Next week, Microsoft will be releasing the Fall Creators update for Windows 10 and with it will come new features in the photos app. These features allow you to easily create videos and add 3D effects but to access the entire app, be prepared to pay.
If you are in any of the Insider rings, you are likely already running the release bits that will ship out next week. When you open the photos app, running the latest builds and are not logged into an account that is linked to an Office 365 subscription, you will see the image above as uncovered by Rafael.
Sign up for our new free newsletter to get three time-saving tips each Friday — and get free copies of Paul Thurrott's Windows 11 and Windows 10 Field Guides (normally $9.99) as a special welcome gift!
"*" indicates required fields
While you can create a video with 3D effects without having an Office 365 account, you will be blocked from using some of the effects available to those who are paying subscribers. Think of it this way, non-paying users will have access to a baseline feature set while Office users will get the full suite of effects and music.
This may not sound like a big deal to many users but there is more to the story here. For one thing, Microsoft is adding more ‘value’ to having an Office 365 subscription but there is also a darker side to this story too.
While there isn’t any indication yet, we have seen Microsoft try to squeeze more revenue out of its existing services with premium add-ons. For example, there is Outlook Premium, ads in the Start menu and so on and this is the latest example of the company trying to bring more premium services inside the world of Windows.
For now, this doesn’t seem like too big of a deal but if the company starts putting these feature paywalls into other Windows 10 apps like Mail and Calendar, it may become a requirement to have an Office 365 subscription to use Windows 10 to its fullest capabilities. And if that becomes true and I honestly could see that happening one day, it will represent to final shift for how the company will monetize Windows 10.
dontbe evil
<blockquote><a href="#206234"><em>In reply to Rob_Wade:</em></a></blockquote><p><br></p><p>you missed the point of the app, it's not a video editor</p>
dontbe evil
<blockquote><a href="#206412"><em>In reply to maethorechannen:</em></a></blockquote><p><br></p><p>Because it's something similar to other photos app do 🙂 if you want something fast and dirty it's fine… Otherwise you should use some other app closer to a video editor</p>
dontbe evil
<blockquote><a href="#206264"><em>In reply to Angusmatheson:</em></a></blockquote><p><br></p><p>you'll be able to fully use the photos app as you did till now + some features, some extra features (not basic/essentials ones) will be only for office 365 subscriber … yes you paid for windows 10, but you paid also for an OS that we'll last much longer than previous version without need to pay extra money for upgrade to next version</p>
dontbe evil
<blockquote><a href="#206603"><em>In reply to Win74ever:</em></a></blockquote><p><br></p><p>Source?</p>
dontbe evil
<blockquote><a href="#207253"><em>In reply to Win74ever:</em></a></blockquote><p><br></p><p>yeah that's for 1703, in 2 days they'll release 1709 that's free and everybody with windows 10 can install it, and the support will be extended… and so on for next versions</p>
dontbe evil
<blockquote><a href="#207524"><em>In reply to Win74ever:</em></a></blockquote><p><br></p><p>so why they moved the date every time they release a new version (1511, 1703…) till now?</p>
Stooks
<h1>"May Be The Start of Something More</h1><p>"</p><p><br></p><p>Yes the stragglers that did not move to Google Photos will now make that move. </p><p><br></p><p>I have a Office 365 subscription and it will expire in 3 months. I am seriously thinking of moving my documents over to Google Drive. Of the 58gig I use on Onedrive, 46gig are photos and videos so those are free on Google Drive (photos app). I could easily fit inside the free 15gig for just my documents, but would probably pay $24 a year for the 100gig.</p><p><br></p><p>Microsoft please don't mess up the Xbox One X launch!!!!</p>
Stooks
<blockquote><a href="#206586"><em>In reply to Skolvikings:</em></a></blockquote><p>My current iPhone and Canon EOS are only 12 megapixel. Google down samples anything over 16megapixel and for video anything over HD.</p><p><br></p><p>So for me right now not a problem. I could also change the setting on Google Photos and upload the full size image if I get a camera that goes over 16megapixel but the storage cost would be more.</p><p><br></p><p>Also I am not sure that I would notice a 20megapixel picture down sampled to 16megapixel. 4k video to HD probably.</p>