Say what? Google Photos just got way better.
With these new AI-powered features on July 23, 2025, users could:
1. Turning Stills into 6-Second Videos
Take a photo, pick “subtle movements” (think: soft breeze effect) or “I am feeling lucky” (more dramatic animation), and wham, even still images start to wiggle: smiles, frowns, throwing of virtual confetti.
It is powered by Google’s Veo 2 model, which is also used for Gemini and YouTube Shorts.
For U.S. Android and iOS users, it is available for free via Google Photos, in stark contrast to Gemini’s paid tiers.
The first rendering takes less than a minute, and you can repeat it if you find the original one unsatisfactory.
2. Remixing Your Pictures into Awesome Art Styles
Have you ever wondered if your dog could look like an anime character or your sunset shot could be rendered like an elegant 3D image?
“Remix” is the go-to app.
Select a style-anime, sketch, comic, 3-D-and watch the AI recreate your photo.
Again, it’s coming very soon to mobile in the U.S.
All of Your Tools of Fun in One New Tab
To avoid chaos, Google Photos is introducing a new “Create” tab, which will arrive in August.
From this helpful tool, you can do everything you want, including making photo-to-video, remixing, collages, highlight reels, and much more. They have it all covered.
Safety First: Watermarks & Feedback
Google doesn’t hide the AI magic: anything you remix or animate gets a visible and invisible SynthID watermark, so that no one confuses grandma’s wedding with AI wizardry.
Additionally, since this is an experimental approach, there may be moments when the output appears silly or illogical.
And Google really wants you to give feedback via thumbs up or down on the production, so that they can stay grounded.
Google Photos just turned from a photo vault into a mini creative studio. Whether it’s animating old snaps with subtle flair or cartoonifying your crew, the new AI tools promise easy-peasy creativity.
And with everything neatly tucked into the new Create tab, you’ll know exactly where to go to play.
It’s like having a Hollywood director and a graphic novel artist in your pocket, minus the studio, the gear, and the attitude: just photos, AI flair, and your imagination.
