"In case you missed it last week among other big news items, Google shipped a phone camera with a zoom feature that uses generative AI. That's right: the Pixel 10 Pro comes with AI right inside the camera app that cleans up otherwise crappy digital zoom images all the way up to 100x. It's a what-is-a-photo nightmare, but it's also pretty good - at least it seems to be."
"Digital zoom, like the Pixel 10 Pro uses, is a different story. Upscaling an image 10 or 20 or 100 times without the benefit of optical magnification leaves a lot of gaps to fill in. Algorithms can make pretty good guesses, but they are just that: guesses. The Pixel 10 Pro's Pro Res Zoom makes those guesses with the help of generative AI. And if we're taking AI zoom photos, what better subject to start with than the moon?"
The Pixel 10 Pro integrates generative AI into its camera app to clean up digital zoom images up to 100x using a feature called Pro Res Zoom. The Nikon Coolpix P1100 provides true optical zoom with a 24–3000mm equivalent, avoiding heavy upscaling. Digital zoom requires upscaling that leaves gaps, so algorithms must guess pixel details, while optical zoom captures real information only applying noise reduction, sharpening, and color adjustments. AI-produced images can look convincing yet introduce artificial textures and inaccuracies, as seen in moon shots with a spongey appearance. Side-by-side comparisons from roughly a mile away show areas where Pro Res Zoom succeeds and where optical zoom remains superior.
Read at The Verge
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]