Apple patents iOS 5's exposure metering based on face detection, keeps friends in ful

[wraggster]

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/07/apple-face-detection-metering-patent.jpg (http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/31/apple-patents-iphone-4s-exposure-metering-based-on-faces/)Many photographers will tell you that their least favorite shooting situation involves a portrait with the sun to the subject's back: there's a good chance the shot ends up an unintentional silhouette study unless the shooter meters just perfectly from that grinning face. Apple has just been granted a patent (http://www.engadget.com/tag/patent,apple/) for the metering technique that takes all the guesswork out of those human-focused shots on an iOS 5 device like the iPhone 4S (http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/14/iphone-4s-review/) or new iPad (http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/16/apple-ipad-review-2012/). As it's designed, the invention finds faces in the scene and adjusts the camera exposure to keep them all well-lit, even if they're fidgety enough to move at the last second. Group shots are just as much of a breeze, with the software using head proximity and other factors to pick either a main face as the metering target (such as a person standing in front of a crowd) or an average if there's enough people posing for a close-up. You can explore the full details at the source. Camera-toting rivals, however, will have to explore alternative ideas.
http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/31/apple-patents-iphone-4s-exposure-metering-based-on-faces/