Spatial Scenes: What They Are and How to See Your Photos in 3D

Short answer: a spatial scene is Apple's way of turning an ordinary 2D photo into a 3D scene you can look around in. On iPhone the photo shifts with depth as you move the phone; on Apple Vision Pro it becomes a 3D window you can lean into. Apple's Photos app makes them, and on Vision Pro, Spatial Media Toolkit can show any photo from your albums or your files as a spatial scene.

What a spatial scene is

A spatial scene starts from one flat photo. Apple's software estimates the depth of everything in the picture and builds a 3D version of the scene from it, filling in what was hidden behind the subject. When your viewpoint moves, near objects shift more than far ones, so the photo feels like a place rather than a print.

That's different from a spatial photo. A spatial photo holds two fixed views, one per eye, so it shows depth but only from where the camera stood. A spatial scene is generated as you look, so you can move your head and see around the subject a little.

Where you can see spatial scenes

• iPhone and iPad: Apple's Photos app can show a photo as a spatial scene; tilting the device moves the view.
• Apple Vision Pro: spatial scenes appear in full 3D in front of you, which is where they look most striking.

How to view any photo as a spatial scene on Vision Pro

Spatial Media Toolkit on Vision Pro (visionOS 26) can show photos in three ways: flat 2D, as a spatial photo, or as a spatial scene.

1. Open the Gallery tab. Browse your Photos albums, or switch to Files to open pictures stored in folders, not only those in your library.
2. Tap a photo. It opens in its own window, so you can have several open around you at once.
3. Switch to Spatial Scene. Use the toggle in the player to move between 2D, Spatial and Spatial Scene.
4. Make it the default. In Options, set Default Gallery 2D Treatment to Spatial Scene and every 2D photo you open starts as a scene.

Spatial scenes are a viewing mode: they're rendered on the headset as you look, and the app doesn't save them as files. If you want a 3D photo you can keep, share or send to another device, convert it to a spatial photo instead.

Spatial scene or spatial photo?

• Spatial scene: more dramatic, lets you move around a little, but it's a live effect on Apple devices.
• Spatial photo: a real file with two eye views. It works on any Vision Pro, and as side-by-side it works on Meta Quest and other headsets. See how to convert a photo to a spatial photo.

Spatial Media Toolkit does both: view photos as scenes on Vision Pro, and convert photos and videos into spatial files on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Vision Pro.

Which photos make good scenes

• A clear subject with distance behind it: people outdoors, pets, landscapes with a foreground.
• Sharp photos. Blur and heavy noise make the depth harder to estimate.
• Flat subjects, like a document or a wall, don't have much depth to show.

FAQ

Can I make a spatial scene from an old photo?

Yes. Spatial scenes are made from ordinary 2D photos, including old ones and scans.

Is there a spatial scene app for Android?

Spatial scenes are an Apple feature, and Spatial Media Toolkit is for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Vision Pro only. To view 3D photos on an Android-based headset, convert them to side-by-side on an Apple device first.

Can I export a spatial scene?

Not from Spatial Media Toolkit: spatial scenes are a live viewing mode. Export a spatial photo or side-by-side image if you need a file.

Can I turn videos into 3D too?

Yes, as spatial video. See our 2D to 3D video converter guide.

Try it

Download Spatial Media Toolkit on the App Store and open your photo library as spatial scenes on Vision Pro.