Google Photos has added more AI features to help users quickly edit their images without requiring advanced skills or professional apps. The updated photo editor brings together several AI editing tools in one place, including two generative AI Magic Editor features that were only available on Pixel devices, as well as helpful hints on which tool to use.
With this update, Google Photos extends the AI-powered Auto Crop and Reimagine text-to-picture features that debuted on Pixel 9. The Auto Crop tool, located in the upper left corner of the updated editor, offers various compositions that crop or expand an image using generative AI to fill in empty spaces. The Reimagine feature goes a step further, allowing users to add anything they want to their photos by simply describing them, the results of which can sometimes be a bit unsettling.
Otherwise, the most noticeable change is the user interface, which has replaced the previous two-level editor menu with a single row of three thumbnail buttons: the Enhance and Dynamic Edit options already available in Google Photos, as well as the new AI Enhance feature. Selecting AI Enhancements brings up three editing options that automatically combine multiple AI effects, such as image sharpening and object removal, allowing users to choose the results they want.
Users can also draw over specific areas of the image to select an object and make targeted edits. A pop-up menu of tools will appear, suggesting the best effects to apply, such as moving the person or object, blurring the background, or adjusting the lighting. This should help users make better edits, as well as make it easier and faster to find the right tool without having to search through tabs and menus.
Google says that all of the above will be rolled out globally to Android devices next month and to iOS “later this year.” The Verge has reached out to Google for more information on which Android devices will be supported, but has not yet received a response.
Another Google Photos feature that is starting to roll out now allows users to share an album in their library by generating a QR code. People can easily view or add photos to the album by scanning the code instead of getting the usual sharing permissions, making this feature a convenient alternative for sharing photos with large groups, such as wedding guests or event attendees.
