Google Photos Gets An All-New Editor For Its 10th Birthday
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Summary
- A redesigned editing suite coming to Google Photos features Pixel 9-exclusive tools and powerful AI.
- Easier album sharing with QR code generation for shared albums has been added too.
- The biggest AI-powered change in this update is the suggestions for bespoke localized edits within the image.
As the stock image management utility on most Android devices that ship with Google apps, Photos plays a significant role in the daily lives of the shutter-happy and adventurous. However, Photos does a lot more than just catalog images by date. The app is chock-full of features that help relive moments through the Memories tab and polish images using editing tools. On the app’s tenth anniversary, the list is only getting longer with the infusion of AI and new tools formerly available only on the flagship Pixel phones.
Related
It’s no secret that Google has perfected its image processing pipeline with the Pixel lineup. Each year, the latest Pixel phones get exclusive imaging capabilities, which later trickle down to other Pixel phones. Editing tricks like Magic Eraser and Magic Editor also reach other Android devices through the Photos app, sometimes paywalled so they’re exclusive to Google One subscribers. Sticking to the script, Google just announced a redesigned editor suite in the app, offering powerful new AI tools and some options that were exclusive to the Pixel 9 series until now.
The new editor UI
Redesigned editing suite with Pixel 9 features
With easier album sharing too
Source: Google
Suggested actions in Photos
Starting off simply, Photos already suggests suitable edits for your images, like when you swipe up on an image to view EXIF data, you can see what suggested edits may look like. However, these were generic presets that didn’t change based on the image content, placing the onus of selecting a good-looking edit on you. Now, Google is rolling out AI-powered suggestions, so your images get bespoke edit suggestions quickly. These are available under the AI Enhance section, besides the regular Enhance option. AI is also capable of specifically suggesting localized edits in the Photos app, so you just tap on an area in the image and suggested editing tools should show up.
Source: Google
Auto Frame and Reimagine at work
From the Pixel 9, Google Photos has borrowed the Reimagine and Auto Frame tools. The former allows localized edits, such as sky replacements or more complex reconstruction of the image with a different art style. Auto Frame reminds me of Snapseed’s Expand tool that helps straighten pictures and artificially enlarge the canvas using generative AI to get perfect composition after the fact.
When you’re done editing your images to perfection, you may encounter Google’s latest change to how album sharing works in the Photos app. It’s easy to lose links to shared albums in group chats, and cumbersome to share them in a hurry too. To work around such limitations, the app now supports QR code generation for shared albums, making sharing a breeze.
Source: Google
AI Enhance in Google Photos
While the new features are exciting and we cannot wait to use them on phones other than the Pixel 9 series, Google’s announcement clarifies that we’ll have to wait for another month on Android. Rollout on iOS is promised later this year, but there’s no precise timeline yet.
