Spatial Photos
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Spatial photos are stereoscopic still images with additional spatial metadata. Apple uses stereo HEIC files to identify photos for spatial presentation on Apple Vision Pro.[1] Vision Pro presents one view to each eye, allowing binocular perception of depth.[2]
Apple also uses the term for photos generated from existing 2D images. In visionOS 2, Photos gained a machine-learning conversion feature, so a spatial photo does not necessarily originate from two physical cameras.[3]
For moving stereo images, see Spatial video. Apple's newer spatial scenes generate an image whose perspective changes with head movement.[4]
| Media | Representation or source | Distinction |
|---|---|---|
| Stereo spatial photo | A still left-eye/right-eye pair with camera metadata. | Both views can come from a stereo capture or a rendered 3D scene.[5] |
| Spatial video | A QuickTime movie containing a stereo MV-HEVC video track and spatial metadata.[6] | A moving-image format with its own capture and delivery workflow. |
| Converted spatial photo | A 2D photo transformed using machine learning in visionOS 2 Photos.[3] | The depth effect is generated from an existing image, rather than captured as two camera views. |
| Spatial scene | A generated 3D image made from a 2D image or photo.[4] | Motion parallax changes the view as the person moves their head. It is a separate presentation from stereo spatial photos. |
| Panorama | Can wrap around the viewer in immersive presentation.[7] | Wraparound presentation is separate from the spatial-photo format. |
| Equirectangular or fisheye imagery | A non-rectilinear projection. | Should not be encoded as Apple's rectilinear spatial-media format.[6] |
| Apple Immersive Video | Apple introduced it as 180-degree, three-dimensional 8K video with Spatial Audio.[8] | A separate immersive video format, rather than a still-photo file. |
HEIC file structure
HEIF is a container for images, image sequences and associated metadata. It can hold multiple images in one file, including stereo images. HEIC identifies the use of HEVC image compression within that container. The container and compression codec are separate parts of the format.[9]
In a spatial photo, the two eye images must have identical pixel dimensions. A stereo group identifies which image belongs to which eye. The primary-image index supplies the preferred single image for nonstereo display; Apple's sample places it first because some readers ignore the index and simply display the first image. Eye assignment is determined by the stereo-group properties, independently of image order.[5]
This distinction explains why the same file can have a 2D representation as well as a stereo presentation. Opening a HEIC file as one image does not, by itself, demonstrate support for its spatial presentation.[5]
Spatial metadata
Spatial metadata describes capture geometry and windowed depth placement.[6]
| Property | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Projection | The relationship between scene objects and image pixels. Spatial photos use rectilinear projection.[6] |
| Camera baseline | Distance between the two camera centers, also called interaxial distance.[6] |
| Horizontal field of view | The horizontal angle recorded by each camera; it must agree between the two views.[6] |
| Horizontal disparity adjustment | A signed fraction of image width that shifts the views for windowed presentation. Positive values move perceived content farther away; negative values bring it closer.[6] |
Each eye receives half the disparity adjustment. Its value depends on capture distance, field of view and aspect ratio. Apple recommends keeping nearby content behind the window front.[6]
Creating and aligning a stereo pair
Apple's Image I/O sample packages two input images into one HEIC file. It supplies camera extrinsics and an intrinsics matrix, stereo-group eye flags and disparity adjustment, then finalizes the image destination. Its camera positions express baseline in meters.[5] This is also a route for synthetic photographs: the sample's input pair is rendered from a hummingbird model, rather than photographed by physical cameras.[5]
Apple recommends stereo rectification, aligned image and optical centers, and no vertical disparity between corresponding features. Cropping or shifting image pixels can disturb the optical-center alignment; disparity metadata provides the intended horizontal adjustment without altering those source pixels.[2] Camera separation also affects appearance: a smaller baseline can suit close scenes, while a larger one emphasizes depth in distant subjects and can create a miniature appearance. Apple's developer guidance discourages rectilinear fields of view above 90 degrees because sampling becomes inefficient near the edges.[2]
Capture
Apple Vision Pro
The headset's top button opens Capture. Select Photo, then press the top button again to take a spatial still. Apple advises avoiding subjects very close to the headset and provides a level indicator when the head is tilted.[10]
iPhone
On a supported iPhone, open Camera, select Spatial mode, hold the phone in landscape orientation, choose the photo control, then take the picture. Apple recommends a steady, level phone, even bright lighting and subjects 3-8 feet away.[11]
