Google Photos AI Updates: New Editing Features & Expanded Search

Google Photos Receives Significant AI Enhancements

A suite of new, AI-driven functionalities has been implemented within Google Photos. These updates include the ability to modify objects and individuals within images, a novel "Ask" button for obtaining AI-powered responses regarding photos or initiating edits, AI templates for generating new visuals, and a broadened scope for natural language search capabilities.

Advanced Editing Capabilities

Initially, prompt-based editing was made available for Pixel 10 series devices in August. Now, Google has announced that iOS users located in the U.S. can utilize voice or text descriptions to alter their images. Alongside this, a redesigned photo editor, featuring streamlined editing options, is being extended to iOS platforms.

A key upgrade is the introduction of personalized edits. This feature leverages Google Photos’ facial recognition technology to identify individuals within images. Users can then access the “Help me edit” function and input specific instructions pertaining to people in the photo.

For example, a user could request, “Remove Riley’s sunglasses, brighten my eyes, make Engel smile, and enhance her eyes” to achieve targeted edits for each person depicted, as illustrated below.

Creative Image Generation with Nano Banana

Google is integrating its popular AI image model, Nano Banana, into Google Photos. This integration empowers users to transform their photos into diverse styles, such as Renaissance portraits or cartoon illustrations.

Furthermore, AI templates are being added to facilitate easy conversion of photos into specific formats. The popularity of formats like retro portraits and action figures, created using Nano Banana, prompted this expansion. This feature will become available next week on Android devices within the Create tab, initially in the U.S. and India – regions where Nano Banana sees the highest usage.

Introducing the "Ask" Button

Google Photos is also undergoing a minor design refinement with the addition of a new "Ask" button. This button will serve as a central access point for various AI requests. Users can utilize it to obtain information about a photo, uncover related memories, and apply edits through prompts.

To guide users, the platform will also display suggestion chips, indicating the range of actions available through this feature. The rollout of this functionality is currently underway for users in the U.S. on both iOS and Android.

Expanded AI-Powered Search

An AI-powered search feature was initially launched for the Photos app last year, with an initial release limited to the United States. Today, Google is extending the availability of this search functionality to over 100 countries.

This expansion includes regions such as Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and South Africa. Support for more than 17 additional languages is also being added, including Arabic, Bengali, French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish.