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4 AI-powered photo and video features on Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro giving us Google envy
On Wednesday, Google held its Made by Google event, where it unveiled the next generation of its Pixel smartphone, Pixel Watch, and Pixel Buds. One of the biggest highlights of the new Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro is their ability to take amazing photos, which can be attributed to their advanced cameras and lots of AI.
With time, people have become increasingly dependent on their smartphones' cameras, and as a result, the cameras have gotten better and better over time. So even though the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro boast impressive camera systems, you'll find comparable cameras on nearly every flagship smartphone.
Also: Google Pixel 8 vs. Google Pixel 8 Pro: Which one is right for you?
What really makes the Pixel's photos stand out are all of the advanced features that users can take advantage of in post-production, such as Magic Eraser, which lets users remove unwanted objects from images with the tap of a button.
Now, Google is expanding what users can do to photos and video post-production with four photo and video editing features powered by AI and coming to the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro: Best Take, Magic Editor, Audio Magic Eraser, and Zoom Enhance.
If you have ever taken a picture with multiple other people, you know it takes several tries to get a photo in which every person looks their best. Google's new Best Take feature attempts to solve that problem by letting you choose the person's expression in a photo.
Also: Google Pixel 8 Pro hands-on: 5 features that have me excited
Best Take presents expressions taken from a series of similar photos to users where they can select their favorite expressions for each person. Once all the best expressions are selected, they are automatically blended into the image to create a new ideal photo.
We’re all guilty of taking a lot of photos just to get the right one. Best Take on #Pixel8 can help by using a series of photos to form one blended image¹ so you can always capture you and your friends’ *best.* #MadeByGoogle pic.twitter.com/N6nhIQ5TBD
— Google (@Google) October 4, 2023
Magic Editor was announced at Google I/O earlier this year and will allow users to make complex edits, such as selecting and dragging an item in a photo and entirely changing the background with some quick taps by using AI.
Google also unveiled Audio Magic Eraser, the equivalent of the much-loved Magic Eraser feature for audio. With this feature, users can remove distracting noises from photos by leveraging machine learning models.
For example, a feature demo shows a baby babbling with the noise of a dog barking in the background. Using Audio Magic Eraser, the user could filter out the barking so that all you could hear were the baby's babbles.
Also: The best Google Pixel phones
Lastly, Zoom Enhance will let users crop a photo after taking it and uses generative AI to restore the pixels and fine details that are often compromised when zooming into a picture after it is taken.
The first three features, Best Take, Magic Editor, and Audio Magic Eraser, will all be available on Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro starting on Oct. 12, when the phones become available. Zoom Enhance will be coming to the Pixel 8 Pro "later," according to Google.