Some of the oldest and best-known apps on Windows 11 are about to receive an update, and Windows Insiders can already try the upcoming features.

It's a busy time for Windows Insiders. Microsoft revamped the channels of the Windows Insider Program and now rolls out builds at a quick pace. On top of the six new builds, Microsoft shipped at the end of last week, the company updated several of Windows 11's built-in apps.

Calculator, Camera, Clock, Media Player, Paint, Photos, and Sound Recorder all have updates awaiting Insiders.

Windows Insiders in the Experimental, Experimental (26H1), and Experimental (Future Platforms) channels will receive the app updates when running the latest build.

The Microsoft Learn site now has sections dedicated to apps. Within the column on the left side of the page, you'll see a dropdown menu and shortcuts to apps like Calculator, Camera, and Media Player.

Calculator Release notes

• More accurate square-root results — Fixed rare cases where a calculation that should equal zero (like sqrt(2.25) - 1.5) returned a tiny leftover value instead.
• Readable text in High Contrast themes — Settings text now shows the correct colors in the High Contrast Aquatic and Desert themes.
• Fixed layout for right-to-left languages — For languages like Arabic and Hebrew, the graph, number pad, equation fields, and scroll buttons now appear correctly oriented.
• Reliable launch after upgrading — Fixed an issue where upgrading from much older versions could leave outdated settings that stopped the app from opening.

Camera release notes

• Zoom slider works on more cameras — The zoom slider now works on the latest cameras, respects your system zoom settings, and updates instantly when you change those settings.
• Full range of zoom levels — Fixed an issue where the zoom slider only showed three steps on some devices that zoom in finer increments.
• Front camera works on more devices — Resolved a problem that blocked the front-facing camera on certain wide-angle devices.
• More video resolution choices — You can now pick video resolutions that were previously hidden; the app shows a heads-up warning instead of removing them.
• QR links you can still use — When a scanned QR code points to something with no matching app, the link is now copied to your clipboard (with a notification) while still offering a Store search.
• Smarter default settings — When you haven't set a preference, the app now follows your system settings by default.

Clock release notes

• Timers keep counting after they hit zero — When a timer runs out, it now keeps counting up (for example, -00:27:31) so you can see how far past the time you've gone.
• You can turn off the daily goal — Focus Sessions now include an "Off" option so you can skip setting a daily goal entirely.
• New 15-minute snooze option — Alarms now offer a 15-minute snooze interval.
• Run up to 3 countdowns at once — The Countdown Widget now supports three simultaneous countdowns, up from two.
• Timer Widget notifications now appear — Fixed an issue where the "timer finished" notification didn't show when the timer was started from the widget.
• Less clutter in Focus Sessions — Tasks you've already completed no longer show up in the Focus Session task list.
• More accurate focus progress — Fixed a rounding issue that could show your daily focus progress as a minute short (for example, 49 minutes instead of 50).
• Smoother World Clock comparisons — The World Clock compare page now loads dates as you scroll, so it feels more responsive.
• Up-to-date World Clock locations — Refreshed country and city names to match their current names.
• Correct sun and moon icons during midnight sun — Fixed an icon that wrongly showed a moon during all-day daylight in polar regions.
• Fixed back-button behavior in clock comparisons — Pressing back once now takes you back as expected, instead of jumping the date to 1926.
• Corrected the Newfoundland time zone — Newfoundland now uses the right time zone (St. John's).
• Disabled alarms stay looking disabled — Editing a turned-off alarm no longer makes it appear turned on.
• Cleaner timer cards — The expand button is now turned off on timer cards that have no time set, preventing actions that wouldn't do anything.
• Clearer theme setting — Updated the wording to "Choose your preferred app theme."
• Smoother Settings links — The "About" links in Settings no longer trigger an unexpected "switch apps" prompt.
• Fixed spacing in Spotify settings — Corrected uneven spacing in the Spotify settings card.
• Better focus visibility in High Contrast — The focus highlight in World Clock is now clearly visible in the High Contrast Aquatic and Desert themes.
• No more double announcements — Screen readers no longer read the timer value twice.
• Countdown names read correctly — Screen readers now properly announce the name of each countdown.
• Keyboard focus stays put — Focus no longer disappears after you press the Timer Reset button.
• Clearer alarm toggle for screen readers — Tidied up how the alarm on/off switch is announced.

Media Player Release notes

• Custom captions — You can now personalize how closed captions appear, with caption styling tied to your Windows caption settings, plus a quick link to open those settings directly.
• "Indexing" banner in the play queue — When your media library is still being scanned, a banner now explains why some items may not appear yet.
• Fixed the look of selected items — Corrected a layout glitch with selected items in lists.
• Fewer playback failures — Improved how the app recognizes supported file types, so more files play without issues.
• Playlists need a name — You can no longer accidentally save a playlist with a blank name.
• Cleaner look for empty playlists — Improved how a playlist appears when it has no items yet.
• More stable play queue edits — Fixed a crash that could happen when changing the play queue while the app was switching between sessions.
• Clearer "missing codec" message — Improved the dialog that appears when a file needs a codec you don't have, with clearer guidance on what to do.

Paint release notes

• Adjustable eraser transparency — You can now control how transparent the eraser is.
• Cleaner stamp brush strokes — Fixed visible color shifts and artifacts when using stamp-style brushes.
• JPEG photos save in place — Opening a rotated JPEG and pressing Save now overwrites the original instead of unexpectedly prompting "Save As."
• No more crash on bad image files — Opening a damaged or invalid image, from within the app, by double click, or commandline, now shows a clear error message instead of closing the app.
• Classic selection behavior restored — The selection outline now hides while you move, resize, or rotate a selection, just like in classic Paint.
• Tidier AI image panel — Fixed missing spacing at the bottom of the AI image generation panel for a cleaner layout.
• Visible button hover in light theme — Toolbar split buttons now show a clear hover highlight in the light theme.
• Snappier toolbar — Streamlined how the ribbon lays out, giving a small speed boost at startup.
• Fewer background crashes — Fixed a crash that could happen while background tasks were finishing up.
• Stable app shutdown — Prevented rare crashes when closing the app.
• Fixed layer removal glitch — Deleting the active layer no longer leaves the layers list in an inconsistent state.

Photos release notes

• AI watermarking — AI-generated or edited images can now carry a visible Copilot watermark. You choose Never, Always, or Ask Every Time in Settings, with a confirmation when saving. The watermarking is off by default in settings.
• Better viewing of small images and pixel art — Tiny images (like 16×16 pixel art) now zoom in far more to fill the screen and stay crisp instead of looking blurry.
• Select scanned text with the keyboard — When text is detected in an image, you can now navigate and select it using the arrow keys, Shift+Arrow, Home/End, and Ctrl+A, with a clear focus highlight.
• Fixed a crash in text recognition — Resolved a crash that could close Photos while detecting text in images; the app now recovers gracefully.
• Easier keyboard navigation — Tabbing through the navigation bar no longer stops on hidden controls, so it takes a single Tab to move past it instead of three.

Sound Recorder release notes

• Waveform shows with Bluetooth mics — The live waveform now displays correctly when you record using a Bluetooth audio device.
• No more stray scrollbar — A non-working horizontal scrollbar no longer appears at the bottom of the waveform unless you've zoomed in.
• Mark button ready right away — The Mark button no longer looks grayed out until you hover over it after opening the app.
• Markers hidden for WAV files — Markers are now turned off for WAV recordings, since that format can't store them — so they're no longer lost silently.
• Smoother deleting — Quickly pressing Delete and Enter to remove several recordings in a row no longer triggers a "file doesn't exist" error.
• Fixed a memory issue — Resolved a memory leak that occurred each time a recording started.

None of the updates are massive on their own, but it's nice to see attention paid to Windows 11's built-in apps. The update to the Clock app is surprisingly feature-rich.

Microsoft is in the early stages of making more native apps for Windows 11. The apps that just received updates for Insiders are already native, as far as I can tell.

"In-box apps," which are apps included in Windows 11, need to be optimized and native. The new Outlook and Clipchamp showed us how bad things can get when Microsoft makes web apps.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Microsoft has announced a new update coming soon to the Photos app on Windows 11 that introduces AI-powered categories into the app. The update is now in testing with Windows Insiders, and is expected to begin rolling out generally in the coming weeks.

The new update adds different folders into the app and will use AI to categorize photos into the folders based on visual content. Categories include receipts, identity cards, notes, and screenshots, which will be automatically grouped together using AI.

"Auto-Categorization automatically detects and organizes your photo collection into meaningful categories like screenshots, receipts, identity documents, and notes using AI. It’s designed to save time, reduce clutter, and make your photo library easier to navigate." The AI processing is all handled on-device too, meaning this new feature will require a Copilot+ PC with an NPU of at least 40 TOPS worth of power.

You can check out the full outline of AI-powered categorization features coming to Photos below.

• Smart sorting into categories: Photos are automatically grouped into predefined folders based on visual content, such as handwritten notes, printed documents, or receipts.
• Language-agnostic recognition: The AI model can identify document types regardless of the language in the image. For example, a Hungarian passport will still be categorized as “Passport,” even if the text isn’t in English.
• Explore your organized photo library with Auto-Categorization in Photos.
• Use the Left Nav or Search bar to find categorized images instantly.
• Change categories manually or provide feedback to improve accuracy.

AI-categories in Photos is one of several new AI-powered features that have been added to the app on Windows 11 over the last year. Since the launch of Copilot+ PCs, the photos app has been upgraded into a capable photo editing tool, which AI-powered spot removal and background removal tools, and more.

The new AI-powered categories feature is available in preview with version version 2025.11090.25001.0 or above, and can be installed via the Microsoft Store if you're in the Windows Insider Program.

The Photos app on Windows 11 is about to get a major update. Windows Insiders in the Release Preview Channel can now test several new features, including searching the web with OCR-extracted text and quick access for AI features through the File Explorer context menu.

Microsoft is also introducing a new Copilot button within the Photos app that will provide advice on enhancing images and suggest how to frame photos.

Many of these features have been in the works for a while and in testing for months among Insiders. But entering the Release Preview Channel is one of the final steps before general release.

Microsoft has an AI event on April 4, 2025 to celebrate the company's 50th Anniversary. There's a chance we'll see new AI features for Windows 11 and Microsoft apps showcased at the event.

Here's the full change log from Microsoft for the latest update to the Photos app that's in testing among Release Preview Channel Insiders:

March 2025 Microsoft Photos update

Search the web with OCR-extracted text

The Photos app now comes with a powerful Optical Character Recognition (OCR) feature which supports over 160 languages, which began rolling out again for Windows Insiders on Windows 11 and Windows 10 at the end of January. To use OCR, simply click the Scan Text button in the Photos Viewer. The app will highlight the recognized text with an overlay, allowing you to easily select and copy it to your clipboard. With this update, we’re adding “Search in Web” functionality so you can quickly search for any selected text from your images right from the app.

This enhancement makes it easier than ever to extract and find online results of text from documents, notes, screenshots, and more. Whether you’re capturing text from a document or simply exploring the contents of an image, the Photos app’s OCR and online search features streamline your workflow and boost your productivity.

