In anticipation of snapshot-worthy merrymaking, Google unveiled 3 product updates on Tuesday to ramp up its photo-sharing capabilities for the holiday season.
The Alphabet-owned Android-maker released a new app, PhotoScan, that makes it easier to upload printed photos to the web. By using the camera to meld together four different angles of the same print, PhotoScan creates a glare-free, automatically-cropped and searchable digital file.
Google has brought its hallmark search magic to the app, automatically sorting photos by scans, applying facial recognition, and even identifying pictured objects like teddy bears or wedding dresses without any manual tagging.
Android users will also see an overhaul of the main Google Photos app, with new filters, an improved "auto" function, and more precise editing tools that let users adjust for shadows, white balance, warmth, and settings like "deep blues" or various skin tones. There are also new options to share and sync albums with those who don't have the app.
Edited with the old Google Photos
Google Photos' "movies" feature also has a new spread rolling out over the next six months, to automatically compile photos into videos with music and effects. A "holiday traditions" movie, debuting in December, will be automatically created from Christmas photos. Other specialized movies are slated for Earth Day, National Pet Day, and New Year's, Google said.
On Tuesday, the company released the first new movie, "Lullaby," which automatically compiles new photos of sleeping babies for new parents.