Google Photos will soon have new tools available from an upcoming feature called Touch Up which is designed to perform some photographic magic to improve how your subject's faces look in pictures you've snapped. A couple of months ago, Android Authority discovered strings of code that revealed that Touch Up was coming. And now they have been able to enable the feature so that we can see how it will work.
Touch Up should be arriving soon to the Google Photos app
Touch Up was enabled in version 7.56.0.839465534 of the Google Photos app. Unfortunately for me, the version of the app on my Pixel 6 Pro is 7.55. The version on my iPhone 15 Pro Max is also 7.55. When "Touch Up" does make it to your phone, you'll be able to choose from six retouching options including:
Smooth
Under Eyes
Irises
Teeth
Eyebrows
Lips
Each option has its own slider allowing you to select the intensity of the touch up. All you need to do is select which area you want to work on and use the slider to get the granular control you want for a tool like Touch Up. When you're happy with the way the picture looks, simply tap on save. And here's the cool thing about this tool. Even in a group shot, it will touch up everyone's face separately and individually. You don't change everyone's look with one tap or swipe of the finger.
Screenshots showing what Touch Up will look like on Google Photos. | Image credit-Android Authority
Up to six people in a group shot will be allowed to go through the Touch Up tool
Here is how it works. The app detects every face in a group and allows you to use the Touch Up tool on each individual. One person might need a little fix for their eyebrows while another might need some work done on their lips. It appears that as many as six faces can be supported by this tool with a single photograph. If you try to use Touch Up with a photo that has more than six people, you'll be prompted with a reminder. Just keep in mind that in this situation, you can't choose the six faces that are selected.
To get to "Touch Up." you need to open the Actions tab which is found in the Google Photos editor. The first time you choose to use it, you'll be asked to install the required machine learning models that power Touch Up. The download weighs in at 16MB. Once you complete this task, you are directed to Touch Up.
In a group photo, you'll be allowed to Touch Up six faces individually. | Image credit-Android Authority
So, the next question is, when will we see this become available in the Google Photos app? Considering how close I am to the version of the Google Photos app that Android Authority used to enable the app, I'd reckon that it shouldn't be too long before it arrives. Is it a tool that you will use often? That's another matter. Some people aren't too thrilled about having their face and other parts worked on by artificial intelligence and prefer to be seen in photos exactly the way they look.
Will you tell your subjects when you give them a touch up with Touch Up?
Then there are others who welcome any kind of improvement that you, as the photographer, have available to you. Everyone is different in this respect, and you might have to ask your subjects how they feel about you employing the app to improve their appearance. Between you and me and the wall, if you keep your photos to yourself, well then, it doesn't matter what you do. But if you're the kind of person who likes to share is photos with his subjects, as I suspect that most people are, perhaps you should let people know that you have manipulated certain parts of their faces.
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Will you use Touch Up?
Sure. Why not?
0%
No. I'm not a plastic surgeon
0%
Perhaps. I need to see an example of the enhancements.
0%
You don't the Google Photos app on your iPhone? You can change that by pressing on this link, which will take you to the App Store. If you don't have the Google Photos app on your Android phone for some reason, you can install it from the Play Store by tapping on this link.
Interestingly, the Google Camera app can already enhance the look of a person's face. The Photos app will be able to do that once Touch Up arrives.
Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
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