Google makes Photos’ AI editing tools available to all, no subscription required

Back in April, Google promised to bring all Photos’ AI editing tools, including Magic Editor, Magic Eraser, Photo Unblur and Portrait Light, available to everyone.

Today, the Mountain View company confirmed that all these AI editing features are now coming to all Google Photos users. Previously, these AI tools were hidden behind a paywall, but starting this week, no subscription will be required to access them.

It took Google a few months to remove the subscription requirement, but that’s because the search giant had to ensure that these features work across a wide array of Android and iOS devices so that Google Photos’ AI editing tools work well no matter what device you’re using.

Despite doing a good job at editing your captured photos, these AI editing tools aren’t perfect. The good news is you can always fine-tune the results if you’re content with what you get the first time.

Some of these AI editing tools have a strength slider that allows users to adjust the intensity of an effect. Portrait Light and Photo Unblur are just some of the AI editing tools that have a strength slider so that you can make their effects a bit more subtle.

On the other hand, Magic Editor’s Erase tool and Magic Eraser are very effective in different scenarios, although they both help users remove unwanted items from an image.

However, Magic Eraser works best for quick fixes on smaller portions of a photo, while Magic Editor’s generative AI is doing a better job at filling spaces since it’s better at performing more complex erases.

With Magic Editor, you can also zoom in on portions of a photo you want to select in case you need an even more precise selection tool. It will make it much easier to edit objects with less distinct edges.

Keep in mind that in order to be able to use the Google Photos AI editing tools, you need a device with at least 3GB RAM that runs on Android 8.0/iOS 15 or higher.