Recently, Samsung has been caught in 4K about how they might be faking pictures of the moon on their Galaxy S23 Ultra phones. Samsung has come out to explain how they produce their moon pictures.
Samsung explained how its moon shot feature works using Scene Optimizer, AI Deep Learning, and Super Resolution. We only got to see the English version recently due to recent controversy, but the information has been online in Korean for a while. To use the moon shot feature, simply activate Scene Optimizer and zoom in above 25x.
The AI Deep Learning engine can recognize various moon shapes and details. It will then engage and apply Super Resolution, which enhances the moon’s appearance through multi-frame processing. Samsung has been using similar technology since the introduction of the Galaxy S20 Ultra’s ‘100x Space Zoom,’ so their moon shots are not really new.
Other manufacturers also utilize similar processing techniques. So, while the AI enhancement is not technically “fake,” the final image is more a result of the phone’s processing engine than its lens and sensor. However, capturing a decent image of the moon requires specialized equipment like a large lens, tripod, and expensive camera. This topic will probably come up again in a few years when people forget about it, and someone raises it once more.
