Geek News

While Google's Pixel 2 didn't change much from its predecessor, which came out only a year before, one of the newer smartphone's standout features is the background-blurring Portrait mode. But this photo tech might not be exclusive to Google's flagship phone anymore: Members of XDA Developers community got Portrait Mode working on other devices, from the original Pixel to non-Google devices running Android Oreo. XDA Senior Member Charles_I, known for previous Google Camera mods, was the first to port the Portrait Mode software beyond the Pixel 2, getting it working on the Pixel & Pixel XL as well as Google's Nexus 5X and 6P phones via a custom app. Then XDA Senior Member Arnova8G2 adjusted that app to work on a broad range of non-Google devices, with users reporting it functioning on Xiaomi, OnePlus and Moto G5s Plus phones. Google's imaging and HDR algorithms have long been prized, and they work magic with the Pixel 2's basic lenses. Porting tha...

Despite the insane stakes, this year's Blade Runner 2049 lived up to (and in some ways surpassed ) the paradigm-shifting original film. The sequel created its gritty futuristic look with the help of plenty of visual effects, but building settings isn't all the film pulled off with digital wizardry. A shocking moment comes with the kinda-return of ( *spoilers* ) Sean Young's replicant Rachel, who looks like she hasn't aged a day. The company behind that VFX trick just released a trailer giving a peek at exactly how they did it. The Moving Picture Company recreated Rachel through a combination of procedures, including bringing back Sean Young and scanning her in, combining that with archival footage from the original film to create a digital double, then animating it on top of a motion-captured stand-in actress. As Gizmodo pointed out, it's not a new series of techniques, but the company made a more convincing (and less creepy) young Rachel than earlier efforts...