Google Photos adds Redact, a tool for pixelating plates and addresses out of your pictures
The new censor bar is part of an upgraded Markup that is rolling out to all Android users worldwide, alongside a vintage filter set called Moods.
Share a photo of a car, a parcel label or a letter, and there is usually one small rectangle in it you would rather not publish. Google Photos now has a dedicated answer to that. A new tool called Redact turns a selected portion of an image into a pixelated block, and the example Google uses is a vehicle's plate number.
GadgetMatch describes Redact as a pen that hides information, and makes the point that the censored bar mixes into the surrounding elements better than an emoji or a splotch does, so the covered license plate still reads as part of the car rather than a sticker dropped on top of it. The photo stays coherent. Beyond plates, GadgetMatch suggests it for phone numbers, addresses and the faces of people close to you.
According to Techgenyz, Redact obscures the detail in the edited version only, and the result can be saved as a copy while the original stays untouched.
Redact arrives as part of an upgraded Markup, which also picks up new fonts and precise thickness sliders for pens and highlighters. Engadget reports the new Markup tools are rolling out to all Google Photos users on Android worldwide.
The second Android addition is Moods, a set of vintage-inspired filters. Techgenyz lists the available adaptive looks as styles drawn from 35mm film, 2000s digital cameras, retro aesthetics, night looks, and haze and minimalist treatments. GadgetMatch says both Redact and Moods began rolling out to Android users on the day of the announcement.
Remix gets 15 new templates that use your likeness to build red carpet images and photo booth shots, a number Engadget gives. Google says Remix is available on Android and iOS in select countries, for users over 18.
Two more changes are geographically narrower. Wardrobe is reaching more people, specifically Android and iOS users in the US, India or Brazil, though Techgenyz notes that additional account, Face Group and photo-library eligibility requirements apply on top of being in one of those countries. Gemini Spark is the other one, and inside it, Google Photos lets you find and edit images from a single prompt. Google says the capability is gradually rolling out to eligible Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers in the US.
Published by Techtutka ·