Google Photos isn’t just a storage platform; it’s also a powerful image editing tool. In a recent web upgrade, Google has introduced a host of new features to enhance your photo editing experience. Whether you’re a casual photographer or a seasoned pro, these tools can help you spruce up your images before sharing them with the world.
To access these features, open your web browser and navigate to Google Photos. Once there, select an image and click the edit button in the top-right corner (it resembles a series of sliders). This will open the editing interface, displayed as a sidebar on the right side of the screen.
Here’s an overview of the editing panels and what each one offers:
First Tab: Suggestions
The “Suggestions” tab (represented by a star icon) is a new feature, akin to what’s available in the Android Photos app. It provides a list of tweaks recommended by Google Photos to enhance your image. These suggestions vary depending on your photo’s content. For instance, the “Enhance” option applies multiple optimizations, while “Warm” and “Cool” adjust the overall temperature of the picture.
Google One subscribers enjoy a broader selection of choices, including “Blur” (for background blurring), “Color pop” (to highlight foreground colors), and “Dynamic” (which applies HDR processing to improve details in different areas).
Simply click on any of these suggested options to see how they transform your image. Click again to revert to the original look, allowing Google’s algorithms to make your photos shine.
Second Tab: Crop
The “Crop” tab (marked by corner markers and arrows) lets you crop and rotate your image. While cropping has been part of the editing interface, what’s new are preset aspect ratios that make it easier to achieve your desired image shape and size.
- Select any aspect ratio, and use the handles at the corners to adjust it.
- Click and drag inside the crop selection window to change the focus area.
- Drag along the bar beneath the image to adjust rotation.
- Use the rotate button to rotate the image by 90 degrees.
- Click “Reset” to undo all changes and revert to the original framing and rotation.
Third Tab: Tools
The “Tools” tab (depicted by a hammer and wrench icon) is exclusively available to Google One subscribers and appears when Google Photos deems it relevant to the picture you’ve opened. This tab significantly enhances the editing capabilities of the Google Photos web app.
Different pictures offer different tools. For example, a portrait shot may offer “Portrait Light” to introduce artificial lighting, while a landscape photo may provide a “Sky” tool to add a style like “Radiant” or “Storm.” Click the tool you want to use, and a slider usually appears to adjust the effect’s strength.
Fourth Tab: Adjust
The “Adjust” tab offers a range of sliders to modify various image characteristics, from brightness to skin tones. Although this tab isn’t new, it has received a redesign and new features. Google One subscribers gain access to HDR (for preserving details in dark and bright areas) and “White point” (for adjusting white balance).
- Drag any slider to make adjustments, with a blue line indicating changes from the original settings.
- Adjustments are instantly previewed in the image.
- Click the blue icon next to a slider to undo changes and return to the default value.
For instance, use “Highlights” to reduce brightness in lighter areas or “Shadow” to brighten darker spots.
Fifth Tab: Filters
The final tab on the right is “Filters” (represented by a star inside a rectangle), carried over from the previous interface. Filters can transform your image with a single click, similar to those on Instagram.
- Filters come with thumbnail previews showing their effects. Click any filter to see its impact.
- Drag the slider below the image to adjust the filter’s strength.
- Click “None” to remove the filter and return the image to its original appearance.
After completing your edits, click “Save” (top right) to save changes. To save the updated image as a new file while keeping the original intact, click the three dots next to “Save” and then “Save copy.”
With these enhanced editing tools, Google Photos makes it easier than ever to perfect your images and unleash your creativity. Whether you’re a professional photographer or just love snapping pictures, give these features a try and elevate your photo game to the next level.