The following are the models listed in Apple's iOS 27 capture guide, checked on 14 October 2026. The list concerns the built-in spatial camera mode, rather than all possible third-party capture applications.[12]
| Family | Listed models |
|---|---|
| iPhone 15 | 15 Pro; 15 Pro Max[12] |
| iPhone 16 | 16; 16 Plus; 16 Pro; 16 Pro Max[12] |
| iPhone 17 | 17; 17 Pro; 17 Pro Max[12] |
| iPhone 18 | 18 Pro; 18 Pro Max[12] |
Photo capture and video capture have different release histories. The iOS 18.1 release notes specifically added spatial photo capture to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, alongside their spatial-video mode.[13]
Viewing and sharing
visionOS supports windowed spatial media with the content inset and immersive presentation at real-world scale.[6]
Capture's thumbnail opens a recent shot; Photos collects captures in its Spatial tab. The Immersive button in either app opens the immersive view.[10]
Photos on Vision Pro can share a capture through AirDrop, Mail or Messages. Apple's guide describes these photos as 3D on Vision Pro and 2D on other devices.[10] With iCloud Photos enabled, spatial captures sync between devices signed into the same Apple Account; Apple's iPhone guide also supports ordinary viewing and sharing on other Apple devices.[11]
Spatial Gallery, introduced with visionOS 2.4 on 31 March 2025, offers a curated collection of spatial photos, spatial videos and panoramas. Its launch availability varied by region.[14]
Outside Apple's viewing software, PICO 4 Ultra is a documented example of compatibility: PICO lists playback of spatial photos taken with iPhone and Vision Pro, with transfer through the PICO mobile app into the headset's system folder.[15] That product-specific support does not establish compatibility with every HEIC viewer or every headset.
Generated photos and spatial scenes
visionOS 2's conversion feature transformed existing 2D photos into spatial photos using machine learning. Photos also gained SharePlay for viewing library content with other Vision Pro users.[3]
Apple previewed spatial scenes with visionOS 26 on 9 June 2025, describing computational depth and generative AI that provide multiple perspectives. The announced viewing surfaces included Photos, Spatial Gallery and Safari.[16]
The RealityKit workflow illustrates the distinction. A spatial photo loads from a file as stereo media; a spatial scene requires generation through Spatial3DImage. When a spatial photo is used as the input for that generation, only one of its image channels is used. The generated scene adds motion parallax, rather than simply displaying the original two-eye pair.[4]
Application and web presentation
Apple's WWDC24 APIs allowed PhotosPicker to filter spatial media and PhotoKit to fetch spatial assets, including still photos. Quick Look's PreviewApplication could open spatial photos with the system presentation.[2]
Safari in visionOS 2 can show a spatial image monoscopically within a page and open its spatial presentation through the Element Fullscreen API. Apple's example calls requestFullscreen() from a user interaction and supplies a fallback image for browsers without format support. The resulting view has portal and immersive presentations. A photo's appearance in a webpage therefore differs from its fullscreen spatial view.[7]
RealityKit's WWDC25 ImagePresentationComponent supports 2D images, spatial photos and spatial scenes. A developer checks available viewing modes and selects a spatial stereo mode for windowed or immersive presentation. Without a supported desired mode, the component falls back to monoscopic display, even for a spatial photo.[4]
Apple's image-design guidance recommends a separate sheet or window for spatial photos and scenes, rather than placing them inline among other content. Where text overlays a spatial photo, it recommends feathered glass to improve contrast and reduce conflicting detail. It also recommends minimal interface content for immersive display.[1]
Perception and limitations
The rendering depends on the geometry of the stereo pair, not just a file extension. Disparity adjustment changes perceived depth, and Apple's design guidance warns that some adjustments and viewing positions can cause discomfort. Spatial presentation treatments are design measures, rather than a guarantee that every image is comfortable for every viewer.[1]
Vergence-accommodation conflict is another consideration in stereoscopic display research. Hoffman and colleagues' 2008 experiment 4 tested 11 adults aged 23-31 with normal measured stereo vision on a fixed-viewpoint laboratory display with three focal planes. In approximately 45-minute random-dot stereogram sessions, the researchers compared matched focal and vergence distances with sessions containing conflicts of plus or minus 0.67 diopters in two-thirds of stimulus intervals. Symptom results used 17 questionnaire sets, with six participants contributing twice. The conflict condition produced significantly worse reported eye- and head-related symptoms, without a significant difference in neck/back symptoms. The study tested demanding synthetic stereo tasks, not Apple spatial photographs or Vision Pro, and provides no product-specific comfort threshold.[17]
History
| Date or version | Development |
