Apple Revolutionizes Photo Editing with Generative AI at WWDC 2026

Apple, long skeptical about the use of generative AI in photo editing, has crossed a threshold at WWDC 2026. The company unveiled a series of innovative tools that allow for image manipulation using artificial intelligence, while still referring to them as "photos."

Two years ago, Apple introduced Clean Up, an AI tool for removing objects in the Photos app, similar to Google Photos' Magic Eraser. At the time, Craig Federighi, head of software, emphasized the importance of providing accurate information rather than fantasy. However, Apple seemed hesitant to adopt more advanced tools, unlike Google and Samsung, which had already launched editing suites that allowed users to add elements to photos through descriptions.

Today, Apple has revealed its own tools for manipulating photographs based on descriptions. The new version of Image Playground, Apple's app dedicated to image generation and editing, now enables the creation of photorealistic images. Apple claims that these tools provide users with powerful means to bring their imagination to life.

Features of Image Playground

• Image Editing: Users can modify images by describing complex changes in natural language or by directly interacting with objects to move or resize them.

• Use Case Example: During a demonstration, Image Playground was used to generate an image of a woman holding a birthday cake, based on a real photo of the person. The final image not only adds the cake but also replaces the original background.

Until now, Apple had avoided generating photorealistic images with AI, preferring cartoon styles. This shift is linked to SynthID, Google's watermarking system that marks AI-generated content. Apple announced that all photos modified with Apple Intelligence will be marked with SynthID to indicate their AI manipulation.

Apple’s Editing Tools

SynthID watermarks will be applied to photos edited with Clean Up, Extend, and Spatial Reframing. These tools, integrated into the Photos app, leverage Apple's AI. Clean Up has been enhanced to remove distractions with improved quality, even in complex scenes.

• Extend: This tool expands an image beyond its current dimensions, filling empty spaces with generative AI, similar to Adobe Photoshop's Generative Expand feature.

• Spatial Reframing: Allows users to adjust the perspective of images as in a 3D scene, modifying the viewpoint of a selected part of the photograph.

Implications and Reflections

While these tools offer new possibilities, the question of authenticity arises. Edited images will be marked with AI watermarks, raising concerns about the reality they represent. Apple, which valued photography for its ability to capture real memories, now seems to encourage unprecedented manipulation of personal photos.

The AI labels aim to distinguish true photographs from manipulations. Support for SynthID is expanding across the industry, recently adopted by OpenAI. Users can verify SynthID data through Gemini or Google’s search chatbot.