Google brings in AI-powered photo editing tools; here's the update

As demand increases, big tech behemoths are heavily incorporating AI-powered tools in their existing features and apps. In the latest, tech behemoth Google is planning to roll out AI-powered editing tools such as Magic Eraser, Photos Unblur and Portrait Light for Google Photos starting May 15 for all users. According to the company's blog post, no subscription is required for accessing these AI-powered editing tools.

"Starting on May 15, many of our AI-powered editing tools — like Magic Eraser, Photo Unblur and Portrait Light — will be available to anyone using Google Photos, no subscription required. You'll also be able to access these features on more devices, including Pixel tablets," says Dina Berrada, Director of Product Management, Google Photos.

Magic Eraser, which was first introduced at Google I/O in May last year and is only limited to Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, uses generative AI for editing complex photos. The company says it will now expand Magic Eraser across all Pixel devices. Moreover, all Google Photos users on Android and iOS will get 10 Magic Eraser saves per month. If a user wants to go beyond this limit, the user will need a Pixel device or a Premium Google One Plan with 100 GB of storage for ₹35/month for the first three months and ₹130/month after.

Meanwhile, Photo Unblur, which is also limited to Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, uses machine learning to improve blurry photos. Portrait Light, which is available in Pixel 4a (5G) and Pixel 5, uses machine learning to improve lighting on faces in portraits including adjusting the light position and brightness post-capture.

On April 10, Google introduced a slew of new AI-powered features to Google Workspace during Cloud Next 2024 event. Set to roll out in June this year as a preview, Google’s new AI-powered video-creating app ‘Google Vids’ can generate editable storyboards and piece together the first draft with suggested scenes from stock videos, images and background music. The users can also incorporate voiceovers.

 Google is also planning to incorporate Gemini AI in Google Chats. “We’re announcing two commercial offers that allow you to bring AI-powered meetings and messaging, as well as AI-powered security, to everyone in your organization, each for only $10 per user, per month. In addition, Gemini is coming to Google Chat in preview, giving you an AI-powered teammate to summarize conversations, answer questions, and more,” says Aparna Pappu, GM and Vice President, Google Workspace. Notably,  Google unveiled Gemini in December last year. The generative AI model, which is touted to be a rival of Microsoft-backed Open AI's ChatGPT,  comprises three versions: Pro, Ultra and Nano, with the Pro version already accessible and the Ultra version scheduled for an early release next year.