Google Photos has gotten a lot better for iPhones with the Portrait feature starting today. You can also easily edit the colors of your snapshots via a new feature.
Edit portrait photos with Google Photos
Google Photos has been a formidable competitor for the standard Photos app that is installed on every iPhone for years. Today, Google is taking another step in the right direction with a major update that introduces two brand new features.
First of all, you can now edit portrait photos from Google Photos, so that you can adjust the depth of field effect afterwards. With the Portrait feature of the iPhone (which works on iPhones with a dual camera lens and the iPhone XR) you can take a photo with the background blurred. This makes the object or person in the foreground stand out.
The latest iPhones can update the intensity of this blur from Apple’s Camera and Photos app. With Google Photos, Google does something similar, but also makes it possible for iPhones older than the iPhone XS. It goes like this.
This is how you edit the depth of field effect of a Google Photos portrait photo
- Open Google Photos and open a Portrait photo;
- Tap the edit icon;
- Tap the photo to determine a point of focus;
- Save the photo when you are satisfied with the result.
Google Photos isn’t the only app to introduce such a feature. The popular Halide app can also do something similar.
Adjust the colors with Color Pop
Another nice addition to Google Photos is the Color Pop feature. This allows you to make the background of a photo black and white thanks to object and person recognition, while the subject of your photo remains in color.
That produces nice effects that make a simple photo just a little more special. The feature has sometimes already been applied automatically with the app’s built-in assistant, but with today’s update, you can also apply the feature manually.
Pay attention: To use Color Pop, the photo must be taken in Portrait mode. Otherwise, the option will not appear during editing.
Using Color Pop in Google Photos
- Open the Google Photos app and look for a Portrait photo;
- Tap the edit icon;
- Choose ‘Bright Kleura ..’ from the bar with available effects;
- Set the intensity and save the photo.
Although the function is not yet working perfectly, the update of Google Photos is a good reason to use the Portrait mode of your iPhone more often. The update is now available.
Also read: These are the possibilities of Google Photos on iOS