Google Photos is introducing a redesigned video editor for its mobile app, available on both Android and iOS platforms. This update aims to enhance user experience by providing more control over video editing, particularly in terms of speed adjustments and trimming capabilities. The new features include a "Speed" tool that allows users to create slow-motion or sped-up videos, an "Auto enhance" button for improving color and stability, and an updated trimming tool for making precise cuts. The layout of the editing tools has also been rearranged to facilitate easier access to commonly used features such as mute, enhance, stabilize, and export frame. In addition to these tools, Google is incorporating AI-powered presets that enable users to make specific adjustments with a single tap. These presets can automatically trim videos, control speed, and adjust lighting, as well as apply effects like slow motion, zoom, and dynamic motion tracking to specific subjects within the video. The AI features are organized in a separate "presets" tab beneath the video timeline, distinct from the standard editing tools, making quick edits more accessible without the need for manual adjustments. The rollout of these updates has begun, although it may take some time for all users to receive the new features on their devices. This enhancement reflects Google's commitment to improving its photo and video editing capabilities, making it easier for users to create polished content directly from their mobile devices.

Google Photos is introducing an AI-powered video editor for Android and iOS that features new tools like a "Speed" tool for slow-motion or fast-forward effects and an "Auto Enhance" button for color and stability improvements. AI presets enable automatic cropping, speed control, lighting adjustments, and effects such as zooming and dynamic motion tracking.

Google Photos is set to receive a significant update that will enhance its sharing and notification features. The overhaul will include a new social-focused “Sharing Activity” page, similar to Instagram and Facebook, for more accessible interactions with likes and comments on photos. A revamped storage meter will visually display how much storage can be reclaimed, streamlining the deletion process. These updates indicate Google's intention to integrate more social elements into Google Photos, transforming it from a simple photo backup app to a more interactive platform.

Google is expanding access to its AI photo editing tools in Google Photos, including Magic Editor, previously exclusive to Pixel owners and Google One subscribers. Now, any user with a compatible Android or iOS device can use these features, with free users limited to 10 monthly saves, while Pixel owners and paying subscribers enjoy unlimited use.

Google is launching Google Vids, an AI-powered video creation app, along with meeting, messaging, and security improvements. Workspace Labs will include Google Vids starting in June, enabling users to make storyboards, choose styles, and assemble scenes from stock videos, images, and music.

Google has made a handful of editing features previously exclusive to Pixel devices and paid subscribers free to all Google Photos users. The features include the AI-powered Magic Editor, Magic Eraser, Photo Unblur, and Portrait Light. They will only work on devices running Android 8.0 or iOS 15 or higher and on Chromebook Plus devices with at least 3GB RAM and ChromeOS version 118+. The tools will start rolling out on May 15 - it may take weeks for them to make it to all users.

Google's new Vids app can create collaborative shareable videos for things people do at work. The app makes making videos as easy as making slides - no video production is required. Users line up assets inside the app and edit it all into a finished video. They can choose to do all of this themselves or ask Google's Gemini AI to build storyboards, write scripts, read the scripts aloud using text-to-speech, and create images to use in the video. People with access to the video can add comments, leave notes, and make edits. Vids will launch in public beta this summer.

Google's new Vids app can create collaborative shareable videos for things people do at work. The app makes making videos as easy as making slides - no video production is required. Users line up assets inside the app and edit it all into a finished video. They can choose to do all of this themselves or ask Google's Gemini AI to build storyboards, write scripts, read the scripts aloud using text-to-speech, and create images to use in the video. People with access to the video can add comments, leave notes, and make edits. Vids will launch in public beta this summer.

Google Photos is reorganizing its "Library" into a "Collections" page, featuring a new layout with thumbnail shortcuts for faces, locations, and content types. This update, possibly in preparation for integrating Google's Gemini AI-powered "Ask Photos" function, replaces the search bar with shortcuts like favorites, selfies, and screenshots. There are reports of inconsistencies with the Gemini AI software.

New features are being introduced to Google's Meet app, enhancing personal video calls with in-call messaging, emoji reactions, and screen sharing. These updates aim to align the call experience with meeting functionalities, creating a unified user interface. The redesigned UI and added features will gradually become available to all users.

Google's new Vids productivity app allows users to easily create video presentations by integrating docs, slides, voiceovers, and recordings into a timeline. Accessible via Workspace Labs preview, admins can enable users to try the AI-powered tool. While Vids aids in generating presentation videos, it focuses on convenience, using templates and stock content to enhance creations. Its standout feature is the AI assistant Gemini, which can automate draft creation and provide AI voiceovers.

Captions, a video editing app backed by a16z, Kleiner Perkins, and Sequoia Capital, has launched a feature that automates video editing with custom graphics, zooms, music, and more using AI. This tool targets vertical videos of a single person but also allows users to create AI-generated videos from prompts, which can then be edited with the same features.

The newly redesigned Photos app in iOS 18 has ignited controversy among users. Senior director Billy Sorrentino explained that the redesign reduces friction, leveraging deep intelligence to create a simplified single-view experience. The changes, highlighted as the "biggest-ever redesign" at WWDC 2024, focus on personalization to cater to different user workflows, with Apple executives emphasizing its streamlined and customizable interface.

Google Meet's user interface has been updated with a more streamlined design and rounded corners to simplify toggling between audio and video devices during meetings. While the new floating menus for device selection are currently part of an A/B test and are not widely implemented, they reflect Google's ongoing commitment to enhancing the app's functionality.

The redesigned Photos App in iOS 18 offers a unified, streamlined interface, eliminating separate tabs and consolidating all content into a single, scrollable view. Users can navigate through their Photo Library with new swipe gestures and access collections like Recent Days, Albums, and Memories directly from the primary grid. Enhanced customization allows users to rearrange collections for quicker access, while improved search capabilities enable finding photos through detailed natural language queries.

