New Apple video shows off iPhone X selfie camera

Millions were glued to the TV screens last Sunday for the NFL playoffs and what a perfect time for Apple to release a new TV ad. The video, accompanied by a Muhammad Ali speech, highlights the greatness of the TrueDepth camera of the iPhone X and how the Portrait Mode works to create the artistic photos.

The focal point of the 30-second video is Portrait Lighting, which applies artificial studio lighting effects to the face. The video itself is a presentation of different people’s selfies, the jump from one image to another perfectly matched to the “I am the Double Greatest” speech by Ali.

The photos surely look amazing in the video, but Apple added a disclaimer that additional software was used for creating the selfies. What goes without saying is that the photographers also used expensive lighting and specially selected subjects and backgrounds.

So cool as the photos might look, don't expect to get similar results if you decide to buy the iPhone X. Not unless you are willing to spend hours setting up and post-processing each shot, that is.

As we’ve established in our long-term review of the iPhone X, the front-facing camera is probably the weakest link in the iPhone X camera setup, taking pictures that were okay but certainly not the best we've seen.