1 week Ago
Google is testing new Ultra HDR controls for Google Photos Google is testing a much-needed new image adjustment control for Google Photos that should allow users to edit Ultra HDR brightness for the first time. As discovered by respected app investigator Assemble Debug , the latest version (7.00) of the Google Photos Android app hides a new “Ultra HDR” icon destined for the adjustment carousel.
There’s no official information on the control's function at this point, but the appearance of this new icon strongly suggests that Google Photos is about to enable a way to tweak the appearance of Ultra HDR photos stored in the library. Ultra HDR Photos Need Better Controls Ultra HDR photos allow compatible devices to display a much wider range of brightness levels than standard photos. This increased brightness range can result in much more realistic images, especially when they contain elements such as points of bright light, shiny surfaces or clouds in a bright sky.
Unfortunately, Google Photos doesn’t give you much control over how pronounced the Ultra HDR effect appears. There is currently no way to adjust the level of Ultra HDR brightness in a picture other than turning off Ultra HDR altogether—something you would have to do before taking the photo. Alternatively, you could remove the HDR “effect” by editing and saving the photo with an app that doesn’t understand the Ultra HDR format, effectively stripping the HDR information from the image.
On the other hand, a separate Ultra HDR control would allow users to reduce or enhance the Ultra HDR effect without having to remove it completely. Google is testing out a new Ultra HDR control for Google Photos ‘The Perfect Couple’ Dethroned In Netflix’s Top 10 List By A New Show A ‘Huge’ BlackRock Bitcoin ETF Price ‘Surprise’ Is Suddenly About To Hit Trump Vs. Harris 2024 Polls: Harris Leads In 2 Major Surveys—But Razor-Thin Race In Swing States Confusing Terminology: HDR Is Now Vibrance? Somewhat confusingly, Ultra HDR is an entirely different technology from the app's existing “HDR effect” option.
The HDR effect control enhances an image by adjusting highlights and shadows but doesn’t utilize the capabilities of a high-brightness HDR display, such as those found in recent “Pro” iPhones, Galaxy S-series flagships and Google Pixel devices. According to the report, Google will avoid such confusion by renaming the “HDR effect” to “Vibrance.” However, this move may bring even more confusion as vibrance is already an established term for an entirely different effect related to enhancing or reducing the saturation of certain colors.
Anyone familiar with editing apps such as Photoshop will, therefore, expect a rather different function from the Vibrance control. However, the new Vibrance button carries the same “mountain range” icon currently associated with “HDR effect”, strongly suggesting that it is indeed a replacement for the latter, rather than a new saturation adjustment. As always with these unreleased discoveries, there’s still a chance that Google will make significant changes before the new features roll out, but anything that gives users more control over Ultra HDR is to be welcomed.
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