Quick access to AI editing and visual search from File Explorer and your desktop

Introducing new File Explorer shortcuts that give you direct access to AI editing and Visual Search without needing to open the Photos app.

Right-click an image in File Explorer and select “Create with Designer” to add rich text, adjust composition with object selection, or enhance colors with color pop.

Plus, use the “Erase Object” shortcut to quickly remove unwanted elements. And with “Visual Search with Bing” shortcut, you can easily look up similar images, related products, and more right from your desktop.

Show subfolder images and videos in the Photos Gallery

Now you can use filters to adjust how your subfolder and gallery content show up. By enabling “Show subfolders”, you can now see all the images and videos from subfolders in the Gallery, making it a richer navigation experience.

Introducing the new Copilot button in the Photos app

We are excited to unveil the Copilot button in the Photos app that brings AI directly to your fingertips.

This Copilot integration is rolling out soon and with this new feature, you can effortlessly share your photos with AI to receive:

• Photo Editing Tips: Get expert advice on enhancing your images.
• Image Insights: Discover interesting details about your photos.
• Framing Suggestions: Improve your photography skills with personalized recommendations.

New Copilot button at the top of Photos Viewer highlighted in a red box.

Other fixes and improvements

• Due to popular requests, the Photos app now supports JXL files.
• We implemented bug fixes for the Image Creator and Restyle Image features on Copilot+ PCs to improve overall quality and performance. This includes successfully loading Image Creator in the Photos app on the initial launch of Photos and being able to Save generated images under a different file name.

Extending Copilot across apps

The Photos app on Windows 11 has always been a handy app for lighter edits. Over the years, Microsoft has enhanced the app with several features.

While the Photos app won't compete with the likes of Photoshop or other powerful editing apps, I find it quite useful. Sometimes a lightweight editor is the best tool for the job.

Adding shortcuts for AI edits should help more people become aware of those tools. I imagine many people assume Photos is a basic app for cropping images and don't know about its AI editing capabilities.

The new Copilot button continues Microsoft's quest to push Copilot as a tool across services.

The tech giant is perhaps overzealous in its efforts, such as rebranding the Microsoft 365 apps. But no one can accuse Microsoft of being half-hearted when it comes to backing Copilot.

What you need to know

• Microsoft will bring the ability to sync iCloud photos to the Photos app on Windows 10.
• The Photos app gained an integration with iCloud back in 2022, but that functionality was limited to the app on Windows 11.
• The update is available for Windows 10 PCs enrolled in the Beta and Release Preview Channels.
• Microsoft also announced an update to the Photos app that will improve the experience on both Windows 11 and Windows 10.

Your brand-new iPhone 16 will be able to sync images through iCloud to the Windows 10 Photos app. The new iPhone, and all other hardware that supports iCloud, will receive the expanded integration, which has been limited to Windows 11 until recently. The new feature will make it much easier to keep photos and other iCloud content up to date on a PC, even if that system is running an aging operating system.

Almost two years ago, Microsoft added an integration between its Photos app and Apple's iCloud. That functionality, while useful, was limited to Windows 11. But the tech giant has since shared that the Photos app on Windows 10 will receive an update to integrate with iCloud. The new integration is in testing among Windows Insiders in the Beta and Release Preview Channels if a PC is running Windows 10. Microsoft detailed the changes in a recent blog post.

The update is rolling out to Insiders and may not appear on all PCs, even if they're running builds from the Beta or Release Preview Channels. This is standard for app testing at Microsoft.

"We’re bringing the ability to sync and view iCloud photos to users on Windows 10," said Microsoft. "To access your iCloud photos, go to the iCloud Photos pivot in the Photos app, install the latest iCloud for Windows app from Microsoft Store, sign in with your Apple ID, and choose to sync your iCloud photos. Within minutes, you will see all your iCloud photo content starting to appear automatically in the Photos app."

Microsoft also explained that it is upgrading the Windows 10 Photos app to use the new Windows App SDK platform. The Photos app on Windows 11 received that upgrade earlier this year.

The Photos app also has a new layout that makes it easier to find content regardless of if items are stored locally, on OneDrive, or on iCloud. When you view any photo, you'll be able to search the web using a new Visual Search with Bing feature.

Death of Windows 10

Windows 10 will officially reach its end-of-support date in October 2025. But despite that impeding cutoff, many still use the operating system. Some cannot upgrade their PC to Windows 11 due to the minimum requirements of the new OS. Others prefer Windows 10 and plan to keep using that older operating system for as long as possible.

Some have called on Microsoft to reconsider cutting support for Windows 10, citing environmental concerns and the fact that many working computers falling out of support will "cause the single biggest jump in junked computers ever." Microsoft will have an extended security update (ESU) program for Windows 10, but it is costly. Extending security updates beyond an end-of-support date is not new to Windows, but this will be the first time Microsoft has offered the ESU program to everyone, rather than just commercial customers.

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What you need to know

• Microsoft shipped a new update for its Photos app in Windows 11 which featured a bug preventing users from launching it.
• The company recently issued a temporary workaround, allowing users to access the Photos app.
• The bug impacts devices running Windows 11 22H2 and Windows 11 23H2 with the "Prevent non-admin users from installing packaged Windows app" or the BlockNonAdminUserInstall Configuration service provider (CSP) policies enabled.

If you've been trying to access Microsoft's Photo app in Windows 11, but failed — you're not alone. The Redmond giant shipped a new update for the app in June that seemingly broke it, making it impossible for users to launch the Photos app on Windows 11. The bug is characterized by a spinning circle and the following error message: Access Denied error on Process Exit (‘Exit Status: -2147024891’) if you have the Procmon monitoring tool installed on your device.  

Microsoft acknowledged the issue and indicated it was working on a fix. While the company hasn't found a permanent solution, it recently issued a temporary workaround for the bug impacting users running Windows 11 22H2 and Windows 11 23H2 on their devices with the "Prevent non-admin users from installing packaged Windows app" or the BlockNonAdminUserInstall Configuration service provider  (CSP) policies enabled.

Windows 11 Home users are less likely to be affected by this issue, since these policies might not be enabled on their devices. Microsoft recommends Windows admins to apply the issued temporary fix as follows: 

1. Download the latest WInAppSDK from Latest downloads for the Windows App SDK - Windows apps | Microsoft Learn. Select from the links titled “Installer” and choose the appropriate one for your system. If you’re unsure if you should download an Installer labeled with x64, x86, or arm64, open the System Information view by opening the Start menu and typing “System Information”. Then select System Information from the results. Once the System Information window appears, note the “System Type” field on the right-side panel of the window. It should denote either an x64, x86, or arm64 based system.
2. Right-click the windowsappruntimeinstall-x64.exe file and select ‘Run as administrator’. A command prompt window will open and display some text as the installation is taking place. Please note that no action is required while this command prompt window appears, and it will close without notice after the installation has completed.
3. If you're an IT administrator, you can execute this installer in your environment using either system or admin context. The parameter “-quiet" is specific to this installer and can be added to an execution command to prevent user interaction with the prompt. The installer only needs to be run once per device (not per user).
   

Microsoft has indicated that is still working on a permanent fix for the issue, which should ship to affected devices in the coming weeks.

What you need to know

• Microsoft has migrated its Photos app from its UWP (Universal Windows Platform) to Windows App SDK.
• The new update also adds WebView2 support for improved image rendering quality, additional support for AI-powered features, and more.
• However, the Photos is seemingly taking longer to launch after the changes.

Microsoft's Photos app has received lots of love lately, including a Copilot plugin designed to help users create slideshows and change the desktop background. The latest update for the app transitions it from Microsoft's UWP (Universal Windows Platform) to Windows App SDK.

The transition brings major changes under the hood and improves the app's user experience on newer operating systems like Windows 11. As spotted by Windows Latest, the new Photos app is limited to Windows Insiders, though it's also shipping out to Windows 11 users running the finished version on their PCs in waves. 

While the new update allows the app to leverage WebView2, the outlet notes it now takes a tad longer to launch. WebView2 support fosters improved image rendering quality, additional support for AI-powered features, and access to an up-to-date version of Chromium with the latest quality-of-life improvements and security updates.

Other notable improvements shipping to the Photos app include its ability to run at a medium integrity level by default. For context, this is the security status assigned to most processes in a Windows PC. Moreover, the update will now allow users to save an edited photo in the same file location as the original photo automatically.

And finally, it's now easier to track the Photos app's processes via the Task Manager. Unlike before, when the app featured multiple processes in the Task Manager, making it a daunting task to force-close it.  

What you need to know

• Microsoft quietly shipped a Copilot plugin to its Photos app in Windows 11.
• The plugin is limited to creating slideshows and setting the desktop background on your PC.
• The update also features an updated OneDrive Accounts section in settings that lets users add their Microsoft accounts to view images in their OneDrive accounts.
• You must run version 2024.11030.22001.0 of the app to access these neat features. 
• However, not all users have seen the new feature yet, suggesting Microsoft is either A/B testing the plugin or rolling it out in waves to ensure stability.

The Photos app is arguably one of the most 'neglected' in-box Windows 11 apps in terms of new features and updates, at least until late last year when Microsoft infused AI-baked capabilities into the platform, including support for image background removal and replacement.

And now, the company is seemingly shipping more AI goodness to the Photos app in Windows 11. According to a spot by Windows enthusiast PhantomOfEarth on X (formerly Twitter), the Photos app features a Copilot plugin (via Neowin). The new plugin will reportedly help with tasks like creating slideshows and setting the desktop background on your Windows PC. 

The update seems to be rolling out to users in waves (or is in A/B testing), as these changes aren't available for me yet. Per PhantomOfEarth, the new features and capabilities should be available for users running on version 2024.11030.22001.0 or older. 

The Windows enthusiast also mentioned that the new update ships with an updated OneDrive Accounts section in settings. This will let you add your Microsoft account to view images in your OneDrive account.

What you need to know

• Microsoft's Photos app now supports image background removal and replacement.
• The feature is rolling out to Windows Insiders running version 2023.11110.8002.0 of the app.
• Users will be able to initiate slideshows easily. 

Microsoft is finally living up to its promises. In August, our Senior Editor, Zac Bowden, reported that the company was working on bringing generative AI-baked capabilities to the Microsoft Paint and Photos apps. 

According to Windows sleuth, PhantomOfEarth on X(formerly Twitter), Windows Insiders running version 2023.11110.8002.0 of the app should have access to a much-anticipated feature, the image background removal and replacement capability.

This addition might sound a tad familiar because Microsoft started testing the background removal feature in Paint in September. According to Microsoft's description of the feature:

"With background removal, you can now remove the background of any image automatically in just one click, leaving a smooth cutout of the subject. Background removal can detect the subject from the entire canvas or from a selection using the selection tool."

Microsoft has also made some subtle yet notable changes to the Photos app. First up, the zooming and full screen have been relocated from the top to the bottom right. You'll also notice that a new button for toggling the filmstrip has been incorporated into the bottom left.

Finally, Microsoft has also updated the app's context menu when clicking on a folder with a new option allowing users to initiate a slideshow quickly.

