PhotoScan by Google Photos lets you easily digitize old printed snaps

Today Google is launching a new app for both Android and iOS. It's called PhotoScan by Google Photos and it pretty much does what its name implies - it lets you 'scan' old, printed photos. The app digitizes them and uploads them to Google Photos where they can live happily alongside your digital images that are already stored by Google's service. Like every other image on Google Photos, these too will be indexed by the faces in them.

PhotoScan is very easy to use, as the fun video below clearly illustrates. Google says what you're getting "is not just a photo of a photo", but something better, with no glare at all. It only takes a few seconds to scan each photo, and when you're done with one you can instantly move on to the next. PhotoScan automatically detects edges, straightens images, and rotates them to the correct orientation.

Aside from the new launch, Google is also announcing some updates for its main Photos app. Its editing menu has received 12 new "looks" (don't call them filters), all of which use machine intelligence to complement the content of each photo. Advanced controls for editing light and color let you fine tune highlights, shadows, and warmth - with Deep Blue apparently being the best suited for shots of the sky or sea. The new version of Google Photos which incorporates these editing tools will start rolling out today on iOS, Android, and the web. PhotoScan by Google is already available in both the Google Play Store and the iOS App Store.

Source | Via