Google has introduced a new Highlight videos feature that uses AI to create themed video clips using ... [+]
Google has introduced a new “Highlight Video” creation tool for Google Photos, making it easier to turn your pictures into themed video clips with a few taps.
Revealing the new feature on X (pronounced “Twitter”) on Wednesday, the company posted a short explanatory video showing how to create the new Highlight videos, starting with a simple search prompt in the Google Photos app.
Here, you can gather together different types of content by searching for topics such as names, places and dates. The app then searches your library for relevant photos and videos before automatically combining the best ones into a short video, complete with synchronized backing music.
The Highlight videos feature is an evolution of the existing “Movie” utility, producing broadly similar content but greatly simplifying the process of finding media, which previously had to be selected manually by scrolling through your photos.
In Google’s example video, a user searches for “Japan 2023” before receiving a fully edited video clip of relevant moments from their recent trip to Japan. The overall effect is impressive in its simplicity, creating effective shareable content without the need to go scrolling through endless pictures.
However, there’s still room for improvement. In this instance, the resulting clip is presented in a vertical format, which, disappointingly, places black bars around any photos that don’t fit the shape of the frame.
It would have been nice to see Google making a bit more effort with these mismatched photo shapes, especially given its proven ability to “reimagine” photos by moving elements around or reframing them with AI-based processing. The overall effect is impressive, but the black bars just don’t cut it, in my opinion.
Create a new Highlight video in Google Photos in three easy steps.
The new Highlight videos feature will start rolling out on Android and iOS on Thursday, along with some minor changes to the Google Photos app designed to make them, and other utilities, quicker and easier to access.
Unfortunately, that means that Google’s Highlight video instructions given in the announcement won’t make sense until you have updated your app to the new version.
Once the feature is available, you’ll be able to access it by tapping a new “plus” icon at the top of the gallery, which will open up the familiar Utilities menu. Here, you will find the new “Highlight video” option alongside favorites such as “Animation” and “Collage.”
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