Google Photos is a lot more than a simple gallery app — in the age of Gemini, it is a sophisticated AI-powered platform that lets you seamlessly view, arrange, find, and even edit all types of media.
Over recent weeks and months, we’ve seen the tech giant attempt to make the app even better, essentially by refining existing AI features and also introducing new ones. Some of these, which have only been seen in beta or early leaks, are now ready for prime time.
More ways to edit your photos
Leveraging the power of face groups, Google Photos users can now generate accurate edits of specific people, including you, based on the images in your library.
Essentially context-aware image repairing, Google Photos’ ‘Help me edit’ tool can help you make conversational edits by typing in prompts like “remove my sunglasses,” “open X’s eyes,” “make X smile,” and more.
The functionality, which was previously limited to Google’s latest Pixel 10 series, expanded to all eligible Android users in the US back in mid-September. Now, a little under two months later, the functionality is finally expanding to iOS.
Go bananas with Nano Banana
Nano Banana’s arrival isn’t really a surprise. We’ve known for a while now that Google has wanted to bring the viral image-generation model to more native apps, including Google Photos, and that’s officially happening now. “It’s inspiring to see all the creative ways you’re using Nano Banana. We also told you to keep your eyes peeled for Nano Banana coming to Google Photos — now the wait is over,” wrote the tech giant.
Accessible via ‘Help me edit’ in the app’s editor, Nano Banana will let you make significant edits based on artistic genres and imaginative concepts with prompts like “paint me as a Renaissance portrait,” or “restyle this image as a mosaic made of colorful tiles,” or even “turn this photo into a page from a children’s storybook.”
However, in cases where coming up with your own prompts might be challenging, Google is simplifying the editing process by introducing pre-made AI templates. Expected to be available via the ‘Create’ tab on Android in the US and India starting next week, the templates, powered by Nano Banana, will help users create and edit images based on popular prompt templates like “put me in a high fashion photoshoot,” “create a professional headshot,” or “put me in a winter holiday card.”
Elsewhere, in the coming weeks, the same feature will be upgraded with personalized templates, which will use insights about you gathered from your gallery. Think edit templates, but unique to your “hobbies and experiences, like ‘create a name doodle personalized for me,’ or ‘create a cartoon of me and my hobbies.'”
Ask Photos is now easier to access
And it’s more widely available too
Google’s Ask Photos tool, which essentially lets you ask Gemini questions about specific photos, and even your gallery as a whole, is now significantly more widely available.
Google announced that starting this week, Ask Photos will be rolling out to more than 100 new countries and regions, and 17 new languages, bringing the convenience of conversational image search to more people around the world.
The wider availability is paired with a new way to access the AI tool. First spotted in an early Google Photos build earlier this month, users should now be able to access Ask Photos directly within the image viewer. This is a much more intuitive way of accessing the feature, essentially allowing you to edit or ask questions without leaving that individual image’s view.
The new ‘Ask’ button shortcut is rolling out now on Android and iOS in the US.
