Last May, Google announced Pics, an app that combines AI image generation with fine-grained editing controls. At the time, the company said it would offer Photos to Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers over the summer. Summer may be almost over, but as promised, the company has started releasing photos to these users, in addition to customers on its Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, and Enterprise Plus plans. Google AI Pro for Education users also start getting access today, just in time for the start of the school year.
Google Pics relies on the company’s Nano Banana image generator. As with any other app of this type, you create images by writing a text prompt or uploading an existing image to use as a starting point. “Photos will generate everything you describe and even provide a set of useful alternatives based on your prompt,” Google explains.
From there, the app offers object segmentation, meaning you can move, resize, and transform individual parts of an image, whether that part was generated by AI or not. Additionally, it is possible to edit and translate the text embedded in any image without altering the design or font, with support for 29 languages as of today’s release. Photos can also upgrade images to 2K and 4K resolutions and process multiple edits at the same time.
Naturally, Google has integrated Pics with its other Workspace apps. In Docs and Slides, clicking an image will bring up the app’s full suite of editing commands, so you won’t need to switch tabs. In the coming weeks, Google says you’ll be able to open and edit any image you’ve saved to Drive. You can also use Workspace to collaborate with colleagues on the same image.
The company didn’t name specific competitors in Google’s blog post today, but it’s clear that it would prefer users to stay in Workspace rather than edit an image on Canva or elsewhere. “You shouldn’t have to switch between apps to create and share visuals,” the company said. “Now you can harness powerful AI image generation and editing right where you are – no copying, pasting, or tab switching required.”
