the past. However, those previous demos were made on desktop computers. This is the first time that Adobe demoed its capabilities on a smartphone, as pointed out by TechCrunch.

It remains unclear if Adobe will ever release this new app to the public, or if it will simply add these features to its current lineup of iOS and Android apps. What’s for sure is that Adobe is proving that AI and machine learning has a place in the realm of mobile photography.