How did Apple create the blur behind the album cover in Apple Music?

Question

It seems to be a blurred shadow, but I can't seem to find the right tools to re-create this. I've looked at ciImage but don't know a good way to start it. Guidance would be greatly appreciated!

Answer 1

You could use UIImage and Core Image Filters (CIFilters) to achieve the effect.

By using two UIImageViews with the same image (or programatically duplicating the cover ImageView) and then applying a CIGaussianBlurFilter and a CIExposureAdjust to the one on the background.

If you do it right, it could look like this.