For a while, Microsoft has been steadily improving its “boring” Photos app, the default media viewer on Windows 11. Now, with the addition of some AI-powered features, high-quality photo editing is also accessible to everyone.
1. Generative AI app for photo editing
The Erase feature in the Photos app helps remove distracting elements - unwanted people or objects in the background, as well as blemishes or blemishes on the subject.
It uses AI to fill in the erased area and process the image to intelligently blend the background. The app uses advanced Machine Learning to estimate what the pixels would look like if the object weren’t there.
Then, based on the surrounding environment, the app generates content that looks natural and undetectable. This process is done locally on the device, and Microsoft guarantees that your data never leaves the device.
1. Open the photo in the Photos app and select the Edit option.
2. Select Erase from the available toolset.
3. Adjust the brush size and highlight the object or area you want to erase. Generative Erase will apply the effect as you make brush strokes.
4. To apply the feature manually, set Auto apply to Off, then use the brush tool to select the object or area you want to erase. Next, use Add mask to select where you want to apply it, and Remove mask to deselect the areas you don't want to apply it. When you're done, click Erase and Generative Erase will apply the effect to the selected area.
Erase is an AI-generated evolution of the old Spot fix tool - the former tool produces more seamless and realistic results. This feature provides a simple way to make your photos look higher quality without using advanced photo editing software.
2. Make Background Editing Easy
You can also easily add a professional touch to your photos with the app's myriad of background editing capabilities.
Originally, the app offered a Background Blur feature that could enhance photos by separating the subject from the background. This feature created an effect similar to using portrait mode in smartphone photography. However, the Photos app now lets you easily remove that isolated background or replace it with a different color.
Follow these steps to separate the subject from the background in a photo, then apply a blur effect to the background, replace it, or remove it completely:
1. Open the photo in the Photos app and select the Edit option.
2. Select Background. The background of the photo will be automatically recognized and highlighted.
3. You can also enable the Background brush tool to adjust the Brush size and Brush softness. Use Add mask to add more areas as part of the background or Remove mask to remove parts of the selected area.
4. Once you have identified the correct background, select Blur, Remove, or Replace.
- Select the Blur option, then use the slider to adjust the Blur intensity.
- Select the Remove option to remove the background of the image.
- Select the Replace option, then use the color palette to select the background color. You can also specify a hex color code or RGB value for the desired color.
Like the Erase feature, this process is completely local and the data will never leave your device.
3. Improve low-quality photos
Super resolution is a handy feature to enhance and enlarge low-resolution and low-quality photos to improve old, distorted photos or for large-size printing.
Super resolution uses AI to upscale photos to 8 times the original size. It essentially increases the number of pixels in the photo, converting the photo from low resolution to higher resolution.
This feature enlarges photos and makes them suitable for printing or viewing on a larger screen. Super resolution can also be used to improve the quality of photos, making them look sharper and clearer. However, the results may not be as expected.
Upgrade and enhance photos in the Photos app using Super resolution by following these steps:
1. Open a photo in the Photos app and select the Edit option.
2. Select Super resolution from the available editing options.
3. With the Scale slider, select the level of enhancement you want.
4. Once your photo is enhanced, you will see a preview of the before (original photo) and after (improved photo) for visual comparison.
Note that Super resolution in Photos is exclusive to Copilot+ PCs. This feature leverages the Neural Processing Unit (NPU) on your Copilot+ PC to enhance photos efficiently - that is, locally on your PC.
Note:
Super resolution in Photos, along with a host of new AI experiences for PC Copilot+, is part of the Windows 11 2024 update (also known as Windows 11, version 24H2) and subsequent app updates from the Microsoft Store.
A feature preview for PC Copilot+ running on Snapdragon has been made available to Windows Insiders on Windows 11. While the update is now officially available, there will be a phased rollout to select devices and markets starting November 1.
Recent improvements to the Windows 11 Photos app, along with iCloud and OneDrive integration, have made it a handy photo editing tool. Most regular users don’t need a third-party app for basic photo editing. That’s especially true since Microsoft has built these AI-powered features into Windows for free.
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