Google Photos will now use AI to help you make your special moments even better

AI-powered photo editing isn’t exactly a groundbreaking concept, but the fact that Google Photos has now been blessed with it is truly something to look forward to. The catch? It will only be available for the upcoming Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G.

In a recent blog post, Google explained that it signature photo storage and editing app will now use the power of machine learning to offer automatic intelligent suggestions that are customized to the specific photo you are editing. This new feature is geared towards enhancing the look and feel of your photos, and it comes with a handy user interface that allows you to modify the AI’s suggestions manually, in case you don’t like the default offerings.

This AI-powered editor can be found in the Suggestions tab in Google Photos, and it currently supports only three modes – Enhance, B&W Portrait, and Color Pop.

Enhance essentially touches up your photos, while B&W Portrait applies a black-and-white filter on your snapshot. Color Pop is interesting, in the sense that it might tease out mixed reviews from its users. It separates the foreground from the background by toning down the saturation in the latter. This effect could appear overdone to some, while others might just find it appealing. And in any case, each of these suggestion modes can be modified manually if the results are dissatisfactory.

Yet another new feature is the addition of a dedicated Portrait Light mode, which uses machine learning to let you artificially manipulate the source of light in a photo.

The only bummer is the fact that AI-based photo editing for Google Photos will be reserved for a very select group of users i.e. Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 users. While it makes sense from Google’s perspective, it is frustrating all the same.