If you’ve been keeping up with the latest tech news, you’ve probably noticed how many apps and gadgets are being equipped with new artificial intelligence features and tools. This is especially true for the wonderful Google Photos app. AI has always been a big part of Google Photos, helping users organize images and make enhancements.
Although, the AI capabilities really stepped it up with the launch of the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro phones. These phones are the first Pixel models to support Magic Editor, a new photo editing tool that lets you apply a variety of effects with a single tap—effects that used to require a computer, Photoshop, and a lot of time and skill.
The Magic Editor is rolling out to selected Pixel phones now. Credit: David Nield
Magic Editor allows you to move people from one spot to another inside an image, remove people and objects altogether, change the look of the sky, and even add elements that weren’t in the original snap.
Google says that “select Pixel phones” (including the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro) now have “early access” to Magic Editor. Over time, it should come to more handsets. To see if you have it, open an image in Google Photos on your Android device, tap Edit, and look for the Magic Editor icon, which is a glowing button in the lower left corner.
Making changes with Magic Editor
Once you locate the Magic Editor button, your first step is to select something on the image to manipulate. You can select a person, an object, or even the sky. If you want the app to make a suggestion, tap the suggestions icon represented by the magic wand symbol at the bottom.
To make a manual selection, you can scribble over something with your finger, circle it, or just tap it. The AI in Google Photos will try and intelligently select what it thinks you want to select. If needed, pinch with your fingers to change the zoom level.
Magic Editor can take out the sky and add in a new one for you. Credit: David Nield
Once you’ve made a selection, you can refine it by adding or subtracting from the selection using the buttons in the lower right corner of the interface. If all you want to do is remove the people or items you’ve selected, just tap Erase. Or, tap and hold the selection to do something else with it: You can move it to a different position or make it larger or smaller by dragging two fingers further apart or bringing two fingers closer together.