Latest news with #GooglePhotos
Android Authority
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Android Authority
Google Photos' upcoming Remix feature could launch with a video upgrade (APK teardown)
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR Google Photos' upcoming Remix feature, internally codenamed 'Bluejay,' will likely support video editing. When it launches, the feature will use generative AI to transform videos into various styles, with options potentially including 'I'm feeling lucky,' 'Subtle movements,' and 'Go wild.' Creating AI photos and videos is all the rage these days, but many people are using AI to remix their existing photos and videos. For instance, the Studio Ghibli trend went viral recently, and people had a lot of fun reimaging themselves in the popular art style. We've previously spotted Google Photos working to incorporate this generative AI use case with the upcoming Remix feature. While the feature is yet to launch, we've now spotted clues indicating it will work for both photos and videos. Authority Insights story on Android Authority. Discover You're reading anstory on Android Authority. Discover Authority Insights for more exclusive reports, app teardowns, leaks, and in-depth tech coverage you won't find anywhere else. An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release. Google Photos v7.34 includes code that indicates that the upcoming Remix feature could also support video edits. Code Copy Text Remix Bluejay Video I'm Feeling Lucky. Suble Movements. Go Wild. Here, 'bluejay' is the working codename for the Remix feature, and in the second string, it is used as a placeholder for the marketing name 'Remix' (which is still a work-in-progress name and may or may not be the final marketing name). While the Remix feature for photos could offer styles like claymation and anime, there would be different style suggestions provided for the Remix video feature. We could spot these three style suggestions: Random style: I am feeling lucky Subtle style: Subtle Movements Wild style: Go Wild As is the theme with the Remix feature, the Remix video feature will also likely use generative AI to transform your video into these different styles. Google has yet to announce the Remix feature, and it's still very much a work in progress. We don't know if and when it will roll out to users. We'll keep you updated when we learn more. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
Android Authority
2 days ago
- Android Authority
Finding the right editing tool in Google Photos is about to get easier (APK teardown)
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR An Android Authority teardown has revealed that the Google Photos app is getting a search button for editing tools. This will allow you to type the name of an editing tool or option to quickly access it. This search option would save time compared to manually sifting through menus to find the correct tool. We just discovered that Google Photos will get its biggest redesign in years, featuring a Material 3 Expressive visual style and functional upgrades. However, we've also uncovered a rather cool editing feature worth knowing. Authority Insights story on Android Authority. Discover You're reading anstory on Android Authority. Discover Authority Insights for more exclusive reports, app teardowns, leaks, and in-depth tech coverage you won't find anywhere else. An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release. We dug into the Google Photos app for Android (version 7.34.0.772224975) and enabled a search button for editing tools. The search button appears in the bottom right of the edit menu (see the first image below). Tapping this search icon takes you to a separate search screen, per the second image below. The second screenshot shows that you can use a text field to type the name of the editing tool you're looking for. That means you could type 'erase' to access the Magic Eraser or type 'sharpen' for the sharpening tool. This would be a welcome addition as Google Photos offers plenty of editing tools and options. So the ability to easily find these options without manually searching through various menus would be a time-saver. This isn't the only new feature coming to Google Photos, though. In addition to the aforementioned visual redesign, the company has also started rolling out an overhauled image editor and easier album sharing. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
Android Authority
2 days ago
- Android Authority
First look at the biggest Google Photos editor update in years (APK teardown)
TL;DR Google Photos is getting a completely revamped editor, with reorganized sections that make the editing flow much more intuitive. Google previously gave us a glimpse of the new design, but we've managed to dive deeper and unlock the new UI and all the functional changes. The new tool search option is perhaps one of the best new features of the new Google Photos editor. A big update is coming to Google Photos, and it's more than just a fresh coat of paint. Google is set to roll out one of the biggest redesigns the app's built-in editor has seen in years, complete with Material 3 Expressive stylings and a bunch of functional upgrades. We first caught a glimpse of the revamped editor when Google Photos celebrated its 10th anniversary, but we've now managed to dive deeper and unlock the new UI in version 7.34.0.772224975 of the Google Photos app to show you exactly what's coming, including changes that Google hasn't shown off yet. Authority Insights story on Android Authority. Discover You're reading anstory on Android Authority. Discover Authority Insights for more exclusive reports, app teardowns, leaks, and in-depth tech coverage you won't find anywhere else. An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release. Right off the bat, you'll notice that the Material 3 Expressive design elements are everywhere in the revamped Google Photos app. From the soft, rounded corners in the crop tool to the updated shapes for the walkthrough, tiles, and buttons, the whole interface feels more modern, friendly, and in line with Google's new design language. New editing tools layout Once you open the updated Google Photos editor, you'll notice that Google has reorganized all the existing tools into a row of new sections, which now include: Auto Actions Markup Filters Lighting Color To be clear, Google hasn't removed any tools. They've just been restructured and redistributed in the new sections. For example, the Crop tool, along with expanded cropping options, is now found under 