Microsoft’s New Camera App Brings Artificial Intelligence to Your iPhone Photography

Microsoft just released an AI-powered camera app for the iPhone with one goal: to help you take better pictures.

The new app, dubbed Pix, is a simple one — deceivingly so. It’s settings-free, and relies on artificial intelligence to capture and enhance your pictures, according to GSMArena.

By default, the app shoots a burst of 10 photos, and then decides which one is the best looking based on a number of factors, including exposure, focus, and even whether or not the person in the photo looks happy or sad, according to Engadget.

Once it chooses a winner, it uses the rest of the photos to enhance its pick. The process doesn’t take long either. In fact, it’s nearly instantaneous. The app offers up to three “best images” to you, without any tweaking or extra editing required.

Microsoft also said that the app supports Live Images as well. If Pix detects moving objects within its photo burst, it’ll stitch several of the photos together into a moving image — like a Windows Phone does.

Additionally, Pix does video capture too — but in a way that allegedly beats out Apple’s default camera app. It uses the same technology in Hyperlapse to stabilize videos for a clearer result, though in exchange for narrower field of view, GMSArena reported.

There’s a learning curve to the app, however — but not for the user. Whenever you snap a photo with Pix, the app sends backsets of data to Microsoft. There, human judges examine how the app is doing, and they update the algorithm accordingly.

Basically, the more you use Pix, the better it will become at making your photos look awesome. Not a bad idea for a camera app aimed for the average user, rather than photography buffs.

The app is currently available as a free download on iOS.