- Apple released a new AI tool to generate 3D photos
- The tool can convert a 2D image to 3D scene in less than a second
- This could be an upgrade to the existing Space Photos tool in iOS
Remember when Apple introduced Spatial Lock Screen Photos in iOS 26? This feature added a stereoscopic effect to flat images on your lock screen, and it’s neat, if a bit gimmicky. However, Apple has now revealed a new trick that takes the effect to a whole new level – and it could be a brilliant addition to your Apple device if rolled out more widely.
This new tool is called SHARP and has just been revealed in a research paper published by Apple. Titled “Clear Monocular View Synthesis in Less than a Second,” the paper presents a new tool capable of transforming 2D images into 3D spatial scenes in less than a second.
SHARP uses a neural network – artificial intelligence (AI), in other words – to quickly generate a 3D map of your image. This is the part that is executed in less than a second. Once this is complete, the image can be rendered in real time.
Apple says it trained the model on approximately eight million internally created synthetic images and 2.65 million licensed photographs, which allowed SHARP to learn to discern depth and scale and apply that knowledge to the input images.
It does this while maintaining consistency when it comes to aspects like scale and distance, meaning you shouldn’t see the kinds of stretching and warping that can occur during a 2D to 3D conversion. This is the key to maintaining immersion and producing a 3D image that users actually want to keep.
An evolution of space photos
Apple’s SHARP model generates photorealistic 3D Gaussian repeats from a single image in seconds. GitHub: enables photorealistic NVS from a photo by regressing 3D Gaussian parameters via a single NN fwd pass (<1 s on standard GPU).… pic.twitter.com/Wo6EyZIPvLDecember 17, 2025
Right now, SHARP is more of a proof of concept than a prime-time feature, and there’s no indication when — or if — it will come to Apple devices. Although it is available for download on GitHub, it is not yet integrated into iOS 26 or macOS Tahoe.
That said, this seems like a natural evolution of the Space Photos feature Apple has already released. If the Photos app on your iPhone lets you explore your images this way, that could be a nice selling point for a lot of people. Add it to the Vision Pro headset and it will be even more immersive.
That said, SHARP does have some drawbacks. For one thing, it focuses on rendering close-up scenes, meaning you can’t stray too far from the original point of view before fidelity starts to suffer.
But as a starting point, it’s certainly promising, especially considering how quickly it can work. Don’t be surprised to see it rolling out to Apple’s operating systems at some point in the future.
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