O iOS 17, officially announced during WWDC 2023will have a new Cinematic API that allows developers to support playback and editing of videos that were recorded in cinematic mode in third-party applications.
It’s worth noting that this cinematic mode uses a technique called “rack focus” to switch focus from one point to another. The system is able to lock focus on something in a scene and blur the background to achieve depth of field.
Furthermore, when the user moves the camera to center a new main subject, or another subject enters the scene, the cinematic mode automatically changes the focal point to this newly introduced element and also blurs the background.
Apple offers Cinematic mode in the Camera app on iPhone 13 models and newer. Inspired by professional Hollywood films, the feature allows users to record videos with a shallow depth of field and automatic focus shifts between subjects.
“The Cinematic framework lets you add professional-grade editing and playback capabilities to movies, shot using the Camera app’s Cinematic mode, to your apps,” says Apple’s developer documentation.
“These are the same features used in apps like Final Cut Pro, Photos and iMovie. For example, this allows their apps to change focus distance and aperture in movies, creating a bokeh effect, even after recording.”
iOS 17 is still in testing and should be released by Apple in the second half.