'Actions.' Meanwhile, Tone and Color adjustments have been pulled out of the old 'Adjust' section and are now given more prominence as standalone sections at the bottom of the editor. The 'Filters' section is also getting some love. A new 'Sky styles' option lets you choose from dramatic skyline effects like Luminous, Radiant, Vivid, Ember, and more. Google has also made a minor visual tweak to the filter selection tray, making it more intuitive to adjust filter strength. The new 'Auto' section is also a welcome update. While Google had previously previewed this feature, we now have more details on how it works. When you tap Auto, you'll get three enhancement options: Enhance Dynamic AI Enhance This section is also where you'll now find tools like Portrait Blur, Erase, Move, and Reimagine. Previously, these features were tucked away in the Suggestions tab or were only accessible through the Magic Editor. Consolidating them into the 'Auto' section not only makes them easier to find but also makes the editing flow less confusing. The best new Google Photos feature! AssembleDebug / Android Authority Hands down, one of the most helpful new features of the Google Photos editor is the search button. If you're unsure where a specific editing tool is located, type its name, and the search will take you right to it without digging through menus. Given that Google is constantly adding more editing tools to the mix, a search option in Google Photos is the best thing that could have happened to the app. Overall, this Google Photos editor redesign is shaping up to be quite impressive. Google had previously said that the new and improved editor would roll out for Android users sometime in June, so you won't have to wait long to try it out. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
Android Authority
6 days ago
- Android Authority
I've been using Google Photos for 10 years and this is what I want to see in the next 10 years
Joe Maring / Android Authority I'm as cynical as the next tech writer about Big Tech's trajectory, but I've always had a soft spot for Google Photos. The app recently turned ten years old, and I've been there every step of the way, although it certainly took me a while to discover its full potential. Many retrospectives have been written about how the app has evolved from its launch in 2015, but I've been thinking more about what the next decade holds. As good as the app is, here's what I'd like to see from Google Photos in the next ten years. More storage in the free tier Rita El Khoury / Android Authority It's an optimistic start, but I don't see why Google shouldn't increase the storage allocation in its free tier. In the tech giant's defence, 15GB did feel generous back in 2015, especially when paired with unlimited high-quality photo backups. However, the unlimited offer was scrapped in 2021, and the free allocation hasn't increased since the outset. Meanwhile, the vast increase in photo and video quality on our devices has ballooned the storage space we need, and we've seen this reflected in smartphones' base storage. It has quadrupled at minimum and increased a lot more in some cases, before we even consider expandable storage. I accept that there's a difference between a free allocation and an $800 device, but the allocations haven't changed in the paid Google One tiers, either. The prices may have remained fairly static, but not keeping up with the evolution of photos is a step backward in real terms. I'm writing this as if it isn't blindly obvious why Google might not want people to be satisfied with the free tier. Still, there's a reason why people like me became so attached to the app in the first place, and Google can afford to stay ahead of the competition on this front. As a paying member of Google One, I don't stand to benefit much from a change to the free tier, but I don't want to see a trailblazing app burn all of its goodwill. Besides, this is a wishlist, not a prediction. Optional end-to-end encryption Joe Maring / Android Authority To be clear, photos in Google Photos are already encrypted while stored in the cloud and uploaded or shared — that level of security isn't in question. However, Google still holds the decryption keys. What I'm suggesting is a step further: true end-to-end encryption like Apple's optional Advanced Data Protection for iCloud, where only I hold the keys and even Google cannot access my data. This would mean giving up some of the app's smartest features, like search and facial recognition, but the key word here is 'optional.' Give users the choice to fully lock down certain albums or individual images, even if it means sacrificing those smart features on a case-by-case basis. Other Google services have started to embrace this kind of selective privacy. Chat backups in Google Messages, for instance, can now be end-to-end encrypted, even when stored in the cloud. So the precedent is there, and the privacy concerns around personal photos arguably run even deeper than they do for chat logs. They're memories and relationships. In some cases, they could be evidence for users in vulnerable situations. Being able to keep an image away from prying human or AI eyes feels like a feature Google should offer. More transparency Rita El Khoury / Android Authority The magical algorithms of Google Photos have long been appreciated by fans of the app like me. But as it leans further into AI-powered features, it's time we were shown a little more of what's happening behind the curtain. Specifically, I'd like to see more transparency around how machine learning models are analyzing my photos and more control over what they can use. As things stand, the system applies labels to your images, groups faces, and selects moments for Memories without telling you exactly why. You can't view, edit, or remove the assumptions it's made, even when they're incorrect or sensitive. A simple dashboard showing how your images have been categorized would go a long way. So would the ability to override or remove tags, exclude specific albums from Memories, and a host of other tweaks in that area. I'm still happy that AI is making life easier for me, but I would appreciate knowing what it's up to when I'm curious. After all, they're my photos. Better AI tagging and organization Hadlee Simons / Android Authority Going a step further, once we can see what the AI is doing, the next step is being able to do more with it ourselves. Google Photos already understands a surprising amount of what's in our libraries, but it rarely lets us put that knowledge to work. If I search 