Google announced a substantial update to Photoswhich brings even more generative AI functionality to the application. The company is finally adding its market-leading Nano Banana image-editing model to Photos, and it won’t be available only on Android.
Google Photos gets more generative AI features, including for iOS
Google Photos’ flagship updates are part of the Help Me Edit feature’s conversational editing tool. The tool previously worked on an older model, but it has now been updated to use the Nano Banana model for various AI-based modifications, and it will be available on Android and iOS.
You can now make more complex edits in Google Photos with a text prompt. | Image credit – Google
The feature will now be able to access your private face groups, allowing you to use names in your instructions. For example, you can ask Help Me Edit to remove Riley’s sunglasses, and Nano Banana will identify Riley and make the edit. Of course, you must have a Riley registered in your face groups for this to work. You can also ask the model to completely revamp your photos and transform them into a Renaissance painting for example.
Google Photos also offers a collection of ready-to-use AI templates in the “Create with AI” section. The goal is to help less experienced users create images based on popular in-app edits. Some available presets include “put me in a winter holiday card” and “create a professional portrait”.
More than just modifications
The new “Ask” button gives more context to your photos. | Image credit – Google
Google is also introducing a new “Request” button in Photos, different from the “Request Photos” feature. The new button appears when viewing a photo and you can tap it to access information about the photo’s contents and discover related images. This feature will only be available in the United States at this time. The “Request Photos” feature expands to over 100 new countries and 17 new languages. With it, you can search your gallery in natural language. Apple tried something similar with its own Photos app, but its on-device machine learning algorithm provides poor results.
All new features are currently rolling out to users, which means they should be available in the coming days.
This might be useful
While I’m not the biggest fan of AI-generated images, simplifying photo edits using Nano Banana sounds awesome. Removing a reflection or unwanted object from a photo with a short prompt could help many people correct their images, which is a good use of AI. Google providing such features to iPhone users is nothing short of a slap in the face to Apple.
