Over a year ago, when Google introduced the Magic Editor, some of us at Android Authority were… disappointed. As photo enthusiasts, we lamented the risk of losing authenticity and giving way to quick edits. We expressed concern about the potential of an AI-powered future. And now, as the Google Pixel 9 arrives with a host of new photo editing tools, I'm incredibly nervous that that future has arrived.
I'll keep lying forever
Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
I'll be honest with you, I'm a photography fanatic. I have a cabinet full of cameras, a coffee table piled high with books by my favorite professional photographers, and even dressed up as Ansel Adams for grade school history class. Nothing brings me more joy than taking the perfect snapshot of the people I love.
The latest Google Pixel smartphone series boasts some of the best camera specs in the industry, meaning users can, in theory, capture even more stunningly realistic images. The improved specs mean you can catalog your memories with more detail and precision than ever before, which is great news for photo enthusiasts and new moms. But before you get too excited about the camera performance, Google is also giving users a way to touch up photos they take right on their device, altering the reality of what they capture before the ink is dry.
I don't want to be a tech nut, but photography is about capturing a moment, not creating a fake one. Google's latest release aims to make users feel just the opposite by expanding the capabilities of the Magic Editor with new features like Auto Frame and Reimagine.
Photography is about capturing a moment, not creating a fake moment.
For me, Reimagine is the biggest problem. The tool uses generative AI to completely change the background of a photo by allowing users to type any prompt into the editor. I thought the previous tools that let you recompose a subject or remove details were bad enough. While photo manipulation has always been possible (and probably more prevalent than I'd like to admit), there's a real danger that such extreme features could go mainstream.
Corrections aside, being able to completely change reality hits home for me. With just a few taps on my Pixel 9, I can edit a photo and change my location, appearance, or even who I'm with in minutes. Historically, we've relied on photographic evidence, but now we can't trust a single photo unless we personally know its source. This isn't just about catfish or false narratives, it's also about the nature of photography in general and its diminishing power as truth.
A photograph is a snapshot of a moment in time. Photos have never been perfect reflections of reality. Lighting, focus, shutter speed, and even the word “cheese” are all ways of stylizing reality. With Google's new tool, we can still take a natural photo, hang it on our wall, and know it's real. Unfortunately, others will have a shred of doubt that it's real.
Does it matter if software modifications make the photos less authentic?
64 votes
Automatically frame the moment
C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
Plus, many of us are inevitably bad at taking photos because it's so easy to make do with bad photos. At the risk of sounding cranky, this is one of the big issues I have with AI photo editing (and rough editing in general). Google's latest Auto-frame recomposes your photo according to best practices to highlight your subject. It can even generate additional content to enlarge your image.
We were much more intentional with our photos when film and the developing process limited us, and I truly feel that the art of capturing the moment is being lost. With the advent of digital cameras, the spray-and-pray approach (taking a ton of photos and hoping one of them turns out well) has become more common.
Easy fixes make for lazy photographers.
Nowadays, we have the ability to take an enormous number of photos, and we also have the tools to edit them. The result is visible in the photos friends and family ask us to edit after a vacation or outing. Often, what they want removed is a bystander, a distracting object in the background, or something unsightly in the front of the frame. I don't mind the request, and I understand the desire for an image that matches your ideal memory, but in many cases, the edits could have been avoided by waiting for a stranger to walk by or moving the camera away from the trash can.
Similarly, I am frequently asked to edit photos that need to be done to a high standard, such as cleaning up wedding photos or preparing images for printing and framing. Quick fix tools create the misconception that professional level edits are just as easy. This is not true, and relying on fixes after the fact should not be the standard expectation in the first place. The existence of one-click fixes also leads to taking less disciplined photos and not worrying too much about imperfections because they can be easily fixed later.
Don't add me
C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
Finished photo
Another new feature we're excited to see Google bring to Pixel users is Add Me, a feature that ensures no one is left out of group photos by combining successive images of the same scene. In other words, you can take a photo of two friends, take turns, and the two takes will automatically be merged into a single image with everyone in the frame. Combined with Best Take, which Google introduced last year, this tool has the potential to streamline group photos.
As a deeply introverted person, this feature is a nightmare for me. As I said before, I love taking photos, but I love hiding behind a lens more than I love posing in front of it. The thought of not being able to easily escape an impromptu photoshoot by just letting the photo be taken terrifies me.
To be fair, I see the benefits of Add Me. My dad, the family photographer, rarely appears in our albums, and there have been plenty of times when I've been on trips with friends and spent the better part of an evening trying to get a decent group photo by placing someone's phone on a fireplace or chair. I don't like the idea of adding another way to fake snapshots that were never actually taken, and I also feel the pressure to look good just in case.
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