Phota Labs uses AI to turn everyday photos into professional-looking shots

Summary

• Phota Labs is a new iOS app that uses AI to transform everyday snapshots into images resembling professional photography while preserving image authenticity.
• The a16z-backed startup was founded by Cecilia Zhang & Zach Xia, who previously worked on computational photography products at Adobe including Project Indigo, Lightroom, & Photoshop.
• The founders identified a market gap where existing tools fail to fix poorly captured photos & aim to automate editing to improve shots without altering natural appearances.
• The app functions as a proactive personal photo assistant that analyzes camera rolls to understand scenes & apply transformations before user requests.
• Users can select from various photography styles ranging from subtle edits that maintain original lens & composition to dramatic changes introducing effects like fisheye lenses or alternative angles.
• Phota Labs utilizes proprietary personalization technology that learns individual identities to prevent appearance alterations common in other generative AI tools.
• Edited images include invisible watermarks to identify them as AI-altered when shared on social platforms.
• The initial target audience includes frequent photographers who share on social media but wish to avoid tedious editing processes.
• Founders envision expanding to broader audiences such as retirees & parents seeking polished family albums.
• The company raised a $5.6 million seed round led by a16z last year.
• Phota Labs launched as a free app to build a user base with plans to explore a freemium model & release an Android version in the future.