Using a collage app called PicCollage (it's the free version, so the logo is included), I superimposed my black cat on top of the background photo. You can play like this with iOS 16


               iOS 16 arrived at midnight on September 13th, and the first topic on SNS was the subject clipping from the image using AI. Apple's site translates it as "extracting the object from the background", but that seems like a literal translation, so many people think of it as "image clipping", "photo clipping", "subject clipping", or " I like to call it "extracting objects", but it would be nice if a good name that expresses the actual situation in one word becomes established.

Cutting out and saving a specific subject

This clipping can be done with the "Photo" app. I think it's safe to say that this is the most popular feature in this OS update.

If you press and hold Gugu on the photo and it determines that "that is the object", the AI will automatically cut it out. It doesn't have to be a person if it looks like an object. You can go by cat, torii, or train.


I cut out the cat. At the "protected cat shelter queue" in Kyodo, Setagaya Ward (photo = left). At Fukuyama station. I found a photo of the 500 series that was still running at the time, so I cut it out (photo = right)





You can also use something unexpected, so I cut out a torii.

            By the way, any image is fine, not just a photo, so the source can be a screenshot or a human frame from a video.

At this point, it can't be helped that I'm happy to pull it out and say, "I'm out of my body." Naturally, I'd like to use this in other apps as well.

You can drag it to another app as it is, but doing it on the iPhone screen requires a bit of a complicated finger movement, so you can either "copy" and paste it in another app, or once "image "Save to" and call it on other apps



If you "copy" it, you can paste it on another application (that supports image copy and paste) (photo = left). You can pass it directly to other apps from "Share" or save the image (photo = right)


The image is saved in "transparent PNG" format (a format that treats objects other than the object as "transparent"), so if the app supports it, it will look good, and if it doesn't, it will be treated as a "white" image around the edges.

Paste the clipped image to another application

how to use this For example, if you put only the history part of the shrine in "Quick Memo". For those who use the iPhone camera as an image memo, this is a good way to organize information. In addition, although iOS 16 also supports Japanese character recognition, it is a pity that vertical writing is not supported.

Sending a cropped image is easy. Just "copy" and "paste". Not only "Message", but also Twitter, Messenger and LINE can be used.

Since it's a big deal here, let's play with collage.


You need an app to collect and play with cut out objects, but unfortunately the "Photo" app only cuts out and doesn't have a function to paste, and "Notepad" can be pasted, but it is said that you can make a collage work. And that's not all.

There are some third-party apps that offer collage, but if they are free, they have limited functionality, logos, and various other functions, so it's hard to recommend one that's simple to use.

Well, if it's free, the logo will be included, and you will be prompted to register for a subscription every time, but PicCollage seems to be usable because it supports copy and paste. Place the base photo on the background layer and use copy and paste to layer objects on top of it.


Completion... I don't know what is completion, but well, running through the night town and passing through the torii is the goal. Don't ask me what I wanted to express


Best free apps for collage

So, as a result of trying various things, the app I decided to recommend in this article is a genuine Apple app that can be used for free and can be widely used.

One is Pages. It is a so-called word processing application. The other is Keynote. It's a so-called presentation app. Both are excellent in the function of overlapping multiple image objects.

Pages is a word processing application, but if you create a new document as a document in "page layout" mode, you can freely place objects on the document, and set the size and overlapping of objects freely. Since it's a word processor, you can have multiple pages, so it's good to make it look like a photo book.

"It's like this." I tried extracting only the cat part from the cat photos taken with successive iPhones and making a collage.

If you create a new document with "blank document", it is not "page layout", so if you turn off "document body" from "document settings", it will be page layout. That's the trick.

It is also recommended to use it as a scrapbook that collects various objects by theme. You can copy and paste individual objects later.

Keynote is a presentation app that is originally suitable for layering various objects, and the size of the presentation can be customized in pixels, so it is good for creating images, exporting them, and sharing them publicly.

This can also have multiple pages, so it's good to use it as a scrapbook, making a collection of works, and making trial and error.

Then one sample. The background photo was first pasted and adjusted in size, and then the cat and person cut out from another photo were superimposed on it.

And you can export any page as a single image.



In addition, since the operation method of the detailed application is long, it is omitted.

"Well, it's rough, but if you don't mind being rough, it's very easy to play." If you're serious about it, don't rely on OS functions, use a serious app to cut out exactly and adjust the direction of light, exposure, and color. It's interesting, so I think many apps will support this.

"Thus, I understand that iOS 16 image cropping is interesting, but how do you use it?" For those who say, it is recommended to start by "copying to SNS or messenger" or "using apps such as Keynote or Pages".

Note that the iOS 16 subject extraction function can be used on iPhone XR/XS and later models. Please note that this feature is not available on all models.