It's not new, but we love it

In the past few months, Microsoft has doubled down on its efforts to improve the Photos app's user experience. While not entirely new, the image background removal and replacement capabilities are great additions to the platform. 

Users will no longer need third-party apps to fine-tune their images (at least for background removal and replacement), ultimately saving time. The feature might not be available for everyone just yet, as it is still in the testing phase, though it should ship to broad availability soon. 

Do you use the Photos app to edit your images? If so, are you a fan of this new addition? Let us know in the comments. 

What you need to know

• Microsoft has announced a big update for the Photos app on Windows 11.
• The update adds back the missing spot fix tool, and introduces new slideshow options.
• There's also an updated timeline scrollbar and other general improvements.

Microsoft has announced a big update for the Photos app on Windows 11 that is rolling out to Insiders in the Dev and Canary channel now. The update introduces a handful of new features and quality of life improvements, including the return of the popular "spot fix" tool that was removed from the app over a year ago.

Spot fix was part of the Photos app on Windows 10, but was removed when the app was rewritten in 2021. Now, Microsoft is bringing back the spot fix tool, which lets users quickly remove blemishes or specks of dust from photos with ease. 

In addition to the new spot fix tool, Microsoft is also adding new slideshow options to enhance the photo viewing experience. Now, the slideshow mode includes animations, smooth transitions, and 25 different music soundtracks to choose from, grouped together as different kinds of themes ranging from chill, fun, energetic, sentimental, and more.

Microsoft is also adding a new scrollbar interface in the "all photos" view, which will make it easier to go back in time to find photos taken years ago. Here's a rundown of some of the other new additions:

• Auto Enhance is now available for use without having to install the 93MB add-on.
• When importing photos from external devices, you can now drag and drop to choose the photos you want and use the quick toggle to confirm the files that have been selected.
• Hidden iCloud Photos will no longer display in the gallery.
• Fixed an issue where audio on video files is muted by default. The app now plays the audio by default and persists user settings across videos.
• Copying and pasting a photo from the Photos app into Outlook and Teams now inserts the image inline by default instead of adding an attachment.
• Multi-select photos: hold down the SHIFT key while selecting photos in the gallery now selects multiple consecutive photos in a row; holding down the CTRL key selects multiple non-consecutive photos.

The new Photos app is available in preview now for Insiders in the Dev and Canary Channel, and the update can be downloaded from the Microsoft Store. The app version is 2023.11050.2013.0 or higher.

What you need to know

• Microsoft has announced an update to the Photos app that adds iCloud integration.
• Users will be able to view their iCloud Photos directly in the Microsoft Photos app.
• The app is in preview now with Insiders in the Dev Channel.

Microsoft has today unveiled a new update to the Photos app on Windows 11 that adds support for iCloud Photos integration, allowing iPhone users to see all their cloud-saved photos directly from within the Windows 11 Photos app.

MIcrosoft's Dave Crochocki detailed the following alongside the announcement:

"The Microsoft Photos app allows you to view, organize, and share photos from your PC and OneDrive, and with this update, you’ll now be able to add and access your iCloud Photos directly from within the app as well. Your iCloud Photos will appear alongside photos from other sources in the beautifully redesigned “All Photos” gallery view, as well as on a dedicated page you can access from the side navigation pane."

The new Microsoft Photos app began rolling out to Windows Insiders a few weeks ago, and features an updated design that's easier to use, and the removal of the old built-in video editor. 

Support for iCloud Photos is rolling out in preview for Insiders in the Dev Channel today, with app version 2022.31100.9001.0, which can be grabbed from the Microsoft Store. It's likely that the new Photos app with iCloud integration will begin rolling out later in the year.

Microsoft also announced a number of new Surface PCs today. Check out our round-up of the Microsoft Event here. 

What you need to know

• The Photos app for Windows 11 has a redesigned editor.
• The general rollout of the redesign is happening now, so non-Insiders should be on the lookout for the refresh.
• The new Photos app user interface features enhancements and tweaks to make editing a better experience.

The Windows 11 Photos app may look a bit different the next time you open it up, as Microsoft is rolling out a new editor for it. So when you try to tinker with pictures, don't be surprised if things aren't quite as you remember them.

The changes include relocation of the cropping tool, additional picture rotation tools, as well as speedier access to the landscape and portrait orientation options. Plus, cropping now includes the benefit of letting you know what resolution you're whittling an image down to so you can make better cutting decisions on the fly.

Transparent images will now display a checkered transparency texture while editing but said texture will disappear when you revert back to normal photo browsing.

The filters and adjustments tabs have seen an overhaul as well, though this shakeup has included the removal of features such as spot fix and red-eye removal. It's currently unclear why those two elements have disappeared from the editor. There's a chance they could be re-added in later updates, though there's also the possibility Microsoft removed them for some deliberate purpose and won't change course.

Drawing on images is now more natively integrated into the Photos app editing experience as well, for those of you in the mood to add some e-graffiti to your pictures.

If the update isn't already nestled inside your Photos app, go to the Microsoft Store and manually claim it; odds are an update is sitting there patiently waiting to be downloaded.

If you recorded a video using your phone or digital camera, and you ended up with a very long video, or you want to crop off unwanted footage, you don't need to spend money or install complicated third-party tools.

The Windows 10 Photos app includes a powerful video editor that allows you to trim one or multiple parts of a video quiet easily.

In this Windows 10 guide, we'll walk you through the steps to trim videos using the Photos app.

• How to trim a video using Photos app
• How to trim multiple parts of a video using Photos

How to trim a video using Photos app

To trim a video using Photos on Windows 10, use these steps:

1. Open Photos.
2. Click the video you want to edit.
3. Click the Edit & Create button from the top-right corner, and select the Trim option.

4. Use the white (right and left) pins to select the part of the video you want to trim.
5. Use the blue pin to scrub the footage to make sure you're trimming the correct section.

6. Click the Save a copy button from the top-right corner.

Once you complete the steps, the Photos app will process the video, and you'll end up with a trimmed version of the file with only the part you want to keep. However, the feature will not edit the original video. Instead, it'll create a new file with the new footage.

If you're trying to save some space, after completing the trimming process and making sure the video is the way you want it, remember to delete the original video from the Photos "Collections" tab.

How to trim multiple parts of a video using Photos

Although the trimming option doesn't allow you to edit multiple parts of the video, you can use the video editing tool to accomplish this task.

To trim multiple parts of a video, use these steps:

1. Open Photos.
2. Click the Select button from the top-right corner.

3. Check the video you want to edit.
4. Click the New video button from the toolbar.
5. Select the New video project option.

6. Specify a name for the project.
7. Click the OK button.

8. Select the video clip from the Storyboard.
9. Click the Split button from the toolbar.

10. Select the section that includes the first part of the video you want to trim.

11. Click the Done button.
12. Select the remaining part of the video. (Usually, the one on the right side.)
13. Click the Split button again.

14. Select the section that includes the second part of the video you want to trim.

15. Click the Done button.
16. Repeat steps No. 12 through 15 to partition the entire video.
17. Select the first split clip from the Storyboard.
18. Click the Trim button from the toolbar.

19. Use the blue pins to adjust the section of the video to trim.Quick tip: While trimming the video, make sure only to move the pins inwards, as if you move the right pin outwards, you could end modifying the previous split settings for the clip.

20. Click the Play button to preview the clip.
21. Click the Done button.
22. Repeat steps No. 17 through 21 to trim the remaining clips.
23. Click the Play button from the preview section.
24. Click the Finish video button from the top-right corner.

25. Use the "Video quality" drop-down menu and select the quality of the video. For example, High 1080p (recommended).
26. Under the "Move options" section, check the Use hardware-accelerated encoding option (if available).
27. Click the Export button.

28. Select the destination folder. For example, Pictures folder.
29. Click the Export button.

After you complete the steps, the Photos app will process the project, and it'll create a new video only with the parts you trimmed.

We're focusing this guide on the steps to trim a video, but the Photos app offers a lot of features for creating a video project. You can learn more using our comprehensive guide with everything you need to know to use the video editing tool included with Photos.

On Windows 10, Photos is an essential app designed to help you to organize your pictures and videos. Using the app, you can view your media files. You can edit them, and easily share those memories with family and friends.

However, the Photos app is more than just an experience to organize your digital memories, as it also includes a powerful video editor similar to the legacy Windows Movie Maker, which you can use to create videos automatically, or from scratch with music, text, and motion, and modern features, such as 3D effects.

In this Windows 10 guide, we'll walk you through the steps to get started creating videos using the Photos app. This guide outlines all the steps you need to know, from creating a video automatically to creating and editing a project from start to finish.

• How to create video automatically using Photos
• How to create video project manually using Photos
• How to edit video project using Photos
• How to add 3D effects video project using Photos
• How to backup video project using Photos

How to create video automatically using Photos

The Photos video editor allows you to create video projects from scratch, or you can select the media elements to let the editor create a video automatically.

To create a video automatically using the Photos app, use these steps:

1. Open Photos.
2. Click the Video Editor tab.
3. Click the menu (three-dotted) button next to the New video project button, and select the Make a video for me option.Quick tip: You can also start a new automatic video project from the Photos home by clicking the New video option from the top-right, and selecting the Automatic video option.

4. Click the Make a video for me option.

5. Select the videos and images for the project.
6. Click the Create button.

7. Specify a descriptive name for the project.
8. Click the OK button.

9. (Optional) Click the Remix it for me button to change the theme.

10. Click the Finish video button.
11. Use the "Video quality" drop-down menu and select the quality of the video (High 1080p, Medium 720p, or Low 540p).Quick tip: The lower the quality, the lower the quality of the video will be, but it'll require less space, which can also make it easier for sharing.

12. Check the Use hardware-accelerated encoding option (if applicable).
13. Click the Export button.
14. Select a folder to save the video project as a .mp4 file.
15. Click the Export button.

Once you complete the steps, the video will be created and exported, and you can now play it with any device that supports MP4 playback. Or you can share it with anyone using email, social media, or you can even upload it to YouTube for the world to see your creation.

How to create video project manually using Photos

To create a video project from scratch using the Photos app, use these steps:

1. Open Photos.
2. Click the Video Editor tab.

3. Click the New video project button.

4. Specify a descriptive name for the project.
5. Click the OK button.

After you complete the steps, you can start adding content to the storyboard to continue editing the project with various options, including text, duration, motion, 3D effects, and more. The video editor also has a live preview that you can use to check the process before exporting the video.

How to edit video project using Photos

Once you created a new project, you'll be presented with the video editor experience, which is made up of three main sections. You have the "Project library" at the top-left side, which is the place where you'll add the images and videos that you'll be using in the project.

At the bottom, you'll find the "Storyboard" section, which is where you can drag and drop the media elements to build your video. Also, depending on the content you're editing, you'll get a different set of features you can use to edit.

On the top-right side, you can preview your project with all the current changes, and as you play the video, you'll see the timeline highlighting the card being played.

Adding media elements

To add new media files to the video project, use these steps:

1. Under the "Project Library" section, click the Add button in the top-left corner.
2. Select the From my collection option.Quick note: The video editor also allows you to import files that are not part of the Photos app, such as from an external drive, using the "From this PC" option, and you can even use the "From the web" option to download images from Bing.

