Google Photos’ AI Editing Tools Will Become Free for All Users in May

The Google Photos app will soon make its AI editing tools free for all users. That includes handy features such as Photo Unblur, Magic Eraser, as well as Magic Editor, which is currently exclusive to the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro.

“Starting on May 15, many of our AI-powered editing tools — like Magic Eraser, Photo Unblur and Portrait light — will be available to anyone using Google Photos, no subscription required. You’ll also be able to access these features on more devices, including Pixel tablets,” the company said today.

As of today, these AI-powered editing tools in Google Photos require either a recent Pixel device or a Google One subscription starting at $19.99 a year. These features can be really useful: Magic Eraser can remove distracting elements in photos, while Portrait Blur can blur the background of a photo you want to turn into a portrait. Portrait light can also adjust the position of light and brightness post-capture.

However, the real killer app is probably Magic Editor, which lets users change the position of objects in a picture and do other complex edits in a couple of easy steps. And this is probably the feature that may convince photo enthusiasts who don’t have a Pixel device to pay for a Premium Google One subscription. Indeed, without one or other, Google Photos will limit Magic Editor saves on iOS and Android to just 10 per month.