Summary
- Google Photos stands out on Android for its powerful editing features like Portrait blur and Magic eraser.
- The Cinematic photo feature uses depth data to create short clips with a parallax effect for photos.
- Google is developing a similar new editing tool, called Cinematic moment, that adds a slow motion effect to videos automatically.
Google Photos is more than one of the best gallery apps on Android, not just because it comes pre-installed on virtually every Android device, but because it makes reliving cherished memories enjoyable with practical tools like an integrative archive and bin. The Android app also has powerful editing features such as Portrait blur, Unblur, and Magic eraser, which help make even the hasty shots from a memorable event more presentable. In a similar vein, Google seems to be developing another editing tool called Cinematic Moment.
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If that name immediately rings a bell, that’s because Google Photos has a similarly-named feature called Cinematic photo tucked away in the Utilities section of the app. When you convert any still image into a Cinematic photo, the service uses depth data to create a short clip which shows the subject in the foreground moving slowly against the backdrop, resulting in a parallax effect. It also resembles the Cinematic wallpaper option available on Google’s Pixel range of phones, which uses the onboard sensors to detect device movement and match the parallax effect to the movement for accentuated depth.
Now, reputable Google app researcher and tipster AssembleDebug told Android Authority that code from Google Photos version 6.84.0.634885033 suggests a similar feature is in the works for the videos you’ve shot.
Smart slow motion effects on demand
<code><string<string name=”photos_creations_photo_image_cinematic_moment_video”>Cinematic Moment</string>
<string name=”photos_creations_image_cinematic_moment_video_tooltip”> Created by adding a
slow motion effect to your video</string></code>
In an attempt to share branding with the above-mentioned features, Google could call the new addition Cinematic Moment, but you might wonder how the new feature differs from the real-time cinematic blur effect available in the camera app.
The tipster says Google will automatically add a slow motion effect to a segment of the video, just like the Cinematic Photos feature’s autonomous nature. Manual override isn’t on the cards, and there’s no telling how or when Google will give us access to this feature in the stable version of the Photos app. In any case, this addition should take the effort out of recording large slow motion videos, and then editing them perfectly after the fact.
