Extract Depth Maps from iPhone HEIC Portrait Photos (SPM v6.41)
Some iPhone portrait photos carry a hidden second image: the depth map the phone computed for its blur effect. Since v6.41, StereoPhoto Maker can extract that depth map from HEIC portrait photos that contain depth information. This guide explains which files qualify and what the extracted map is good for.
Which files qualify
- The photo must be a portrait-mode HEIC containing depth data — a spatial photo is a different thing (that is a left/right pair, covered in the spatial photos tutorial).
- You need the original file: transfers that convert to JPEG, and many “optimised” cloud exports, discard the depth channel.
- You need SPM v6.41 with its spphotolib DLL in place (checklist if HEIC will not open).
Extract the map
- Open the HEIC portrait in SPM v6.41.
- Use the depth-map extraction for HEIC portrait photos — SPM reads the embedded depth image.
- Save the depth map alongside the photo (same base name, so the pair stays findable).
What to do with a depth map
- Facebook 3D photos — photo + depth map is exactly the upload pair the feature wants; see the workflow.
- Depth-based effects — selective blur, relighting and 3D-photo-inpainting style tools all consume a greyscale depth map.
- Synthetic stereo — a photo plus its depth map is the input for tools that synthesise a second view. SPM itself works with real pairs; keep the map as data for the tools that do this.
The extracted map is the phone’s estimate, not a measurement: hair, glass and fine edges are where phone depth estimates are weakest, and the map will show it. Inspect before you build on it.