Google Photos adds AI editing tools for Australians

Google has begun rolling out new AI-based editing tools in Google Photos for Android users in Australia, including a feature that takes editing instructions in natural language.

The update adds three features to the Google Photos editor. Google said they include conversational editing, personalised edits tied to face groups in a user's library, and a feature it calls Nano Banana for style transformations.

Conversational editing

Google Photos now includes a "Help me edit" option inside the editor. Users can type or speak an instruction and the app applies the change.

The company positioned the feature as an alternative to manual adjustments. Examples in Google's materials include prompts such as "make the background blurry," "remove the glare," and "make the colours pop."

The approach resembles other generative AI interfaces that rely on short text prompts rather than tool-by-tool changes. It also places Google Photos closer to consumer editing products that increasingly use AI for selection, masking and compositing tasks.

Personalised edits

A second feature focuses on group photos and other images with recognisable faces. Google said the editor can make subject-specific changes if the user asks for them by name.

Google said the feature uses images from a user's private face groups. It generates what it describes as personalised edits that reflect the person being edited. Examples include prompts such as "remove [name's] sunglasses" and "make [name] smile."

The feature adds a new use for face grouping, a function that already underpins search and organisation inside many photo libraries. It also raises the stakes for accuracy, given that the tool targets changes to identifiable people in personal images.

 

Nano Banana

The third addition, Nano Banana, focuses on broader transformations. Google described it as a way to apply a new style to an image via a text prompt.

The company said the feature can handle a wide range of requests. It framed the experience as a prompt-driven workflow inside the Photos editor rather than a separate creation tool.

Google has not provided further technical detail in its announcement materials on what Nano Banana does behind the scenes. The naming also marks a departure from the more descriptive labels Google uses for many Photos functions.

Gemini requirement

Google said the new editing features run on Gemini. The company said they will be available on Android devices with at least 4 GB of RAM and Android 8.0 or higher.

The system requirements set a baseline for eligible devices in Australia. Android 8.0 launched in 2017, but 4 GB of RAM still rules out some older entry-level handsets.

The Australian release follows an earlier launch in the US. Google previously made the features available to eligible Android users in that market.

Editing by prompt

Google's examples also show that the conversational feature can handle multi-step instructions in a single request, rather than one change at a time. The company's list of suggested uses includes removing reflections, erasing timestamps, sharpening images and adjusting lighting.

The examples also extend into more imaginative changes. Google's prompts include adding elements such as furniture to a room, changing scenery, adding costumes to pets, restoring older photos and creating surreal compositions.

These use cases mirror broader changes in consumer photo editing. Many tools now blend conventional adjustments such as brightness and colour with generative features that can add or remove objects. The shift also changes how users judge authenticity in personal photo libraries, particularly when edits affect people's facial expressions or add objects that were never present.

Google Photos remains one of the company's most widely used consumer services. The rollout in Australia puts the new editing tools in front of a market with high smartphone penetration and heavy use of mobile photo sharing.