3. Select the pictures and videos you want to be part of the project.
4. Click the Add button from the top-right corner.

5. Check the media elements to begin your video.
6. Click the Place in storyboard button. (You can also drag-and-drop the files to the storyboard.)

While editing a video, you can always add more media files, clicking the Add button, and you can remove files by selecting the items and clicking the Trash button from the top-right.

Adding duration

As you add media to the storyboard, you'll notice that every file includes a default time duration. If you want the media to have a shorter or longer period, use these steps:

1. Under the "Storyboard" section, select the media element (or elements).
2. Click the Duration button from the toolbar.
3. Select a time duration, or specify a time range in seconds.

After you complete the steps, the element will play in the video the time you specified. If you have multiple elements in the storyboard, you may need to repeat the steps to change the duration for the remaining items.

Adding text

You can also add a custom title or caption to an image or video using these steps:

1. Under the "Storyboard" section, select the media element.
2. Click the Text button from the toolbar.

3. Use the Text box to insert custom text.

4. Select the text style from the list.
5. Select the location using the Layout options.
6. Use the controls on the left side to specify the text duration and preview the changes.
7. Click the Done button.

Once you complete the steps, the text will apply to the element for the time you specified.

Adding motion

The video editor in Photos also lets you add camera motion styles to images and videos with these steps:

1. Under the "Storyboard" section, select the media element.
2. Click the Motion button from the toolbar.

3. Select a motion effect for the image or video, such as Zoom in center, Zoom in right, Pan left, Tilt up and others.

4. Use the controls on the left side to preview the changes.
5. Click the Done button.

After you complete the steps, you may need to repeat the steps to apply the same or different motion effect to other parts of the video.

Adding filters

Using the video editor, you can even add filters to change the look of the images or video clips in your project using these steps:

1. Under the "Storyboard" section, select the media element.
2. Click the Filters button from the toolbar.

3. Select one of the 14 filters available, such as Classic, Adventure, Sepia, Inky, Loved, Pixel, etc.

4. Use the controls on the left side to preview the changes.
5. Click the Done button.

After you complete the steps, the filter will apply for the media file. If you have multiple parts of the project to use a specific filter, you'll need to repeat the steps for each element.

Adding trim, split, speed

The Photos app editor also includes the ability to trim, split, and control the speed of a video clip.

Trimming

To trim a video with the Photos app editor, use these steps:

1. Under the "Storyboard" section, select the video clip.
2. Click the Trim button from the toolbar.

3. Use the controls to choose the trim section.Quick tip: When inserting a video clip to the storyboard, it'll not play the full length. If you want to include the entire video, you need to select the whole length using the trim option.
4. Click the Done button.

Once you complete the steps, only the video selection you specified will be included in the project.

Splitting

To split a video clip into two or more parts with the Photos app, use these steps:

1. Under the "Storyboard" section, select the video clip.
2. Click the Split button from the toolbar.

3. Use the slider to choose the length of the clip.

4. Click the Done button.Quick tip: If you want to split the video in multiple clips, repeat steps No. 5 through 7.

After you complete the steps, you'll end up with a video divided into multiple parts. (This option will not modify the original video.)

Speeding

To slow down or speed up a video clip in the storyboard, use these steps:

1. Under the "Storyboard" section, select the video clip.
2. Click the Speed button from the toolbar.

3. Use the slider to choose the speed of the clip.

Once you complete the steps, the video will play using the speed you selected.

Adding title cards

While working on a video project, adding a title or custom text with a background is an excellent way to break the video into sections or mark a change in the scene.

To add title cards to a video project in the Photos app, use these steps:

1. Under the "Storyboard" section, click the Add title card button.

2. Click, hold, and drag the card to the location you want to show it.
3. Select the title card to focus and reveal the options.Quick tip: You can always right-click the card to see the available options.

4. Click the Text button from the toolbar.

5. Use the Text box to insert custom text.

6. Select the text style from the list.
7. Select the location using the Layout options.
8. Use the controls on the left side to specify the text duration and preview the changes.
9. Click the Done button.
10. (Optional) Click the Background option from the toolbar.
11. Select the background color.

12. Click the Done button.

If you want to add a custom image as the background, then add the image to the project, and then use the Text option to add the title or content you want.

Adding audio

The Photos app editor includes the ability to insert background music and custom audio (such as narration) to add some life to your video.

Background music

To add background music to your project, use these steps:

1. Click the Background music button from the top-right corner.

2. Select the soundtrack you want to use. (You can click the triangle Play button to preview the music.)

3. Check the Sync your video to the music's beat option.
4. Set the music volume using the slider option.
5. Click the Done button.

After you complete the steps, the soundtrack will adapt automatically to the full length of your video.

Custom audio

To add custom audio or narration to your video project, use these steps:

1. Click the Custom audio button from the top-right corner.

2. Click the Add audio file button.

3. Select the audio track.
4. Click the Open button.

5. Use the controls on the left side to specify where the audio should play.

6. Click the Done button.

Once you complete the steps, the narration or custom music track will apply to your project.

If you need to add narration, you can use the Voice recorder app to create a recording that you can then import to the project.

Adding theme

Just like using the automatic video feature, you can also add a theme to restyle the video with filters, music, and text styles.

To apply a theme to a video project, use these steps:

1. Click the menu (three-dotted) button from the top-right corner.
2. Select the Themes option.

3. Select a theme for the list.

4. Click the Play button to preview the changes.
5. Click the Done button.

After you complete the steps, the new theme will apply to the entire video, and you can preview it clicking the Play button in the preview section.

How to add 3D effects video project using Photos

Perhaps one of the most exciting features in the Photos app is 3D special effects that you can add to the media element.

To add 3D effects to a video project, use these steps:

1. Open Photos.
2. Click the Video Editor tab.
3. Select the project you want to add 3D effects.

4. Under the "Storyboard" section, select the media element.
5. Click the 3D effects button from the toolbar.

6. Click the Effects tab.

7. Select the 3D effect into the preview on the left.

8. Use the controls on the left side to adjust the duration of the effect.
9. Click the 3D library tab.
10. Select the library category.

11. Select the element to add to the video.
12. Use the controls on the left side to drag and position the element in the clip. (You can also rotate and scale the effect using the controls.)

13. Use the controls to attach the element to an object in the video clip. So, even if the camera was moving during the recording, the 3D effect will stay in the correct place.
14. (Optional) Use the Quick animations drop-down menu to select an animation (if applicable).
15. Click the Done button.

Once you complete the steps, you'll end up with a more engaging clip using 3D effects.

How to backup video project using Photos

The Photos app video editor also allows you to backup a project so you can use it on another computer.

To backup a video project in the Photos app, use these steps:

1. Open Photos.
2. Click the Video Editor tab.
3. Select the project you want to backup.
4. Click the menu (three-dotted) button from the top-right corner.
5. Select the Back up project option.Quick tip: You can also use the Duplicate project option to fork another video with similar elements to save time.

6. Click the Choose backup location button.
7. Select the folder location.
8. Click the Save button.

9. Click the OK button.

After you complete the steps, you'll end up with a ".vpd" file that contains the project edits and media files that you can continue working in the video on another device.

What you need to know

• Video projects in the Photos app won't sync metadata through OneDrive after January 10, 2020.
• The Photos app will still be able to store metadata locally.
• Users are encouraged to save their projects now to not lose any data.

The Video Editor within the Windows 10 Photos app is losing the ability to sync in-progress video projects through OneDrive (via Windows Latest). The app currently can store metadata for video projects on the cloud and sync data across devices. Microsoft outlines the change in a recent blog post and encourages users to save any projects that are currently in progress.

In order for video projects to sync across devices, metadata currently syncs through OneDrive. Data such as the order of clips, music timing, and text for title cards are required to make sure a video project looks the same on different devices. Following the removal of this feature, users won't be able to sync this type of data across devices. Additionally, this data will be deleted on January 10, 2020 so any projects that already have this data synced will lose their metadata.

Microsoft encourages people to turn off sync now and to make sure the latest version of video projects are stored locally on machines that people plan to edit on.

Microsoft also announced a new way to back up video project files.

1. Select See more within a video project.
2. Select Back up project.

Backups can be imported to restore projects to a previous state.

Microsoft emphasizes that data deleted from video projects cannot be recovered. If you use the video project sync feature, you should back up anything you'd like to keep as soon as possible.

Thoughts on using the Photos app on Windows 10 as a video editor

What you need to know

• Microsoft's Photos app has received an update that adds Fluent Design elements.
• The update also brings the ability to change a photo's date information.
• The app also lets you add a title with an editable background.

Microsoft's Photos app received an update that brings Fluent Design elements and a few new features. As usual, the Photos app doesn't have a detailed changelog from Microsoft, but WindowsBlogItalia spotted the changes.

The most noticeable visual change is the addition of several Fluent Design elements. There's now transparency on the context menu, video editor toolbar, and the ellipsis menu that allows you to see more settings.

On the features side of things, the Photos app now allows you to edit the date information for a photo. Additionally, you can create a title tab with an editable background. Editing videos gained the ability to rotate clips or delete clips and images.

As usual, the update also includes bug fixes and improvements. The Photos app comes with Windows 10, but you can grab the app or its update in the Microsoft Store.

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A small update for the Microsoft Photos app is now available for Insider testers. There are a couple of new things in this build, but the most prominent is the addition of the crop tool when viewing an image (via MSPU).

Prior to this update, you would have to jump into "edit" mode to crop images. Now, when you're viewing a specific image, the crop tool appears next to the options to rotate, favorite, and delete images. In other words, it's now just a little faster to make crops here and there as needed.

When you install the latest update, you'll also be greeted with a new privacy screen that asks for permission to automatically tag your photos. Further, the right-click context menu while you're editing will now let you change information like the file name and its date taken, from the "File Info" option.

The update contains a relatively small handful of changes, but they're handy nonetheless. If you're interested in checking them out, you can see all of what's new by opting in to test preview builds of Microsoft Photos and installing version 2019.19041.13120.0.

See at Microsoft

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Microsoft appears to be testing out a new UI for the Windows 10 Photos app's editing features. While the current version of the app has its editing options listed in a column on its right side, an update currently available for at least some Fast ring Insiders has made things a little more organized.

As initially reported by Windows Observer (via OnMSFT), the editing options are now spread out between three sections that appear across the top of the app. The default position is "Crop & rotate," while other sections are dedicated to filters and adjustments, with fine-tuning controls located in the latter.

Alongside the new editing layout, Windows Observer reports that the "Edit & Create" menu now has an option to add animated text to your photos with a number of different font and motion variants.

I haven't spotted these changes on my Fast ring PC just yet, so it's entirely possible the update is either still rolling out or is part of an A/B test. Either way, you can check for updates in the Microsoft Store to see if you have the tweaks available to you.

See at Microsoft

Users running Windows 10 woke up today with a brand new app in their recently added list on the Start menu called "Video editor" that has caught the attention of many Insiders. Where did this app come from? Why is it in my Start menu? Did Microsoft finally make a video editing app? Turns out, the news isn't all that exciting.