Google Photos' new AI-powered search feature, "Ask Photos," is rolling out to select users in the U.S., allowing them to search their photos using more complex natural language queries.

Adobe is integrating generative AI video tools into Premiere Pro, including new capabilities for shot extension, object addition/removal, and text-to-video features, streamlined by its Firefly video model. The updates, including a technology preview and general availability of AI-powered audio workflows, aim to enhance video production efficiency and creativity.

YouTube's latest updates include channel-specific QR codes for easier sharing, new user-generated effects for Shorts, and an AI-powered "Jump Ahead" feature that skips to the most popular parts of videos. These features aim to increase engagement and user satisfaction without negatively impacting watch time.

TikTok Studio is a new comprehensive platform that provides creators with tools to create, edit, upload, manage, and analyze their TikTok content. It offers features like auto caption, photo editor, autocut, advanced analytics, and monetization opportunities. A beta version is available for download on the Google Play Store and should be available on the Apple App Store over the coming weeks.

Adobe has revamped Frame.io, incorporating extensive workflow and tagging features to simplify project management for creatives. It will be rolled out first for Free and Pro users, with team/enterprise updates expected later in the year. The update introduces a customizable metadata framework for organizing media and enhances the review process with detailed feedback options, including emoji reactions and anchored comments.

Google has recently implemented another redesign of the Gemini app's homescreen for Android, aiming for a more streamlined and minimalist user experience. This update follows earlier changes made to the app and reflects a shift towards simplicity in its interface. In the previous version, the homescreen featured a text box at the bottom that clearly indicated how users could interact with Gemini, including options to type, talk, or share a photo. The interface included buttons for voice and camera input, along with a plus button for uploads and a Gemini Live option positioned at opposite corners of the screen. The new design condenses these elements, placing the prompt on the same line as four functional buttons, similar to the layout seen during conversations. This change aligns the mobile interface more closely with the web version of Gemini. When users tap the text field, it expands to reveal the older interface, accompanied by a smooth animation as the keyboard appears. Closing the text field triggers a reverse animation, enhancing the overall user experience. The updated homescreen now greets users with a simple "Hello, [name]" message, and the Chats & Gems history is conveniently located in the top-left corner. This minimalist approach is reminiscent of the classic Google Search homepage, emphasizing ease of use and accessibility. For users who do not see the redesign immediately, a simple solution is to force stop the Gemini app and relaunch it to access the new features. In addition to the redesign, there are ongoing developments related to Gemini, including its integration with other Google products and enhancements to notifications for devices like the Pixel Buds Pro 2. The Gemini app continues to evolve, reflecting Google's commitment to improving user interaction across its platforms.

Instagram's latest update allows users to add text directly to photos from the post editor, eliminating the need for third-party apps. Users can also layer another image on top as a sticker, which can be reshaped into various forms like a square, circle, heart, or star. Reels and stories also benefit from new fonts, effects, and animations for text, adding more creativity to posts. These features follow other recent updates, such as a Snap Map-like feature, songs on profiles, and the ability to share up to 20 slides in one post.

The upcoming Google Pixel 9 series will introduce new machine learning abilities under the branding of Google AI. Google AI includes features such as Add Me, Studio, and Pixel Screenshots. Add Me appears to be an upgraded version of Best Take and Studio is likely a previously seen Creative Assistant app. Pixel Screenshots is a feature that closely resembles Microsoft's controversial Recall feature except that it uses screenshots users take themselves instead of recording everything users do on their devices.

YouTube's TV app is set to receive a redesign to enhance user engagement by allowing easy access to comments and introducing new experiences like shopping, focusing on interaction during video playback. The update, which does not address all user requests, will also include features for sports fans to check live scores and improved video chapters. It will roll out over the coming weeks.

Google introduced Pixel Studio, an innovative image generation app, at its Pixel 9 event. Preinstalled on all Pixel 9 devices, the app allows users to create and edit images through prompts, altering elements and styles post-creation. During the demo, it transformed a bonfire picture into a beach scene with the Golden Gate Bridge using a pixel art style, showcasing its capabilities. Powered by on-device AI and Google's cloud-based Imagen 3 model, the app enhances Pixel phones' suite of AI tools.

The new version of Google's enhanced image-generating tool, Imagen 2, has been launched inside the Vertex AI developer platform. The model family can create and edit images with text prompts, similar to OpenAI's DALL-E and Midjourney. With Imagen 2, users can now remove unwanted parts of an image, add new elements, and expand an image's borders to create a wider field of view. As part of the upgrade, users can create "text-to-live images," which are short, four-second videos from text prompts.

Adobe has introduced "Magic Fixup," an AI model leveraging video data to revolutionize photo editing. It was trained on millions of video frames, enabling it to understand object and scene changes under varied conditions and make sophisticated edits while preserving fine details. The technology could drastically enhance workflows across industries such as advertising, filmmaking, and content creation, though it raises ethical concerns about image authenticity.

Google has introduced Veo, a high-definition video generation model, and Imagen 3, a top-tier text-to-image model, advancing generative media technologies' capabilities. It also unveiled collaborations with artists in its Music AI Sandbox. Google aims to deploy its AI responsibly and has added safety measures like digital watermarks.

Google announced many new features, including Gemini Flash, Veo video generation, Imagen 3, and its newest assistant, Project Astra, at I/O 2024. In all, there are an impressive number of improvements, including 2m token context length, dramatically cheaper models, and improved multimodality.

Snapchat has announced a new AI video-generation tool for select creators that enables video creation from text and soon image prompts. The tool, powered by Snap's foundational video models, will be available in beta on the web. Snap aims to compete with companies like OpenAI and Adobe but has not shared output examples yet.