Google Photos is getting a sweet AI overhaul for smarter photo edits

Google Photos is already the go-to for many users storing and organizing their memories, but it’s about to get a lot smarter and more helpful when it comes to editing those shots. Google is rolling out a redesigned photo editor packed with more AI-powered tools, all aimed at helping you achieve pro-level results without needing a degree in Photoshop. The new interface aims to put these tools front and center, even offering suggestions on what edits to make.

“AI Enhance” front and center

One of the most noticeable changes will be a cleaner editor UI. First up, the old double-tiered menu is being replaced by a simpler single row with three main options: the familiar “Enhance” and “Dynamic” editing features, alongside a brand new “AI Enhance” button.

Tapping this new AI Enhance feature sounds pretty neat. Google Photos will automatically generate three different edited versions of your photo, each combining multiple AI effects like image sharpening or object removal. You can then just pick the one that looks best to you, with each suggestion offering slight variations – like a version with a distracting chair magically gone, as one example showed.

Smarter targeted edits and suggestions

Beyond the one-tap AI Enhance, Google Photos will also make it easier to fine-tune specific parts of your image. You’ll be able to draw over an area or object you want to edit, and a pop-up menu will then suggest the best tools for the job. Options like moving a person or object, blurring the background, or adjusting the lighting for that specific selection will be handled by this new, simpler interface. This should be a big help for users who want to make targeted improvements but aren’t sure which specific editing function to hunt for in the menus.

Powerful AI Features

Google is also making some of its more advanced generative AI editing tools, which debuted on the Pixel 9, more accessible within this new editor framework. These include:

• Auto Frame: Found in the top left of the new editor, this tool cleverly suggests different compositions by cropping or widening your images. If it widens the shot, it uses generative AI to fill in any new blank spaces, which is pretty slick.
• Reimagine: This feature takes things a step further, allowing you to add entirely new elements to your photos just by describing them with text.

It’s important to note that while these tools are part of the redesigned editor’s capabilities, Auto Frame and Reimagine are currently only available on Pixel 9, Pixel Fold, and Pixel Tablet devices.

QR code sharing for albums

In a separate but related update, Google Photos is also rolling out a handy new way to share albums: QR codes. You’ll be able to generate a QR code for an album, and anyone who scans it can easily view or even add photos to that album, bypassing the usual sharing permission steps. This sounds incredibly convenient for sharing photos with large groups, like at weddings or big events.

Availability

Google says the redesigned editor and its AI enhancements (like AI Enhance and the targeted edit suggestions) will be rolling out globally to Android devices next month (June 2025), with iOS users getting the update “later this year”. It is still unclear at this time what Android devices will get in on all these new updates and if some of these changes will come to Pixel devices first and others later, or if lots of other Android devices will get all the features right away.

Either way this is a pretty exciting evolution for Google Photos. Making powerful editing simpler and more intuitive with AI suggestions is a smart move, and it aligns perfectly with Google’s push to embed helpful AI across all its products. We’re looking forward to seeing how these new tools empower everyday users to get more creative with their photos!