Over night, Microsoft pushed out a new update to the Photos app on Windows 10 that adds a shortcut to the video editing capabilities that are part of the Photos app already to the Start menu. This gives the illusion that there's a new video editing app preinstalled on your device, when in reality it's just a shortcut to an already existing feature apart of Photos.

So, nothing too exciting to see here, unless you're a fan of pinning tiles to your Start menu. You've now got a new Video editor tile to pin, with a nice logo and everything. Do you like this change, or would you prefer Microsoft not automatically add new app listings to your apps list and Start menu? Let us know in the comments!

Starting last July, Microsoft began rolling out AI-powered intelligent sorting features to the Windows 10 Photos app, allowing it to automatically recognize and organize photos based on a number of categories, including faces. But while the Photos app uses this feature to collate images of specific people, it was missing one crucial element: the ability to easily tag them. Now, Microsoft is remedying that omission.

The Photos app for Windows 10 now includes the option to manually tag people by name. If you navigate to the "People" tab of the app, you'll first see a short introduction to the feature along with a "Start tagging" button. From there, clicking on any grouping of photos will include the option to add a name for that person near the top of the window. Clicking it will allow you to choose a person from your address book or add a new contact name.

It's a small feature in the grand scheme of things, but it should be incredibly handy for anyone who relies on the default Photos app to organize their shots. This appears to be rolling out for everyone now, as we've spotted it on non-Insider and Insider builds alike with Photos version 2018.18022.15810.0 and higher.

Finally, it should be noted not all users evidently have the feature just yet, so either Microsoft is going to turn it on remotely, or the company is simply A/B testing the feature with Insiders.

See at Microsoft Store

Thanks to Kenneth for the tip!

Microsoft's Timeline feature is set to be one of the biggest coming in the Windows 10 Redstone 4 update, but it looks like the Windows 10 Photos app may be getting a timeline of its own – albeit much more limited. Italian blog Aggiornamenti Lumia has gotten an early look at some features it says are headed to the Windows 10 Photos app, and chief among them is a timeline feature that lets you quickly scroll through your photos in chronological order.

Currently, Photos already allows you to navigate your photos in chronological order with batches separated by month. The new "timeline" UI element looks as though it will enhance the experience a bit, allowing you to quickly zip to a specific month or year with a scrollbar. It's a small addition, but it could make zoning in on a specific time period a little simpler.

According to Aggiornamenti Lumia, some smaller features are on their way to the Photos app as well. Microsoft appears to be testing a way to add audio commentary to your own video creations as part of a new "Audio" section. Paint 3D integration is also coming, courtesy of a built-in shortcut to export creation directly to the 3D editing app.

We'll have to wait to hear more from Microsoft, but these features could make their way to Insiders soon.

See at Microsoft Store

The other day, Windows 10 Mobile users were shocked to see a brand new update available for the Photos app in the Store, that actually introduced new features! Unfortunately, as we correctly speculated at the time, this update was rolled out in error. Microsoft has confirmed in the past that Windows 10 Mobile is no longer a focus, and as such, there are no new features in the works for Windows 10 Mobile.

The Photos app update that rolled out was released by mistake, and Microsoft has today corrected that mistake by rolling out another update that reverts the changes. Microsoft has no interest in releasing new features on Windows 10 Mobile, and the app update that was released last week did nothing but introduce new features. It brought all the features found in the desktop app to Windows 10 Mobile, causing the app to lag and crash often on phones.

Since Microsoft is no longer focused on Windows 10 Mobile, the company is not putting any resources into optimizing any of the new UWP apps found in Redstone 3 and Redstone 4 desktop for Mobile, which is why the Photos app that accidently rolled out was laggy and slow on phones. Microsoft has no interest in trying to optimize these apps, as the user base for Windows 10 Mobile is just too low at this point. Microsoft has only committed to releasing security patches every month for the platform, nothing more.

Microsoft is now more focused on its next attempt at Windows on mobile devices, with a project codenamed Andromeda. This project is a new mobile device that features two screens, and a new version of Windows 10 built on Windows Core OS. This is said to be Microsoft's "re-entry" into the mobile market, leaving behind Windows 10 Mobile for good.

Microsoft Garage has taken the wraps off of a new app aimed at syncing your photos from your phone to your PC. Called Photos Companion, the app is available for Android and iOS, and it works in concert with the Windows 10 Photos app to wirelessly transfer your photos between devices.

The Microsoft Garage team behind Photos Companion says that it was originally created to serve the education market. The team noticed that educators were increasingly incorporating video in their lessons, but would often run into issues getting student-created content from their phones onto PCs. The goal with Photos Companion was to create a simple app that could wirelessly transfer photos to any Windows 10 PC.

Photos Companion works over Wi-Fi and is fairly simple to set up. Once you've downloaded and opened the app on Android or iOS, you'll be asked to open the Photos app on Windows 10 and select the "From Mobile over Wi-Fi" option from the "Import" menu. You then scan a QR code to set up the connection between devices, select the photos and videos you want to transfer, and they'll be on their way.

To make sure the option to import over Wi-Fi is available, you'll have to head into the Photos app's settings and toggle on the option labeled "Help Microsoft test the mobile import over Wi-Fi feature."

If you're already backing photos up to cloud services like OneDrive, Photos Companion may lose a bit of its luster. However, if you don't trust your pictures in the cloud, or just want a quicker way to get them into the Photos app to start doing some editing on any PC, Photos Companion looks like it could come in handy.

If you want to give the app a shot, you can download it on Android and iOS now. Keep in mind you'll have to have Photos version 2018.18011.13110.0 or later installed on your PC.

• See at Google Play
• See at the App Store

The Microsoft Photos app has seen quite a bit of a change over the past year, implementing new features to help you automatically create custom stories out of your photos and videos. Now, Microsoft has announced another new feature rolling out to Photos in Windows 10 will help you zero in on the star of the show.

Fittingly called "Choose a Star," the feature lets you pick someone to be the focus of your video. You can get started by selecting the "Create" button at the top of the Photos app and choosing "Automatic video with music." After you've selected all of the photos and videos you want included, you can choose "Create video" as you normally would and let the app do its work.

Once your story is created, you'll see the option to "Choose a star" listed underneath the Story Remix option in the preview pane. Simply select who you want to be the star of the video, and Photos will automatically adjust each portion of the film to focus on that person with zoom effects and more.

According to Microsoft, "Choose a Star" should be rolling out to everyone running the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update now.

See at Microsoft Store

Microsoft is working on a Photos Companion app for iOS and Android. Discovered by Italian blog Aggiornamenti Lumia, the app will apparently allow you to wirelessly transfer photos directly from your phone to a PC on the same Wi-Fi network. The same thing can currently be accomplished by taking advantage of OneDrive's ability to upload new photos and sync them with the Photos app, but Photos Companion will give anyone not currently using OneDrive a way to get their photos onto a PC.

In addition to Photos Companion, Aggiornamenti Lumia also spotted some new features headed to the Windows 10 Photos app in future releases. Those additions will include premium content, like themes, music and special effects, as well as stickers for photos and videos, and more. The features are currently being tested internally, but Windows Insiders, and eventually the public, should get access to them in the future.

The Photos app has seen quite a bit of focus in recent months, with Microsoft pouring work into Story Remix features, which opens up more editing features for photos and videos. The release of a Photos Companion app on iOS and Android is likely intended to get more people taking advantage of Photos' features on their PC by easing the movement of photos between devices. That's something that makes much more sense now that Microsoft has all but abandoned its own mobile platform in favor of bolstering its efforts to populate Android and iOS with its apps and services.

See at Microsoft

Microsoft is rolling out a small update to the Movies & TV app for Insiders, bringing along tighter integration with the Photos app. Now, when watching a personal video in Movies & TV, you'll find a new set of editing options below the progress bar (via Windows Blog Italia).

Represented by a pencil icon, the options allow you quick access to trim, draw, create a slow motion video, or save a photo from a video. Clicking one of the available options will open the video in the Photos app directly to whatever you choose. From the official release notes:

• Get creative: Use Photos to add ink, slo-mo, and more while watching your videos.

Keep in mind that this doesn't work with movies and TV shows that you've purchased. The editing option is only available on your own, personal videos located in the Movies & TV app. Still, it's a handy set of options to have.

So far, we've spotted the update on the Fast ring, but it may be rolling out to other Insider rings as well. You'll find the options available with version 10.17102.12311.0 of the Movies & TV app.

See at Microsoft

When the Fall Creators Update lands, the Photos app is set to get some interesting new ways to edit albums and video with a feature called Story Remix. Part of that includes a number of new effects, themes, and music that will serve to spice up your creations. A lot of that content will be available to everyone, but it seems that some of it will be offered at a premium.

As spotted by OnMSFT, a new update to the Photos app for Skip Ahead Insiders indicates that some content will require an Office 365 subscription to unlock. Not all content is locked, but some 3D effects, music, and text styles will be locked unless you're a subscriber to Microsoft's monthly office subscription.

This isn't unique to Story Remix, as Microsoft also locks off some features of its free Office Mobile apps and Sway for Office 365 subscribers. Still, it's an interesting choice, to say the least.

The 3D effects coming to Story Remix have been in testing with Skip Ahead Insiders since mid-September. Microsoft previously confirmed that these 3D effects, which were originally expected to launch with the Fall Creators Update, will instead arrive sometime within "the following months."

See at Microsoft

Microsoft recently pushed through a change to the Photos app for Windows Insiders that saw the app renamed to "Story Remix." The choice of name sparked a bit of negative feedback, to say the least, but it looks like things are back to normal once more. As spotted by OnMSFT, Story Remix has been renamed back to Photos.

From the start, it seemed like the name might not stick. Microsoft was pretty clear following the change to the new name that it was part of a test through which more names would be tried. Indeed, before moving back to Photos, the app was briefly renamed from Story Remix to Photos & Videos.

It's entirely possible that the Insider team may test out yet more names, but many on the Insider program will likely be relieved to see the change back to Photos. The Story Remix name, which is also the name of a feature coming to the Photos app in the Fall Creators Update, seemed an odd choice to replace the more general, but descriptive, Photos name.

A recent update to the Photos app in Windows 10 for Windows Insiders on the "Skip Ahead" ring has renamed the app to Story Remix. Initially spotted by the folks at MSPU, the new name seems to be the only thing that has changed, with no new features added in the update.

Story Remix itself was originally detailed at Build 2017 earlier this year as a new set of features headed to the Photos app with the Fall Creators Update. With Story Remix, you can quickly create video clips from photos and videos in your library, complete with music, transitions and text. Some interesting 3D features were originally shown off as part of Story Remix's repertoire, but those have since been delayed to some time after the Fall Creators Update arrives.

As far as the new name is concerned, it seems that may not be set in stone either. Brandon LeBlanc, a Senior Program Manager with the Windows Insider Program team noted on Twitter that Story Remix is just one name that the team is currently considering.

In any case, it seems the default Photos app will likely end up with a new name when the Fall Creators Update arrives later in 2017. Of course, things are always in flux, and it's entirely possible we could see the app name reverted as well.