|---|---|
| 5 June 2023 | Apple announced spatial photo and video capture with Vision Pro.[18] |
| 2 February 2024 | Vision Pro reached Apple Store locations in the United States.[19] |
| 9 September 2024 | Apple announced iPhone 16 and 16 Plus with spatial photo and video capture, with availability scheduled for 20 September.[20] |
| 16 September 2024 | visionOS 2 became available with 2D-to-spatial-photo conversion in Photos.[3] |
| iOS 18.1 | Built-in spatial photo capture was added for iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.[13] |
| 31 March 2025 | visionOS 2.4 introduced Spatial Gallery.[14] |
| 9 June 2025 | Apple previewed the separate spatial-scene feature with visionOS 26.[16] |
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Images". Apple Human Interface Guidelines. Apple. https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/images. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Build compelling spatial photo and video experiences - WWDC24". Apple Developer. Apple. https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2024/10166/. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "visionOS 2 for Apple Vision Pro is available today". Apple Newsroom. Apple. 2024-09-16. https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/09/visionos-2-for-apple-vision-pro-is-available-today/. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "What's new in RealityKit - WWDC25". Apple Developer. Apple. https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2025/287/. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 "Writing spatial photos". Apple Developer Documentation. Apple. https://developer.apple.com/documentation/imageio/writing-spatial-photos. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 "Creating spatial photos and videos with spatial metadata". Apple Developer Documentation. Apple. https://developer.apple.com/documentation/imageio/creating-spatial-photos-and-videos-with-spatial-metadata. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Optimize for the spatial web - WWDC24". Apple Developer. Apple. https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2024/10065/. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
- ↑ "Apple Vision Pro available in the U.S. on February 2". Apple Newsroom. Apple. 2024-01-08. https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/01/apple-vision-pro-available-in-the-us-on-february-2/. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
- ↑ "High Efficiency Image File Format - WWDC17". Apple Developer. Apple. https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2017/513/. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 "Capture, view, and share spatial photos and videos on Apple Vision Pro". Apple Support. Apple. https://support.apple.com/guide/apple-vision-pro/capture-dev7068c3c93/visionos. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Take spatial photos and record spatial videos for Apple Vision Pro with your iPhone camera". Apple Support. Apple. https://support.apple.com/en-au/guide/iphone/iph6e3a6d4fe/ios. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 "Models that capture spatial photos and videos". Apple Support. Apple. https://support.apple.com/en-au/guide/iphone/aside/ipheee23829a/27/ios/27. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 "About iOS 18 Updates". Apple Support. Apple. iOS 18.1, Camera. https://support.apple.com/en-us/121161. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Apple Intelligence and new spatial experiences come to Apple Vision Pro today with visionOS 2.4". Apple Newsroom. Apple. 2025-03-31. https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/03/apple-intelligence-comes-to-apple-vision-pro-today-with-visionos-2-4/. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
- ↑ "PICO 4 Ultra". PICO. https://www.picoxr.com/global/products/pico4-ultra. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 "visionOS 26 introduces powerful new spatial experiences for Apple Vision Pro". Apple Newsroom. Apple. 2025-06-09. https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/06/visionos-26-introduces-powerful-new-spatial-experiences-for-apple-vision-pro/. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
- ↑ Hoffman, David M.; Girshick, Ahna R.; Akeley, Kurt; Banks, Martin S. (2008). "Vergence-accommodation conflicts hinder visual performance and cause visual fatigue". Journal of Vision 8 (3): Article 33. doi:10.1167/8.3.33. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
- ↑ "Introducing Apple Vision Pro: Apple's first spatial computer". Apple Newsroom. Apple. 2023-06-05. https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2023/06/introducing-apple-vision-pro/. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
- ↑ "Apple Vision Pro arrives in Apple Store locations across the U.S.". Apple Newsroom. Apple. 2024-02-02. https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/02/apple-vision-pro-arrives-in-apple-store-locations-across-the-us/. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
- ↑ "Apple introduces iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus". Apple Newsroom. Apple. 2024-09-09. https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/09/apple-introduces-iphone-16-and-iphone-16-plus/. Retrieved 2026-10-14.