Key Takeaways
- Google Photos has significantly upgraded its video editor
- The update reintroduces the text overlay tool removed in October
- New audio mixing controls let you balance original audio with background music
Google Photos has received a significant overhaul of its video editing capabilities, continuing the app’s transition from a passive media library into an active content creation tool.
The move follows the October launch of the app’s new video editor, which added several features but also removed key functions.
Now, as revealed by Google Product Manager Nick Staubach, the company has responded to user requests by introducing five new video editing tools that could transform the way you use the app. We also see the partial return of one of those missing features.
New Universal Timeline With Precision Editing
The most significant addition is a new “Universal Timeline” that lets you edit together multiple clips in the Highlight Videos feature.
The October update already allows you to string clips together and move them around, but the new Universal Timeline lets you trim individual clips precisely, apply adjustments and sync them up to a new audio track visible below the video clips.
It also features a new “Adaptive Canvas” that automatically adjusts the preview layout as you go.
New Video Templates (Android First)
This new feature lets you select from a range of pre-made video templates, which add stylized text and automatically cut your clips to the beat of a selected soundtrack. You can choose your favorite clips manually or tap “Help me select” to find appropriate content for your Highlight Video.
Android users will find the templates in the Highlight Video creator, but iOS support is not available yet.
New Text Tool (Android First)
The new Text tool restores the ability to add text overlays, a feature that went missing when Google removed the “Markup” function in the October update.
The Text function is now available in the main video editor, but it’s easy to miss. Go to the function icons at the bottom of the screen, and you’ll find it tucked away on the far right. You can choose from a selection of fonts and colours, and you can position, resize and orient your text however you like.
What’s still missing is the original Markup function’s ability to overlay freehand lines and annotations on your video.
Once again, iOS users will have to wait, as the Text feature is exclusive to Android for now.
New Audio Mixing Controls
After you’ve added music to your video clip, you can use the new volume control to adjust the mix between your original audio and the soundtrack.
This small but vital feature makes the music feature usable in situations where the original audio might previously have been too quiet to hear over the added soundtrack.
These new features represent a significant upgrade for Google Photos, enabling users to quickly create shareable content without leaving the app, without the added complexity of switching to a more powerful third-party editor like CapCut or Instagram Edits. The new Google Photos video-editing update is rolling out now, but you may need to wait for the features to be pushed to your account, and you may receive some features before others.
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