Joining the ranks of Google's Photos app with intelligent image-sorting is Microsoft with its native Photos app for Windows 10 and Mobile.

The company is evidently starting to roll out its own smart search that scans all your images on OneDrive and through artificial intelligence (A.I.) identifies and catalogs your photos based on categories, colors, months, and even faces.

Version 2017.35063.13610.0 landed on our Windows Insider Release Preview Ring tonight with the feature.

So far, we have not seen the Fast Ring (2017.25071.10320.0), Skip Ahead (2017.35063.12420.0), or Production (2017.18062.13720.0) releases of this app get the update yet. (Yes, there are at least four different builds of the Photos app being flighted to Windows 10 users.)

The app update adds a standard-looking search bar to the upper right corner. Clicking it begins the indexing process on OneDrive which can take some time depending on how many photos you have (we're past 6,000, and the indexing takes about a second per image, so at least 90 minutes for our collection).

As the A.I. begins to populate the empty search area expands with pictures of people that it has indexed as well as suggested items and tags to search for e.g. "Art gallery," "Bar," or "Dance." Typing in colors, object types e.g. "phone," "beer," months, colors, and more immediately surfaces results. Clicking the "X" in the search bar clears the search and returns to your regular collection of photos.

It's a very high-speed and impressive system likely because the indexing is stored locally and not in the cloud.

Microsoft is also now putting suggested albums made for you in the upper area in a mini-gallery. Hovering over the album shuffles through the images in a mini-slideshow with an "Add to your albums" button to quickly save the suggested collection. Additionally, as the intelligent search groups photos together with tags it will populate that under the suggested grouping area. For example, ours found groups of photos with icicles.

Likewise, the refresh button is now moved out of the ellipsis menu which now just contains settings and send feedback.

Finally, for those who are uncomfortable with the smart face detection for photos and videos, there is an option under Settings > Viewing and editing > People that lets you toggle on or off the feature.

Overall, intelligent image search should be a welcome addition for those who – like us – have years of photos stored on OneDrive with no indexing or cataloging. Presumably, the final version of the Photos app – along with this week's Store UI update –will roll out with the Fall Creators Update in the coming months.

A fresh update is rolling out to the Windows 10 Photos app for PC users, bringing along inking support and more. While this update has been in the oven since October for Insiders, it's now rolling out to everyone with version number 16.1111.10000.0.

Alongside inking and pen support — which is a big deal in and of itself — this update includes new filters for some extra editing mojo. Here's a look at the changelog that shows after the update:

• New Look: Plus, you can set Photos to light or dark mode.
• Draw on Anything: And share the animated ink!
• Better Editing: Check out our new filters!

Do note that, while the changelog mentions a new light mode, that actually appeared in a prior build. The inking features and new filters are indeed new, however.

If you're interested in checking out the new inking features, you'll now be able to choose from from a marker, pen, or pencil tool and write in a number of different colors. This lets you add a little extra pizazz to a photo, or simply jot down notes.

Have you had an opportunity to check out the new inking features and filters in the Photos app yet? Let us know what you think in the comments!

Thanks to Harshad and Vipiny for the tips!

Download Microsoft Photos from the Windows Store

Microsoft continues to build out is pen and inking support for all its native apps. The latest to get the treatment is Microsoft Photos for Windows Insiders on the Fast Ring.

Build 1017 is now live for PC and Mobile although it appears only the PC gets the new options.

In the changelog dialog that pops up after the update there are new features highlighted:

• New Look (Light or Dark Mode)
• Draw on anything – And share the animated ink
• Better editing – Check out our new filters

The light mode feature is from a few builds back, so that is not too new. However, the Draw on Anything and new Filters are different.

With the draw feature, those with a Surface or any pen-supported PC can draw on the photos for notes or just fun. Users can also save the image with the animated ink. There are options for marker, pen, pencil and various colors.

Under Editing there are also many new filters available to add spruce up your photos. Options include Sauna, Neo, Icarus, Zeke and more. Filter intensity can be adjusted with a slider as well.

As to why filters are not yet in Mobile, it is not clear. The editing options on the PC version have always been richer than Mobile, but hopefully, Microsoft will plan to bring those together in a future release. If do spot anything new in the Mobile version let us know in comments.

For those on Slow Ring or Release Preview, you will likely get today's update in the coming weeks before eventually hitting Production.

Download Microsoft Photos from the Windows Store

Microsoft is busy deploying its many native Windows 10 apps for PC and Mobile to the Xbox One. The latest to arrive this week is the Microsoft Photos app that lets users pull in their pictures and movies from their OneDrive account.

The Photos app was launched on Wednesday night at the same time the Windows Insider Fast Ring version received the latest UI refresh. Microsoft tweaked the UI by ditching the hamburger menu and returning to horizontal navigation. They also improved the Albums layout and added a light theme to the app too, all of which are now on the Xbox One.

The app is perhaps not the prettiest on the Xbox One, but it is functional.

As you can see in my hands-on video, the app plays videos, lets you access OneDrive and more. Having the Photos app available should also let other UWP apps access them for hand-off features in the future.

Microsoft is just getting started with apps on Xbox, and there are some ways to go. The Store is not very complete for non-first-party apps; UI elements still need improving, and navigation is a bit challenging. However, every Store has to start somewhere, and it is impressive to see these apps on the living room TV.

To get the Photos app on the Xbox One or One S simply do a search in the Store or look under My Apps and Games and 'Ready to Install'.

Have you tried the Microsoft Photos app on the Xbox One? Let us know what you think of it in comments and how Microsoft can improve it in later releases.

Microsoft has pushed out a new update for the Photos app for the upcoming Anniversary Update. Those on the Fast Ring (and presumably Slow Ring as well) can get version 16.703.10032.0, which is a bump from the previous 16.622.13140.

Although the update is for Mobile and PC users on the Anniversary Update Preview, it is the Mobile users who will see the most improvement. According to our tipsters and we were able to verify, this is what is new:

• Animation when selecting and viewing a photo
• Slideshow button at the bottom

While animation for viewing photos was seen in the app for PC the Mobile one would just present the photo instantly in a rather jarring experience. Now, the Mobile version has a slight animation effect with the photo "zooming towards you" as it enlarges. It's subtle but addresses an ongoing complaint about Windows 10 Mobile not being pleasing to the eye.

The second new feature is a dedicated Slideshow button that sits adjacent to Refresh and Select near the bottom. Previously, a user would have to select a photo and then from the ellipsis menu choose the Slideshow option. While that latter option is still there, users can now just begin the slideshow on the main library. There was already a Slideshow button near the top for the PC version of the app.

There are likely other subtle changes that we may not have yet documented, so leave us a comment if you find anything else.

Download Microsoft Photos for Windows 10

Thanks, Mark, and Malban, for the tips!

Windows 10 Mobile users can grab a new update to the Photos app, which is now live in the Store. The build numbers jump from 16.201.16372 to 16.317.14282 and with it come a few new interesting features.

When viewing an image in the Photos app users will now have an option for Print by using the ellipsis menu (…). Additionally, if the photo is a Living Image (i.e. motion was detected during the capture) a secondary option to toggle the view as a Living Image or a still one is given. While Living Images was always there users now have finer control over how they are viewed with this update.

When choosing to print Windows 10 Mobile users can send the photo directly to a wirelessly connected printer. If one is not detected, you can use a convenient Print to PDF feature. Options for print include:

• Orientation – Portrait or Landscape
• Size – Letter, Tabloid, Legal, Statement, A4, etc.
• Photo size – Full page, or various aspect ratios
• Fit – Fill page, shrink to fit

Smaller changes with today's app update bring a Microsoft OneDrive header under Settings and a hyperlink to Third Party Notices under About this app.

You can also now see your OneDrive usage (used versus total) under Settings as well.

Grab the update now and let us know what you think and if you find anything else!

Download Photos for Windows 10 Mobile

Windows 10 users may see some new features and improvements to the operating system's Photos app in the near future. A new report claims that Microsoft will add things like intelligent search and more advanced editing options to the app in the next few months.

According to WinBeta:

In addition, the report says that more filters and effects options will be added to the app, along with a way to draw directly on an image. The new editing features will also be included in the Windows 10 Mobile version of the Photo app, according to the article.

Windows Insiders will likely get the first chance to see these additional Photos app features in the coming weeks, and the report claims that all Windows 10 users will get these features as part of the big Redstone update in June.

Users of the Windows 10 Photo app will now be able to create a narrative story with those images. Microsoft has announced it has updated the app by integrating features from its Sway multimedia presentation tool.

Microsoft said:

Photos users who have never used Sway will have an account created for them the first time they use this integrated feature.

Download Photos for Windows 10

Source: Microsoft

Microsoft has issued a new update for its Photos app for Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile. The update brings the version number up to 15.1109.1036.0 and, unlike many recent updates, actually adds two small but interesting features.

As shown in the screenshots above, one of the new features now allows users to set up the OneDrive folder so it only indexes the Pictures folder. The other new feature now lets users see where a certain picture was taken by showing a map.

Download Microsoft Photos for Windows 10

Thanks to everyone for the tips!

Microsoft Photos has received an update on Windows 10 Windows 10 Mobile this afternoon, but it seems to be a rather minor one. In checking the PC update, we aren't yet noticing anything new. The new version clocks in at number 15.1009.12140.0, and doesn't appear to bring anything new to the table. We have received tips that the update contains a new "Favorites" icon, along with a corresponding folder in albums view, however, but we haven't seen it on our end yet.

We'll continue to poke around and update this post if we notice anything new. In the meantime, be sure to shout out in the comments if you happen to see anything notable that we've missed!

Thanks for the tips, MP3Mike and Vinamra!

Download Microsoft Photos for Windows 10

Looks like Microsoft is hard at work at putting some polish on their various apps. Besides all of the Office apps, Translator, and Extras + Info being updated today, we can now add Photos to the list. Build 922.11072 is now out for mobile, which is a bump from the previous 918.14122. Likewise for desktop (the Iatest Insider release), which is now at 922.11070.

Unlike the last release that introduced Album creation on the device, this build does not appear to offer any new functions. Instead, it is like some modest improvements and the usual bug fixes. Let us know in comments if you do find something new and we'll add it to the article.

Download Microsoft Photos for Windows 10

For those running Windows 10 Mobile and Windows 10 for PC, you can now grab the latest versions of the Photos app. For mobile you are looking at build 918.14122 while on PC you are getting build 918.14120. Although there is no changelog, we did a quick before and after and lo and behold there is a new feature: Create Albums!

For some time now, under the Albums section it mentioned how you could select '+' to create a new album on the device. Unfortunately, that '+' was never there until tonight. For PC, you can find the button in the upper-right hand area whereas on Mobile it is on the lower right near your thumb. Tapping the button takes you back to photos where you can then select the photos you would like to group together for your new album. It is quite self-explanatory, but still, great to see.

Note: There are two versions of the Photos app now: One for Windows 10 build 10240 and one for build 10547. Both apps are updated. However, only the version for Insiders gets the album creation tool! The build for Windows 10 10240 is now 915.17170.

