Google Photos Unveils New AI Tools to Mark 10 Years
But How Do They Compare to Canva?
Let’s wish Google Photos a “happy birthday”, shall we? It just turned 10, it was announced at I/O 2015. And the company is now celebrating the app’s 10th birthday with a redesign of the photo editor. I/O 2025 took place on 20th and 21st of this here, learn everything that happened. If you’ve been using it to store memories, you can now use the toolset that does a lot more than just crop and brighten! There’s no way Google is going to stay behind in the AI race. It has incorporated various AI features, that were once exclusive to pixel devices, into the hands of millions more Android and iOS users.
Let’s dive into what’s new and how it compares to a popular creative tool: Canva.
What’s New in Google Photos?
1. Reimagine
Reimagine feature is just what the name suggests. If you can reimagine a picture into something else, you’ve got it with google photos. That too with just a single prompt. So if you want to change the dried plants in your background, you can just prompt it to “change it to fresh plants, completely blossomed”. And then the AI will edit it using Generative AI.
2. Auto Frame
This feature smartly suggests you when to crop or widen your photo. Let’s say your picture is off-center the AI will offer to fix it.
3. AI Enhance
The AI Enhance option gives you quick, combo-powered edits. One can sharpen an image, remove unwanted objects, unblur image, and improve lighting. All of it in just one go.
4. Smart Suggestions
If you’re unsure about any part of a picture, which doesn’t look aesthetic enough, you can just tap on it and Google will suggest what to do with that specific area. It can be either adjust lighting, blur backgrounds, or even boost contrast.
Bonus Features You Definitely Shouldn’t Miss
- Magic Editor: Uses AI to move subjects or change backgrounds entirely.
- Magic Eraser: Removes photo bombers or unwanted distractions.
- Photo Unblur: Sharpens blurry photos with just a tap.
- Portrait Light: Adjusts lighting on faces for picture perfect selfies.
- Portrait Blur: Adds soft background blur to portraits.
- Cinematic Photos: Creates subtle animations from static images.
Google Photos vs Canva
Now let’s dive into Canva, a tool well-loved for graphic design and light photo editing. I know that Canva and Google Photos are built for slightly different users. But they increasingly overlap thanks to AI.
Editing Capabilities
| Feature | Google Photos | Canva |
| AI-based background editing | Yes (Reimagine, Magic Editor) | Yes (Background Remover, Magic Edit) |
| One-tap enhancements | Yes (AI Enhance) | Yes (Auto Enhance, Magic Edit) |
| Object removal | Yes (Magic Eraser) | Yes (Magic Eraser tool) |
| Blur and lighting tweaks | Yes (Portrait Light, Blur) | Manual only, not as smart |
| Text-to-image prompts | Yes (Reimagine) | Limited to Canva Pro (Magic Edit) |
| Cinematic effects | Yes (Cinematic Photos) | No |
Platform and Use Cases
- Google Photos is ideal for everyday users who want to improve their pictures effortlessly. It’s literally tied to your photo gallery. And offers deep AI enhancements without needing any sort of design skills.
- Canva is ideal for creating visuals. Such as posters, Instagram stories, infographics, or even resumes. Therefore, it’s more of a design studio than a photo fixer.
Price and Access
- Google Photos: Free, with extra features for Pixel users and cloud backup for Google One subscribers.
- Canva: Free plan available, but most AI features such as the Magic Edit, Background Remover are gated behind Canva Pro, which starts at $12.99/month.
So, if you want to enhance memories, Google Photos has to be your go-to. But if you’re building a brand or creative asset, Canva might be your better bet. If you’re already exploring Canva’s potential beyond photo editing, check out how to use Canva Sheets for smarter visual planning.
