Google is Making the Access to Its AI Photo Editors Free

Google’s AI photo editing features – Magic Editor, Magic Eraser, Photo Unblur, and Portrait Light are now set to be available on all devices from the 15th of May this year. These features were originally limited to Pixel phones and Google One subscribers.

The AI features that were unique to the photo editor used to be a major selling point for Google’s high-end Pixel smartphones and Google One cloud storage service. However, Google has made the decision to provide its AI photo editing suite to a wider audience for free, in light of the explosion of AI-based editing tools hitting the market.

However, certain conditions do apply for this “free” release.

The first condition is your device’s eligibility. To use these features, users’ hardware must meet certain requirements. A Chromebook Plus with ChromeOS version 118 or above or at least 3GB of RAM is required for ChromeOS. iOS 15 or Android 8.0 or above are the criteria for mobile devices. Pixel tablets will be supported. These AI tools will become available on May 15 and roll out gradually over several weeks to all Google Photos users if your device is compatible.

The second condition is the number of saves allotted to each criterion. Non-Pixel devices are restricted to ten saves per month unless supported by a paid Google One subscription. The ten-save limit is the only option available to users with entry-level 100GB or 200GB subscriptions. Unlimited free access is only available at the 2TB tier or above.

Now that you are aware of the limitations, let’s take a closer look at the AI tools being offered.

Magic Editor, which was originally available in Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, uses generative AI to carry out intricate edits. It performs tasks like moving and scaling objects in images or swapping your photo of a dull sky with one that’s more visually appealing. It will also take care of any gaps that would appear behind objects you move.

With Magic Eraser, users can pick and eliminate distracting or unwanted elements from an image. The Portrait Light function automatically modifies the position and brightness of images and the Photo Unblur identifies and enhances the details in blurry photos.

Detailed information on all features is available on Google’s Photos community site.

Magic Eraser and Portrait Light have been available to all Google One subscribers, while Photo Unblur has been restricted to Pixel phones up until now.