Google One customers get access to Pixel-exclusive filters in Google Photos

Google One customers without a Google Pixel device will soon be able to use some of the exclusive filters of Pixel devices in the Google Photos application.

Google One is a subscription-based service that provides Google customers with certain benefits and enhancements, including more storage space that is shared across Google services.

Google notes in a new blog post on the company's The Keyword blog that Google One members will gain access to a number of Google Photos specific filters and functions in the coming days. These were exclusively available to owners of Google Pixel devices previously; nothing changes for Pixel owners, as the options remain free of charge for these.

Two of the filters, Portrait Blur and Portrait Light, use machine learning to transform portraits. The first can blur the background of images, the second improve the lighting of faces in portraits. Features are available for freshly captured photos but also photos stored on the device already.

Access to the free Blur and Color Pop filters remains available for all users of Google Photos. Google One customers, however, may use the filters on "even more photos of people, including those without depth information".

Another Google One exclusive addition to Google Photos is that certain machine learning-powered effects become available to paying customers.

Dynamic suggestion aims to enhance the "brightness and contrast across the image where it is needed", and sky suggestions may be used to make "images pop by boosting and adjusting the color and contrast in the sky".

All features will become available to Google One customers who use the Google Photos application on Android devices. Google notes that the devices need to run at least Android 8.0 and need to have at least 3 Gigabytes of RAM.

Tip: you can use Google Photos to identify and translate text on photos.

Updated Video Editor for everyone

All Google Photos users will gain access to an updated video editor that adds options to "crop, change perspective, add filters, apply granular edits, and more" to the editor. Up until now, the video editor was limited to basic editing options such as trimming or stabilizing video footage.

The new options are already available for Google Photos users on Apple iOS devices; they will be rolled out to "most Android users" in the coming weeks.

Closing Words

While the new filters don't take anything away from Google Pixel owners, it is turning an exclusive feature into one that anyone with a Google One subscription can use.

Google announced last year that it will end the free unlimited Google Photos option by June 1, 2021 for nearly all Pixel customers.

Now You: Do you use Google Photos or an alternative on your devices? (via Caschy)

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