New Delhi: Google Photos is quietly turning into more than just a photo gallery. From simply storing memories, it’s now becoming a playground for AI-powered creativity. Google has rolled out two new features that let users animate old photos and remix them into artwork. These updates are already live in the US and are expected to bring AI features to over a billion users through one of Google’s most widely used apps.
The company shared the announcement through an official blog post on July 23, saying the new tools will start rolling out to Android and iOS users this week, with more coming next month. The update comes as Google doubles down on AI across its platforms, including YouTube Shorts and Gemini.
Animate your old photos with ‘Photo to video’
The first new feature is called ‘Photo to video’. It turns a still photo from your Google Photos library into a six-second video with subtle motion. Users can choose from two prompts: “Subtle movements” or “I’m feeling lucky.”
Josh Sassoon, Director of UX for Google Photos and Google One, explained, “We’ve already seen so much creativity from people using our video generation tools across Google products. Starting today, we’re bringing a similar photo-to-video feature powered by Veo 2 to Google Photos.”
Sassoon gave an example of how an old selfie or a childhood picture can now appear to smile or move gently, adding new emotion to otherwise static images. It’s a small, fast animation, but enough to bring a memory back in a new way.
This isn’t Google’s first attempt at animated memories. The company has previously allowed users to create motion photos and highlight videos. But this time, the animations are AI-generated using the same Veo 2 model that now powers some YouTube Shorts tools. Veo 3, a more advanced version, will be added to Shorts later this summer, according to Google’s Aarah Ali, VP of Product Management.
Turn your pics into anime, comic, or sketch art with ‘Remix’
The second feature, ‘Remix’, lets you transform photos into different visual styles. Think anime, comic book filters, pencil sketches, or even 3D-like animation styles. All of this happens directly inside the Google Photos app with just a few taps.
“Have you ever wondered what you, your friends and family or even your pets would look like as anime, comics, sketches or 3D animations?” Sassoon said. “Pick a photo from your gallery and choose your favorite style to transform pictures in seconds to share with your friends and family.”
The Remix tool runs on Google’s Imagen model, and feels similar to image filters seen on apps like Snapchat or Samsung’s Galaxy AI tools. While the results may vary, the goal is to add fun, creative twists to old photos.
A new ‘Create’ tab
Alongside the new features, Google Photos is also getting a fresh ‘Create’ tab. This section will show all the available creative tools in one place, from highlight videos and collages to AI-generated animations. It is set to roll out in the US in August.
Google says the Create tab will continue to evolve based on user feedback. Features like Remix and Photo to video will appear here, making it easier to discover and experiment.
Labels and watermarks
With all the AI features packed in, Google has added a few safeguards. Every image or video generated using ‘Photo to video’ or ‘Remix’ will include an invisible SynthID watermark, and videos will have an additional visible label. This is to ensure transparency about what’s been altered or created by AI.
“These features are experimental, and we know some outputs may not be exactly what you expect or may even be inaccurate,” the company said, encouraging users to leave feedback using thumbs up or down buttons to help improve the tools.