Edit your photos and videos with the Google Photos Android app on your Chromebook

You can use the Google Photos Android app on your Chromebook to edit your photos and videos, and make Highlight videos.

Important:

Edit and enhance a photo or video

Important: Some features, like Magic Editor, Magic Eraser and Unblur, are only available for Chromebook Plus users in the Google Photos Android app. Learn more about editing features available with Chromebook Plus.

  1. On your Chromebook, open the Google Photos app Photos.
  2. Select the photo or video that you want to edit.
  3. Select Edit .
  4. Choose an editing tool to use on your photo or video. Some of the features may include:
    • Suggestions : Offers suggestions for enhanced editing tools like portrait and colour pop.
    • Tools : Choose from other editing tools like Portrait Blur and sky.
    • Adjust : Manually apply more detailed edits like brightness, contrast and shadows.
    • Filters Filter: Apply preset filters to liven up your photos or videos.
    • Markup : Manually add freehand writing or text to your photos.
  5. When finished, at the top, click Save. It will save the latest version with the new edits, overwriting the original file.

Tip: If you can't find extra editing tools like Magic Eraser :

  1. Make sure that you're connected to Wi-Fi and have available device storage.
  2. In Google Photos, select an image and select Edit . You may get an update notification.
  3. After a few minutes, close and reopen the app.
  4. To check your editing tools again, select an image and select Edit .

To check your editing tools again, select an image and select Edit .

Available editing features

Some editing features in Google Photos include:

  • To adjust the position and brightness of portraits of a person, select Portrait Light .
  • To adjust background blur, select Blur .
    • To adjust what ranges of your photo are blurred instead of in focus, you can also use Depth .
  • To select from several palettes and adjust the colour and contrast in the sky, select Sky .
  • To desaturate the background but keep the foreground in colour, select Colour focus .
  • To enhance brightness and contrast across the image for a more balanced photo, select HDR .

Tip: You can use even more editing features. Learn more about editing your photos and videos.

Create a Cinematic photo
  1. On your Chromebook Plus and open the Google Photos app Photos.
  2. Select Creations .
  3. Select Create new Add and then Cinematic photo.
  4. Select a photo.
  5. At the bottom, select Save.
Make and edit collages in Google Photos

You can make and edit collages with photos in your library on the Google Photos app or on the web. To edit your collages on your mobile device, use the Google Photos app. Some features aren't available on the web.

Step 1: Choose your photos

  1. On your Chromebook, open the Google Photos app Photos.
  2. Select up to six photos.
  3. At the bottom, select Add to Create and then Collage.

Step 2: Choose a design and edit your photos

Before you save, you can replace, edit, rotate, resize and change the order of the photos in your collage.

  1. Select a collage design.
  2. Edit your photos.
    • To replace a photo:
      1. Select the photo that you want to replace and then Replace.
      2. Select a new photo.
      3. Select Done.
    • To edit a photo, select the photo that you want to edit and then Edit.
    • To rotate a photo:
      1. Touch and hold the photo.
      2. Turn until the photo reaches the position that you want it in.
    • To zoom in or out of a photo frame, pinch closed to zoom out and pinch open to zoom in.
    • To change the order of the photos, touch and hold, then drag the photo to the position where you want it.

Step 3: Review and save your collage

Once you've chosen a collage layout and made any edits to your photos, to save your collage, select Save.

Step 4: Find your collages

  1. On your Chromebook, open Google Photos Photos.
  2. At the bottom, select Search .
  3. Under 'Creations', select Saved creations.

Create a Highlight video

  1. On your Chromebook, open the Google Photos app Photos.
  2. Select Creations .
  3. Select Create new Add and then Movie .
    • For a suggested Highlight video, select an optional preset theme.
    • Or click New movie and select the photos and videos that you would like to include.

Tip: To create Highlight videos, you can also open the Launcher and search for 'Movie'.

Add photos or videos to your Highlight video

At the bottom of your screen, you'll find the storyboard of your Highlight video. In the storyboard, you can add photos or video clips, and drag and drop to rearrange them.

  1. Select Add Add.
  2. Choose a new photo or video .
Edit photos and videos in your Highlight video
  1. Tap on a clip to select the photo or video.
  2. Select the tool that you want to use in the editing panel. Changes are applied as you go.
  3. To close the editing panel, press .
Add music to your Highlight video
  1. Select Add Add.
  2. At the top, select Add soundtrack.
  3. Choose My music or Theme music.
    • To add music from your personal library, choose My music.
    • To add music that is available in the app's soundtrack library, choose Theme music.
  4. Choose the music that you want to add.

Extra features available with Chromebook Plus

If you have a Chromebook Plus, you can use extra editing features.

Magic Editor
Important:
  • Your device must be a Chromebook Plus with ChromeOS version 125+.
  • This feature is experimental and may not always work how you expect.
  • Chromebook Plus users can use Magic Editor with unlimited saves.

You can move around or erase parts of a photo and apply contextual presets, like 'Sky' or 'Golden hour'.

Edit photo with Magic Editor

  1. On your Chromebook, open the Google Photos app Photos.
  2. Tap on the photo that you want to edit.
  3. Tap Edit Adjust volume and then Magic Editor.

Apply contextual presets

  1. When you're in Magic Editor mode, tap Preset Edit Fix Auto.
  2. Select a preset.
  3. To scroll through your options, swipe left.
  4. Tap the tick Done.
  5. If you want to continue to edit your photo, repeat steps 1 to 3.
  6. When you've finished with your edit, tap Save copy.

Tip: Preset options depend on your photo. Not all options are available at the same time.

Move, erase or resize part of your photo

  1. When you're in Magic Editor mode, tap, draw a circle around or brush to select part of your photo.
    1. Zoom in for better accuracy.
    2. To move your selection, long press and drag it to the area that you want.
    3. To change the size of your selection, press and hold the Shift key and:
      1. Press + on your keyboard to make the selection larger.
      2. Press - on your keyboard to make the selection smaller.
    4. To remove your selection, tap Erase.
  2. To apply the edit, tap the tick Done.
  3. If you want to continue to edit your photo, repeat steps 1 and 2.
  4. When you've finished with your edit, tap Save copy.

Tip: It may take a moment for Magic Editor to generate photo options.

Magic Eraser
Important: Your device must be a Chromebook Plus with ChromeOS version 118+.
  1. In the Photos Android app, go to the photo that you want to edit.
  2. Tap Edit and then Tools and then Magic Eraser.
  3. Tap a suggestion. You can also use the circle or brush to erase more distractions from the photo.
  4. To make objects blend in with the photo, tap Camouflage and use the brush.
  5. To finish, tap Done.
Unblur
You can improve your blurry photos with Unblur.
  1. Open the Google Photos app Photos.
  2. Select the photo that you want to edit.
  3. Tap Edit photo Adjust volume and then Tools and then Unblur.

Tip: You can use Photo Unblur on new photos or older photos in your photo library.

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