Overall, app performance is also finally coming along with some better pinch-to-zoom and overall being more speedy, especially the mobile version. Indeed, dare we say the app is starting to feel and look nice? Don't take our word, try it out and let us know in comments!

Download Microsoft Photos for Windows 10

Messaging and Translator updates

Also worth mentioning is that Messaging (build 12715) for Windows 10 Mobile and the Translator 10 beta are updated. The latter is updated on both PC and Mobile.

Nothing pops out as being in new in Messaging although performance is looking great. We have yet to go through Translator, so sound off in comments if you find something new.

• Download Microsoft Messaging for Windows 10 Mobile
• Download Microsoft Translator 10 beta for Windows 10

To grab all the updates, simply launch your Store app and go to Downloads and Updates and then Check for Updates!

Continuing the trend of frequent updates to its core apps, Microsoft is pushing out a duo of updates to Windows Camera and Microsoft Photos on Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile.

As is par for the course with these updates, there aren't any changelogs included, so what's new is up in the air. The updates are most likely being pushed to fix some bugs and polish up performance however, which is never a bad thing. If version numbers are your thing, you're looking at version 15.820.15120 for Microsoft Photos and version 5.49.2004 for Windows Camera.

Update: As noted in comments, the Photos app for Mobile now has a pivot (swipe left or right) to access Albums and Photos versus the old hamburger menu. A huge and welcome change!

To grab the updates, you can hit up the links to the Windows Store below.

• Download Windows Camera from the Windows Store
• Download Microsoft Photos from the Windows Store

Soft imagery, light flares, alternative processing, and cheap plastic are all tell-tale signs of the analog camera movement known as Lomography. A philosophy and later a company, the Lomographic Society, cherishes images that make use of creative style photography – photos that broke out of the normal everyday “perfect photograph”. You can think of Lomographers (as they are called) as analog Instagram hipsters.

Luckily though, you do not need a Lomography camera such as a Holga, Diana, or the company’s king – the Russian Lomo LC-A, to take part. The Lomographic Society has put out fifteen different photography apps for Windows Phone that allow you to achieve similar results. So read on, as we explore the different applications and make you into a digital Lomographer.

The Lomographic Society

Before we continue, it is important that you understand where the Lomographic Society was formed from and about the “10 Golden Rules of Lomography”.

In 1992, a collection of students from Vienna, Austria rediscovered the Lomo LC-A camera, which was originally released in Russian during 1984; it was praised for its unique, colorful, and sometimes blurry imagery. Eventually, after a series of international art events showcasing the camera, the movement expanded outside of Vietnam and Lomography bought all rights to become the sole distributor of the Lomo camera outside of Russian. Since then, Lomography has continued to make and redistribute older style toy cameras such as Hong Kong’s Diana and Holga cameras.

The ten golden rules of Lomography attempt to create a style of photography where you simply shoot what you see and do not get buried within the technicalities and details of traditional photography; their motto is “Don’t Think, Just Shoot”. We have listed the rules below:

1. Take your camera everywhere you go.
2. Use it any time – day and night.
3. Lomography is not an interference in your life, but part of it.
4. Try the shot from the hip.
5. Approach objects of your Lomographic desire as close as possible.
6. Don’t think.
7. Be fast.
8. You don’t have to know beforehand what you captured on film.
9. You don’t have to know afterwards either.
10. Don’t worry about any rules.

Alright, if you feel that Lomography has piqued your interest, let us do the sacrilegious thing and shoot using our Windows Phone's digital camera (opposed to the standard analog format that is so heavily embraced).

The Windows Phone Applications

While all of the Lomography Society’s apps could be easy collected into one app – they are not. Instead, you will have to download all fourteen of the society’s apps to experience different effects. We suggest using Nokia’s App Folder to group and sort the Lomography apps into one nice area on your device.

Action Sampler FX

We are going to start off with the Action Sampler FX app, which is a simulation of the company’s Action Sampler Film camera. The camera takes four uncropped pictures each a second or so apart, and combines them into an Andy Warhol style photography minus the violent colors.Of course, with all Lomography equipment, you will notice the vintage style look of the photos taken. The Lomography ActionSampler camera itself would normally cost you around $35.

Click here to download from the Windows Phone Store.

Black and White FX

The next app from Lomography is designed to give us a mono-colored photograph with extremely high grain. A standard black and white photo of the time period would not necessarily have the grain this app simulates, so it is worth noting that you are more likely simulating a black and white image taken with slightly expired film.

Tip: When shooting black and white photography, try looking for high contrast areas to create mono-color photos that really "pop".

Click here to download from the Windows Phone Store.

Bleach Bypass FX

Here is where we begin to get a bit technical. The Bleach Bypass FX app, simulates a photo that was developed in a darkroom, but without the bleaching process. When you skip the bleaching process in analog film development, the silver and some color dyes are left on the photo. Essentially, you get a photo that has reduced saturation, more grain, and more contrast.

Click here to download from the Windows Phone Store.

Caffenol-C FX

The Caffenol-C FX app is another application that attempts to produce an image altered in the darkroom. Instead of developing images with professional chemicals, one would develop with caffeine, a form of sodium carbonate, and vitamin C. The process has been seen many times in the mainstream, including by the MythBusters who once developed a photograph "MacGyver Style" with homemade solutions.

Click here to download from the Windows Phone Store.

ColorSplash FX

The Lomography ColorSplash camera flash that would normally cost $39.99. The simple flash could be attached to the top of any camera via a hot shoe and fire a light in a variety of colors including red, yellow, green, and blue. Since the application simply applies a color overlay, it is a bit unlike the flash itself which would only coat objects close to the camera in the desired lighting. Overall though, it was still fun to shoot with.

Click here to download from the Windows Phone Store.

Double Exposure FX

Multiple exposure style photography is an exciting and playful style of photography that could be easily done with almost any film camera. In the days of film, after taking a photograph, you would advance the film to the next piece of undisturbed film – this is not the case with multiple exposure photography. When taking a double exposure, one would take a photographer twice over the same area of film to create an overlay effect.

Film is light sensitive and thus where light hits would become darker. When taking a double exposure, the photographer usually sets the shot up so that the areas in the first photograph that are dark in nature (for example: shaded areas or silhouettes) would then be filled in with light from the second shot. If you are going to try only one of these apps and want to stick to something a bit more traditional, then we suggest checking out the Double Exposure FX app.

Click here to download from the Windows Phone Store.

Expired Film FX

When your film expired, most people would just toss it, but not a Lomographer. Expired film can cause a variety of different results and this app is one of the few that has different settings to pick from; you can choose between different expired film looks including noise, fog, muted colors, random color hue shifts, and random color curve shifts.

The app simulates the different phases of expired film quite nicely, but the look will not be for everyone (just as the rest of these apps are).

Click here to download from the Windows Phone Store.

Fisheye FX

We all know what a fisheye photograph is, a bugged out looking image that has the center pulled in extremely close to the camera and the edges pushed away. The Fisheye FX app attempts to simulate the Lomography Fisheye Toy Camera, which takes “wide distorted pictures with visible vignette”.

The actual camera from Lomography costs around $55 if you want to take it analog style. Just remember that you are not getting perfect fisheye photos – they are supposed to look distorted and a bit blurry as if they came out of a toy camera.

Click here to download from the Windows Phone Store.

Light Leak FX

Due to the fact that film is light sensitive, a well-constructed camera is typically praised for its ability to block any lighting from leaking in and ruining the image, but guess who does not think it ruins the image – that’s right, the Lomographic Society!

The Light Leak FX app is designed to showcase random light leaks when you take a photo. Toy cameras such as the Holga and Diana are well known for their light leaks and this style of photograph. It is a quite app to play with as no matter what the shot is, you almost always get a different end result.

Click here to download from the Windows Phone Store.

Lomo LC-A FX

We have finally hit the granddaddy of s apps for Windows Phone. This application simulates the original Russian film camera, which started the entire movement. If you enjoy high contrast, high saturation, and vignette pictures, then this app may be your next best friend. Lomography sells a few different styles of the camera, where an original refurbished model will cost you $200 and a brand new 21st century model will cost you $250. If you want to be a Lomographer, this is where all the fun truly begins.

For those of you who are true photo nerds and want to know more about the original Lomo LC-A, read on. The camera is fitted with a fixed 32 mm lens at f/2.8. The shutter speed can range anywhere from 2 minutes to 1/5000 sec and is electrically controlled. The unit accepts 135 format film (also known as 35 mm) with an ISO of 25-400. Lastly, you can shoot in either programmed auto or manual.

Click here to download from the Windows Phone Store.

Redscale FX

This app is pretty self-explanatory, but if you could not guess – it applies a red color overlay. This app does differ from the image produced by the Lomography ColorSplash FX application, as it attempts to simulate a form of alternative darkroom processing and not just a colored splash.

The Redscale FX app from the Lomographic Society attempts to recreate an effect that is achieved by exposing film on the wrong side, which blocks out any blue or green coloring. Unlike the ColorSplash FX app which applies a strong red overlay, there are no signs of any colors in this image besides red and yellow tones.

Click here to download from the Windows Phone Store.

Sprocket Holes FX

The Sprocket Holes FX app simulates a form of photography in which the actual sprocket holes of film are developed as part of the image. There are multiple ways to achieve sprocket-hole photography; the most common method is to feed a smaller sized film such as 35mm into a medium format camera body.

The app is not as impressive as what we would have hoped, but does allow you to select from a few different film formats. Unfortunately, the application does not apply any sort of vintage camera filter, which makes the sprockets look a bit odd on modern photos.

Lomography of course has their own solution for $89 - the Sprocket Rocket camera.

Click here to download from the Windows Phone Store.

Super Sampler FX

An application similar to Action Sampler FX, Super Sampler FX takes 4 images consecutively, but instead aligns them in strips next to each other. The application simulates the SuperSampler camera that Lomography sells for $55.

We did not find this application as interesting for capturing action, but instead found that if you moved the camera after each shot, it could produce a quite nice looking effect.

Click here to download from the Windows Phone Store.

Toy Camera FX

While Lomography is ruled by the Russian Lomo LC-A camera, other toy style cameras have also pushed the movement forward – two of those cameras include the Holga and Diana, which we keep mentioning. The Diana was a medium format camera that came out of 1960s China. Its simple plastic lens, light leaks, and other issues never allowed it to live up to the title of a great family camera, but today it is regarded in Lomography.

The Holga was another medium format camera that came out of china, but this time in the 1980s. It also has a plastic lens, light leaks, and other issues, but developed its own cult following due to the soft images with strong light leaks that it produced. Many toy cameras can be defined simply by their poor construction and plastic lenses; this is what the Toy Camera FX app by Lomography attempts to achieve. Simply pop the app onto your own smartphone and you can begin capturing the look similar to toy cameras of the 20th century.

If you are interested in the Holga and Diana toy cameras, they can be found at s website for $39.99 and $89.99 respectively.

Click here to download from the Windows Phone Store.

XPro FX

The last application we are finishing with from the Lomographic Society is my personal favorite. XPro FX simulates the darkroom method of cross processing film during development. Cross processed images can be noticed by their unbreakably unnatural colors with high contrast.The cross processing results is achieved by developing film in a different chemical solution, then the one it was originally intended to be developed in; by doing this, many colors and aspects of the film strip are not developed “correctly”.

