My First Experience With Ask Photos AI Editing

I'm a big fan of the camera on my Pixel 10 Pro. For years, I've preferred Google's natural image processing, choosing its realistic tones over the more saturated colors of Samsung phones ever since moving from a Galaxy S10 to the Pixel 5. But I've always felt that this realistic approach can sometimes leave my photos lacking a certain spark.

When Google unveiled Ask Photos as a new tool to edit my collection of everyday pictures, I was eager to test it. I took my Pixel 10 Pro XL out and snapped a few photos to experiment with. This is my experience with Gemini-powered photo editing.

The Power of a Perfect Prompt

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It didn't take long to find the perfect test subject. While walking around Baltimore’s Fells Point, a shot of two buoys at the harbor's edge caught my eye. It was ideal for testing, with distinct colors, reflections, and varied textures like water and wood. Back at home, I opened Google Photos, selected the image, and tapped 'Edit.' The Ask Photos editor is prominently displayed with a 'Help me edit' prompt. While I occasionally used its suggestions, I mostly typed in my own creative commands.

To start, I focused on simple, single-element requests to see how Gemini and the Tensor G5 chip would perform. The results were largely successful. When I asked to make the water bluer, it became bluer. When I asked to make the white buoy smaller, it did, though it achieved this by replacing it with a different, smaller buoy. My request to add a seagull produced mixed results. While the bird's feet were convincingly placed on the buoy, its head and tail had a slightly artificial, sticker-like quality. However, the lighting on the generated seagull was nearly perfect for the scene.

Pushing the Boundaries with Complex Edits

Next, I increased the difficulty with more detailed prompts. Changing the white buoy's color to green worked flawlessly. However, asking Ask Photos to remove both buoys was only partially successful. The tool erased the objects but bizarrely left their reflections in the water.

When I tried to replace the background with sand, Gemini did a decent job but also added extra, unrequested buoys in the background. This suggests the AI might be pulling from existing images to fulfill prompts.

For my most ambitious test, I asked the tool to replace both buoys and the background simultaneously. The simple 'Enhance' prompt worked as expected, brightening the colors. But the complex request was impressive. While it didn't turn all the water into grass as I'd asked, it did add a significant amount of grass, which was a strong result for such a complex, multi-part command.

A Leap Forward from Magic Eraser

Ryan Haines / Android Authority

Overall, I'm very impressed with Ask Photos. While generative AI still has its quirks and can produce some odd-looking results, these imperfections are far less common than they used to be. The progress from the original Magic Eraser is astounding. I remember when that tool launched, often leaving behind artifacts and strange color patches. Later, the camouflage feature was a slight improvement, and then Magic Editor introduced the ability to resize and move objects.

Ask Photos is really good... almost too good. Almost.

Now, being able to simply type a command and watch Google Photos execute it feels incredibly powerful. If a result isn't perfect, I can just ask it to try again until it gets it right. It might not be the most traditional editing tool, but it's shaping up to be the most powerful one in my arsenal.