Since Google introduced the Pixel lineup of smartphones, the phones have constantly excelled in one particular department: cameras. Interestingly enough, this has less to do with the camera hardware in use, as Google’s software does the real magic. Not only does the software work behind the scenes to give you great shots, but Google also offers users a bunch of exclusive AI tools to edit the photos themselves.
All these tools are found inside the Google Photos app, and even though the app is available for most Android and iOS smartphones, these features are only accessible to Pixel owners and some Google One subscribers. This is set to change soon, as the search engine giant has announced it is making the tools available to all users, for free.
Google Photos’ AI Magic Will Soon Be Available on Non-Pixel Devices
Dina Berrada, the Director of Product Management at Google Photos, announced on The Keyword blog that certain AI editing features will soon be available to all Google Photos users. Until now, these features were exclusive to Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro owners only, with some accessible to Google One subscribers as well. However, according to the new announcement, these features will be available to all Google Photos users at no cost.
Among these, one of the biggest features is the Magic Editor, which debuted on the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro last year. Google calls it “The future of editing in Google Photos,” and rightfully so. The Magic Editor uses generative AI and other artificial intelligence technologies to make complex editing – that would otherwise require professional software – easy. For example, you can move and resize objects in a photo, adjust the overall colors, or just the sky.
Here Are the Other Features Rolling Out to All Google Photos Users
Apart from the Magic Editor, Google will also offer several other AI editing features for free. Let’s explore the additional features that will soon be accessible to all Google Photos users.
- Magic Eraser: Magic Eraser allows removing unwanted objects from an Image. It can automatically detect distractions in a photo that you can remove with a single tap. Or, you can manually circle or brush on the objects you wish to remove. If you don’t intend to remove the object, the camouflage option can change its color to make it naturally blend with the complete photo. Google made this feature available to Google One members last year, and now it’ll be available to everyone at no cost.
- Photo Unblur: This feature was introduced on Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. As you can guess from the name, it lets you remove blur and noise from the photos. It uses AI and machine learning, and works on any photo, regardless of how old it is and on which device it was captured.
- Sky suggestions: You can change the color of the sky using this feature. When you open an image and AI detects a sky, it will automatically display a list of effects that you can apply and each of them tweaks the color of the sky differently.
- Color pop: Color pop works on photos with distinguishable subjects and backgrounds. By applying this effect, the subject in the photo will remain colored, while the background will turn black and white.
- HDR effect: The HDR effect works on both photos and videos, by allowing you to enhance them with HDR. You can adjust the intensity manually.
- Portrait blur: This effect lets you blur the background of photos or videos, and works when it detects a human subject.
- Portrait light: With this tool, you can adjust the brightness and light position of a portrait, to improve the lighting on the subject.
- Cinematic photos: It lets you add a 3D panning effect to your photos, by predicting their depth. The Google Photos app automatically creates cinematic photos and displays them in highlights, or you can create one yourself too.
- Collage editor styles: While creating a collage, you’ll see some styles or templates designed by featured artists, which you can use to make beautiful-looking collages.
- Video effects: Google Photos currently has 12 effects, including B&W, fish eye, etc., that you can apply to your videos using this feature.
Rollout Details and Eligibility:
According to Google’s announcement, these features will go live to all Google Photos users starting May 15, 2024. To be eligible for this upgrade, you must use the Google Photos app on a smartphone or tablet having at least 3GB of RAM and running Android 8/iOS15 or higher, or a Chromebook Plus with ChromeOS 118 or later.
For the Magic Editor feature, specifically, you’ll need a device with at least 4GB of RAM. And, while all other features will be fully accessible at no extra cost, Magic Editor would allow saving only 10 images a month for free. To save more, you’ll need to upgrade to a Premium Google One plan.
