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Everything I google returns ‘the lightening bolt symbol top of phone means it is is charging’ etc. Yes, I know that. My question is: when I press on the screen in a photo, a lightning bolt spreads across the screen/photo. What is this? What does it do? Many thanks
iPad Pro (3rd generation)
Ah, okay. Not a ⚡️ bolt. That’s part of the photo processing available in Photos in newer iPhone and iPad devices, and will let you isolate the subject—or what is identified as the subject—from the background, and then transfer the subject via Copy or Share.
This: Lift a subject from the photo background on iPhone - Apple Support
The following shows the highlight around the subjects—it’s cycling around what the ML has determined is the subject (three subjects, in this case), shown here mostly on the left person and partially on the middle person—and also shows the Copy and Share buttons:
Original:
Here is the lift, via the Share button and then saving the image:
Ah, okay. Not a ⚡️ bolt. That’s part of the photo processing available in Photos in newer iPhone and iPad devices, and will let you isolate the subject—or what is identified as the subject—from the background, and then transfer the subject via Copy or Share.
This: Lift a subject from the photo background on iPhone - Apple Support
The following shows the highlight around the subjects—it’s cycling around what the ML has determined is the subject (three subjects, in this case), shown here mostly on the left person and partially on the middle person—and also shows the Copy and Share buttons:
Original:
Here is the lift, via the Share button and then saving the image:
I am here looking for the exact same answer. I took several consecutive photos. As I was swiping through them, one of them flashed with a white light followed by a bright moving light that traced everything in the photo when I touched the picture. It’s an older iPhone SE. I am searching for what it is am for reasons why it is doing that.
NJSmith67 wrote:
I am here looking for the exact same answer. I took several consecutive photos. As I was swiping through them, one of them flashed with a white light followed by a bright moving light that traced everything in the photo when I touched the picture. It’s an older iPhone SE. I am searching for what it is am for reasons why it is doing that.
That’s part of the photo processing available in Photos in newer iPhone and iPad devices, and will let you isolate the subject—or what is identified as the subject—from the background, and then transfer the subject via Copy or Share.
This: Lift a subject from the photo background on iPhone - Apple Support
The following shows the highlight around the subjects—it’s cycling around what the ML has determined is the subject (three subjects, in this case), shown here mostly on the left person and partially on the middle person—and also shows the Copy and Share buttons:
Original:
Here is the lift, via the Share button and then saving the image:
NJSmith67 wrote:
…I did see all of this in a post you made earlier but it doesn’t seem to be the reason for this particular event. My phone is at least 3 years old. An original iPhone SE from 2020, maybe before that even…
Per the previously-linked info (images below) this feature is available on iPhone SE 2nd gen and later, and 2nd gen was available in 2020.
Given you are seemingly encountering this feature, that would confirm that your iPhone is on the supported-model list included below.
Alternatively, try dragging the subject out of an image, where the subject has been identified, and which would also confirm your iPhone has this feature. (I’ve included a high-contrast image below, and a screenshot of the detected subject.)
You could also check the iPhone model shown in settings, and determine if it is on the list included below.
Or you could also provide a link to this thread to your son, and ask them for their opinion.
From that…
Here is an example image with high contrast:
Here is a screenshot of the selected foreground of that image, from an iPad on the lift-a-subject supported list:
I've not seen a lightning bolt across the whole screen in Photos.
Sorta-kinda closest icon to a lightning bolt in Photos app is the f-stop control.
In Camera app, the lightning bolt icon is used for the flash-related controls.
Does a screenshot capture the icon? If not, a photo of the icon, and post that here? (With a benign photo shown.)
Take a screenshot on your iPad - Apple Support
Hi there, it’s not an icon, it’s an effect. It spreads as an outline to images of people/faces. So here for example, it will trace the outline of each person in the group. Other images the line it traces can be quite random. In this image it misses part of the face of the person on the left. I might have some option/feature switched on I am not familiar with. Thanks
Thank you for responding so quickly. I did see all of this in a post you made earlier but it doesn’t seem to be the reason for this particular event. My phone is at least 3 years old. An original iPhone SE from 2020, maybe before that even. I can not isolate anything. It the light trail travels randomly and across things as well as around them. It only happened to one of a succession of 10 photos…the 4th or 5th photo. I videoed the screen to send to my son. He is an engineer for GE that previously worked for Google, and he is perplexed by it. Thank you again for trying to help me figure this out.
When you press on a photo in which particular app?
Photos thanks
Lightning Bolt Spreads Across Photo