'birthday,' I'll probably find what I'm after. But I can't tag something as a birthday or turn that search into a curated album in one tap. That leaves room for improvement, and this is one element of my wishlist that looks pretty realistic. Imagine being able to see and edit the AI tags attached to each image, or apply your own to help with future searches. Better yet, what if the AI could find a hundred food photos and file them into a new album with one prompt? Or what if I could tell Google to stop surfacing my blurry screenshots entirely? And if I'm consistently correcting something, I'd like the app to learn from that too. Just as we train our chatbots to remember our preferences, the Google Photos AI should learn our habits. Next-level permissions control Joe Maring / Android Authority While Google Photos makes sharing albums easy, that convenience can be a bit of a double-edged sword. Right now, when you share an album, you can turn off collaboration so no one else adds photos, and even limit access to specific Google accounts instead of a public link. But honestly, those controls still leave a lot to be desired. For instance, say you want to give a relative a quick, two-week peek at your vacation photos. Google Photos doesn't offer a way to set time-limited access — you'd have to remember to manually revoke their access after those two weeks are up. And even if you invite specific people, there's no simple way to stop them from inviting others to the album, even if the link isn't public. They can basically add to your invite list, extending access to your album beyond your initial intent. These are just a couple of examples, and they aren't wild requests; they're pretty standard controls you find in many other modern sharing apps. Google Photos, like most apps out there, aims to be both social and private. To nail that balance, though, it needs to offer more sophisticated permission settings that truly respect that gray area between wide-open sharing and complete lockdown. Official support for NAS backups Robert Triggs / Android Authority I'm happy with the cloud, but many people feel safer with offline storage. Right now, if you want a reliable backup of your Google Photos library to a NAS (Network-Attached Storage), you don't have a good automated solution. There's no native Google tool that truly supports this. While you can download files manually or even use Google Takeout to grab your entire library, that process takes ages, is cumbersome to manage, and has to be initiated each time. These stop-gap solutions might be acceptable for power users, but it's a clunky experience for everyone else. What's really needed is official integration with NAS systems like Synology or QNAP. Even a simple, dedicated setting that lets us automatically sync our Google Photos library directly to a home drive would go a long way. Google could easily support both, and it absolutely should. Less is more Ryan Haines / Android Authority Notwithstanding the changes I'm hoping to see in Google Photos, one of my biggest desires is for continuity. Google is constantly tinkering with its top-tier apps, probably under the illusion that you have to keep evolving to stay ahead. But the problem with change for change's sake is that you can lose some of the essence of what made the app great in the first place. Google Photos has always thrived on simplicity — clean design, easy navigation, and a sense that the app quietly works in the background without getting in the way. But over the years, a little bit of clutter has crept in. Every new feature addition, useful or not, adds an extra level of complexity. They add up, which is a problem if your app is built on the mantra of simple, yet effective. So my message to Google is to gradually move with the times and bring the users the subtle upgrades they need. If some of those are on this rundown, then all the better. Otherwise, keep the UI clean and don't add every little novelty feature that you fear gives a rival app an edge. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Indian Express
7 days ago
- Indian Express
5 powerful AI image editing tools you can use right now
For years, photo editing has been a skill that requires expertise and experience. But with artificial intelligence getting better and easier to use with each passing day, and precisely identifying elements like faces, skies and objects, one does not need to use complex digital tools like Adobe Photoshop to edit images. If you are looking for generative AI-powered image editors, from Canva to Google Photos, here are some of the best tools available on the internet. Adobe Photoshop, one of the most popular image editing tools on the planet, also has a built-in AI-powered image editor. Powered by the company's Firefly model, Photoshop users can use features like the Remove Tool, which lets users remove unwanted elements from their pictures at the click of a button. You can also use features the Curvature Pen Tool, Match Font, Sky Replacement, Object Selection, Refine Edge, and Preserve Details 2.0 to instantly improve your images and make them visually appealing. If you are looking to expand an image using AI, try Photoshop's Generative Fill. Canva has been the go-to tool for millions around the world to edit and modify images. The platform also features an AI photo editor, which offers tools like Magic Edit, Magic Eraser, AI Frames, and Background Cleaner, to name a few. While some of these features are free to use, most of them require a paid plan. Pixlr is another popular image editing app that has embraced generative AI. Designed for both beginners and professionals, the platform is available as an app and can also be accessed directly from a mobile device. Some notable AI features include Generative Fill, Generative Expand, and AI Face Swap. Designed for professionals, Imagen is a powerful AI-powered post-production image editor that adapts to an individual's editing preferences over time. It also boasts a new feature called Talent AI Profiles, which are presets created by the best photographers that let you modify images to your liking. Some of the more advanced features on the platform include Crop, Straighten, Subject, and Smooth Skin. Most Android phones come pre-installed with Google Photos, the tech giant's cloud storage service that also doubles up as an image editor. This is hands down one of the best apps for adjusting lighting, improving clarity and even removing unwanted objects. Some of the AI-powered features include Magic Eraser, Magic Editor, Unblur, Portrait Light, and Cinematic Photos.
