There is a hot debate over the Galaxy S23 Ultra and the photos of the Moon it captures. Several reports claim Samsung applies an AI image overlay over the photos of the Moon as the main subject. A Reddit user recently showcased how Samsung uses too much computational processing to Moon photos to make them appear real. At first glance, it looks that way, as the details are too much for a phone’s small camera sensor to capture. However, Samsung stands firm on its claims that no image overlays are being added.
Responding to these fake Moon shot claims, Samsung told TomsGuide, “Samsung is committed to delivering best-in-class photo experiences in any condition. When a user takes a photo of the Moon, the AI-based scene optimization technology recognizes the Moon as the main object and takes multiple shots for multi-frame composition, after which AI enhances the details of the image quality and colors. It does not apply any image overlaying to the photo. Users can deactivate the AI-based Scene Optimizer, which will disable automatic detail enhancements to the photo taken by the user.”
The Galaxy S23 Ultra’s moon photos aren’t totally fake
Samsung rejected any claims that the Galaxy S23 Ultra applies an AI-based image overlay over Moon shots to make them detailed. The company said users could disable the AI-based Scene Optimizer feature inside the Camera settings. This will disable the detail enhancements on the photos taken by the user.
There isn’t much conclusive evidence as to whether or not Samsung applies an AI-based image overlay over the Moon shots. However, another photographer Fahim Al Mahmud Ashik, showcased how anyone can capture a decent image of the Moon using any modern high-end phone, including the Apple iPhone 14 Pro and the OnePlus 11. The photographer posted a complete video to show how they captured it. This means that all the brands are faking images of the Moon, or none are.
Misinformation always spreads like wildfire on the internet 🤦♂️
So, Here's a very small tutorial on how to take a picture of the moon with your phone (yes any phone, not only Samsung) with manual control. Give it a shot and impress everyone with your moonshot 🤗 pic.twitter.com/T35nRqwTzf
— Fahim Al Mahmud Ashik (@fahim_al_mahmud) March 12, 2023
Samsung introduced Space Zoom with the Galaxy S20 Ultra and its 100x hybrid zoom camera in 2020. Samsung corrects the visual noise by using the new AI-powered image signal processing (ISP) algorithm. That helps enhance the color tone of the image. On the Galaxy S23 Ultra, a new 200MP camera with an Adaptive Pixel sensor helps capture excellent details with precision.
Regarding the controversy, whatever Samsung says, the advanced processors on the Galaxy S23 Ultra might be applying AI to add detail and artificially enhance Moon photos. However, it is not simply faking it with a different image of the Moon altogether, which Huawei allegedly did with some of its high-end phones. Simply put, the Moon shot you take from your Galaxy S23 Ultra phone isn’t a Photoshopped image.
