Google has unveiled a major update for its Google Photos app, introducing an all-new photo editor powered by artificial intelligence. In a significant shift, the editor will no longer be exclusive to Pixel phone owners but will gradually roll out to all Android and iOS users.
Central to the update is a radically redesigned interface that presents automatic, one-tap editing suggestions.
Editing Features in the New Google Photos
The most striking change is the editor's brand-new interface design.
As Google explained, the updated editor displays a larger view of the photo being edited, with graphical tiles below labeled with options like "Enhance," "Dynamic," and "AI Enhance."
The "Auto Frame" feature is now directly accessible via a button near the top of the screen, alongside crop, flip, and rotate options. All are readily available without needing to dive into menus or scroll through multiple tools.
The more powerful additions become apparent once you begin editing an image.
Users can simply tap, circle, or swipe over the part of the photo they want to adjust, and Google Photos will surface the most relevant edits based on that selection.
For instance, as shown in Google's demo, tapping on a person in the photo prompts the app to automatically identify the main subjects before presenting a contextual menu of editing options, with the most likely tool placed at the top.
Among the options are "Focus," "Add light," and "Sharpen," as well as generative tools like "Move" and "Reimagine."
Selecting "Focus" will automatically blur the background to make the subject stand out.
In another example, Google demonstrated how tapping on a person accidentally captured in the distant background brings up a similar set of tools. This time, however, "Erase," "Move," and "Reimagine" are the suggested edits. Tapping "Erase" then removes the distracting person from the image, seamlessly filling in the background.
Google's new photo editor brings features previously exclusive to Pixel devices to a much wider audience. It also positions the app in direct competition with Apple Intelligence and Samsung's Galaxy AI.
Google's cloud-based AI functions can run on older, less powerful devices, going as far back as Android 8, not just on modern flagships.
However, Google clarified that features and results may vary by device and region. Some AI-dependent features also require users to be at least 18 years old.
Companies like Apple, Samsung, and Google are leveraging new AI functionalities as a way to sell expensive new phones. With billions of active users, Google Photos can afford a different approach.
Reports indicate that Google Photos is a crucial channel for paid Google One subscriptions and a massive source of potential training data the company can use to improve its AI models.
By offering its best photo software for free, Google is betting on getting users to trust the company with their life's memories, shifting brand loyalty away from the specific device in their hands and toward Google Photos itself.
Google announced that the new editor will begin rolling out to Android devices in June and will be available for iOS "later this year."
ويحمل محرر الصور الجديد من جوجل ميزات كانت في السابق حصرية لأجهزة بيكسل إلى جمهور أوسع بكثير، ويضعه أيضًا في منافسة مباشرة مع مزايا "Apple Intelligence" من آبل و "Galaxy AI" من سامسونج.
وتستطيع وظائف الذكاء الاصطناعي السحابية من جوجل العمل على أجهزة أقدم وأقل قوة، تعود إلى نظام أندرويد 8، وليس فقط على الأجهزة الرائدة الحديثة.
رغم ذلك، أوضحت جوجل أن الميزات والنتائج قد تختلف حسب الجهاز والمنطقة، كما أن بعض الميزات التي تعتمد على الذكاء الاصطناعي تتطلب أن يكون عمر المستخدمين 18 عامًا على الأقل.
تلجأ شركات مثل آبل وسامسونج وجوجل إلى وظائف الذكاء الاصطناعي الجديدة كوسيلة لبيع هواتف جديدة باهظة الثمن، ولكن مع مليارات المستخدمين النشطين، يستطيع جوجل فوتوز اتباع نهج مختلف.
وأفادت التقارير أن جوجل فوتوز قناة مهمة للاشتراكات المدفوعة في Google One ومصدر كبير لبيانات التدريب المحتملة التي تستطيع الشركة استخدامها لتحسين نماذج الذكاء الاصطناعي لديها.
ومن خلال طرح أفضل برامج الصور لديها مجانًا، تعتمد جوجل على جذب المستخدمين نحو الثقة بالشركة لحفظ ذكريات حياتهم، ونقل ولاء العلامة التجارية بعيدًا عن الجهاز المحدد الذي بين أيديهم نحو جوجل فوتوز نفسه.
أعلنت جوجل أن المحرر الجديد سيبدأ بالوصول إلى أجهزة أندرويد في يونيو، وسيكون متاحًا لأجهزة iOS "في وقت لاحق من هذا العام".