Cross processing continues to be the most common form of alternative development and many camera stores online and locally (including s own lab) still perform the service for a slight extra fee.

Click here to download from the Windows Phone Store.

The Conclusion

These apps are not for everyone. If you are looking at these photos and thinking they are simply the worst that you have ever seen come off of a Windows Phone, then you are probably in the wrong place. Lomography calls upon a laid back style of photography in which art and expression is all that matters.

We want to know what you think of Lomography. Have you seen it before and ever wanted to try it? We suggest downloading these apps and heading to your local downtown area for some fun, before passing too strong of a judgment. I was a bit uncertain trying out these apps, but found quite fun and relaxing; there was no pressure to capture an amazing photo like when I walk around with my Nikon D7000.

As they say - “Don’t Think, Just Shoot”.

While Flickr’s competitor, 500px, has beautiful applications for both Windows Phone and Windows 8; Flickr themselves have yet to deliver to the Windows Store and the last update to their Windows Phone application was pushed out in March of 2012.

However, to fill the void of an official Flickr application on the store for Windows 8, we have set out to find the best third party app and to see if any of them has what it takes to provide the ultimate Flickr viewing experience. After shuffling through collections of terribly mediocre Flickr applications, which trust me that some of them are simply terrible, we stumbled upon “Flickrology” for Windows 8.

Follow us as we explore the app, and decide for yourself if the full version’s price tag is worth $2.49 USD.

The Homepage

Upon opening the homepage of the application, you will find a simple overall layout that is in front of a terrible “kitchen wallpaper” style background. Instead of leaving the background blank as the Windows 8 design guide suggests, the developer choose to have a reoccurring image of the application’s logo. It is very distracting and takes away from the content in the application itself.

The homepage hosts two categories of content: “explore”, which is devoted to the most popular photographs on Flickr, and “Personal”, which shows all of your latest uploads to the photo sharing social network.

In the upper right hand corner is your Flickr avatar and your name, along with any possible notifications you might have from the service. Clicking on your avatar will bring you to your profile page, where you can then review all of your info.

Your Profile

On the Profile page, the main category displayed is your “Photostream” (AKA - All the pictures you have uploaded to the service). While your name, location, description and number of photos are displayed on the left hand side of the screen, we could not find a way to update any of that information.

If you decide to click on one of your photos, you are brought to another page where you can edit the photograph’s information, add a comment, tag other users in the photo, sort the photo into a set, or delete it from your account.

You might have noticed that we mentioned above that the full version costs $2.49, the regular free version that you download includes ads and does not include the ability to edit or upload any photos.

Features

If we head on back to the homepage of the application we will find a collection of shortcuts on the left hand side, they include your profile, your photo map, your contacts, a search option, an upload option, and the ability to sign out from the app.

We were unable to view any photos on our map because none of them where geo-tagged, but the map itself is powered by Bing and operated quite smoothly if needed.

Once you are done looking through your personal Photostream and the Photostream of others, you may want to perform a general search. To do so, click on the magnifying glass icon and enter your search query; you can limit your searches to tags or people.

Last, but not least is the ability to upload a photo to the service. There is nothing special to say, except that the uploading works and you can fill in minor details like the description, location, and tags.

Conclusion

Overall, we feel that Flickrology could be the best Flickr application in the Windows Store, but it just is not there yet. It provides a lot of the functionality we are looking for, but the design is quite terrible. To start, we would suggest removing the tiled background and replacing it with a solid color.

Purchasing Flickrology is not a poor choice as it does work and it is your best bet, as of now, for a Flickr application. If you do not plan on uploading or editing and only want to use the application to browse photos then you will probably also save yourself some money with the free version. Then again, using the Flickr website might be the best option for now and it will not cost you anything either.

So there you go, check out Flickrology from the Windows Store by clicking here.

Are you a member of Flickr or another photography site (such as 500px) – post your links below and share with the community!

When you are searching for an image on bing.com/images, you can always pick the one you like while sorting through hundreds of them. However, once you’ve made the choice, sometimes you find that it’s low resolution, watermarked or an odd dimension leaving you to go back to scrolling through the results page.

The Bing team has introduced a new feature, Image Match, to take care of this common hassle.

When you are browsing images, find the Image Match button at the bottom of the image to match the selected image in a few simple clicks. When you click the button, Bing will show you a list of different size images that you can then narrow down by size. If you want to see all images, click on "View all sizes".

Alternatively, while browsing on the Web, grab the URL of any image that you’d want to find matches of, hit the Image Match link next to the search box on bing.com/images, and paste that URL for matched results.

Not just with images that you find on the Web, you can also use the Image Match feature with your own collection of popular images. All you need to do is upload the image directly to bing.com/images, and Bing will match the results.

Bing’s image search is one of my favorite Bing tools, and features like these are very helpful to power users as well as underscoring Bing’s engineering excellence. The update is rolling across to users now, so you might have a while before the feature is available for your search results.

Source: Bing blogs – Search Blog

Have you ever looked at photos captured with your Windows Phone and thought, "I would really like to add some font to these beautiful selfies"? You're able to do just that with Instafont for Windows Phone. The app landed in-store this month and is available for free. Slide on past the break for more details on the app and what you're able to do with it.

The app itself enables you to capture a photo directly within the app, or select one from a folder on your Windows Phone and SkyDrive. You then have numerous options and functions available to personlise the image before sharing on social networks. Text, filters, fonts, colours, text size and opacity are all easily configurable.

Instafont comes with 45 filters to apply to photos (20 are included in the free version - upgrade with the enhance pack from the context menu when choosing a photo), 30 fonts to choose from, as well as 22 colours that make use of Windows Phone accents. You don't have to add text either, simply make the edits you wish to implement and share with desired networks.

Speaking of social networks, integration with 6tag (unofficial Instagram client for Windows Phone) is available, which launches the app and adds the image ready for the quick edits before publishing. There are some really cool effects that can be achieved with effective combinations of both filters and added text. 

As an added bonus for those who choose to download Instafont, the developer has made the enhance pack available for free. This will provide you with some more filters and whatnot, perfect if you're looking to really make use of this app and enjoy the world of free content. 

It's worth checking out and we recommend the download if you're one who enjoys adding some finishing touches to your photos. You can download Instafont from the Windows Phone Store for free (Windows Phone 8 only)

Although Nokia had a lot to announce a few weeks ago in Abu Dhabi, one of those devices not mentioned was the Nokia Lumia 929, destined for Verizon. That device is said to be in carrier testing right now and it could be released between Thanksgiving and the beginning of next year.

The Nokia Lumia 929 is a custom phone built for Verizon, featuring a 5-inch 1080P AMOLED display. It’s in many ways just a bigger, more powerful Lumia 928, as it features a Quad-Core Snapdragon 800 CPU and updated internals.

Now, high quality photos of this device have been revealed to Windows Phone Central and we have the inside scoop of Verizon’s flagship Lumia.

Verizon Nokia Lumia 929 – Release date TBD

• Qualcomm Quad-core Snapdragon 800 at 2.2 GHz
• 5 inch AMOLED display, 1080 x 1920
• 2 GB of RAM; 32 GB of internal storage (no micro SD)
• 20 MP PureView rear camera with oversampling (16 MP + 5 MP photos); Front facing camera
• Dual LED flash
• NFC, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 LE
• Qi wireless charging
• FM Radio
• At least three HAAC microphones
• Data Sense, NFL Mobile, Verizon Tones, VZ Navigator, My Verizon Mobile, Nokia StoryTeller, Nokia Screen Beamer
• Available colors: glossy white or matte black

Size (hand measured)

• Height: 136.5 mm
• Width: 71.4 mm
• Thickness: 10.5 mm
• Weight: 166 g

Our source of the images has revealed that the body is similar to the Lumia 928, though there is a metal band wrapping around the edge of the phone to make it sturdier. There is a headphone jack on the center-top and a micro USB charger at the bottom, a change from the Lumia 928. Buttons are said to be ceramic and the LTE radio takes a micro SIM card, which is positioned near the top.

The device is said to be very quick, most likely due to the advanced Qualcomm processor. The device will also ship with Windows Phone Update 3 and of course the Lumia Black firmware.

Overall, Verizon appears to have a winner on their hands with this phone. At 1080P, the display looks fantastic and the smaller size (when compared to the Lumia 1520), means more people will gravitate towards it when looking for a new phone. The high end specs should satisfy most tech enthusiasts and the Nokia build quality should make this a great seller.

Windows 8.1 is right around the corner, and with Microsoft’s latest operating system upgrade comes a plethora of new features and even a few new apps. A collection of new multimedia applications are set to bring out the creative soul in everyone. They cover everything from photographs, to movies, to paint drawings - let’s check them out.

Microsoft’s powerful team of multimedia power composes four apps – Camera, Movie Moments, Photos, and Fresh Paint.

Camera

The new camera application from Microsoft allows users to capture videos or photos – or both at the same time! Recording a video, but want to snap a picture? No problem. Simply tap anywhere on the screen to take a picture without interrupting your recording.

A new panorama feature built into the application is based on Microsoft’s advanced Photosynth technology, which analyzes pixel patterns to line up the perfect shot. If you aren’t trying to lineup a shot, but instead trying to capture a fast action moment – the new “photo loop” feature will be your friend. You’ll be able to capture a collection of photos one second before and one second after you click the shutter button – don’t miss that great smile.

And of course, don’t forget that photos taken with the built in Camera will automatically be uploaded to SkyDrive, so say goodbye to worries.

Photos

The new Photo app from Microsoft ties into the Camera application, allowing you to easily snap a shot then auto-fix or tweak it (some Instagram like effects are included). The Photo app is not only an editing tool though, you’ll be able to easily organize your photo gallery and ensure what you need is backed up in the cloud.

If those two multimedia applications aren’t enough – two more can be downloaded from the Windows 8 app store to complete your experience.

Movie Moments

The new movie maker app, officially called “Movie Moments”, will allow users to edit footage easily on their Windows 8 tablets or PCs. Features include the ability to trim the video, add short, captions, infuse music, and more.

Microsoft shows off two videos of the features that Movie Moments can pull off, including freezing a skateboarder’s moment of high flying action in time (see the video above) and turning the average family moment into a meme (see the source link below).

Fresh Paint

If you prefer to dig into art, the old fashion way, check out the newly updated (and extremely popular) Fresh Paint app (also found on Windows Phone). If you haven’t heard of this awesome replacement from Microsoft’s old school Paint application, then you have been living under a rock.

The new version of Fresh Paint will provide even more drawing capabilities including new features such as watercolors, a new graphite pencil set, an interface redesign, and new brushes. Microsoft has also teamed up with CanvasPop, a company that allows you to easily turn your digital art into master canvas prints.

The update for Windows 8.1 is right around the corner and we sure are excited. The above multimedia apps are just one reason to get your hand on the new release.

What is your favorite creative app that Microsoft is showing off for Windows 8.1?

Source: Microsoft

Did you know Nokia is working on a smartwatch? Neither did we though we have heard some rumblings in the past of such a project. Even Microsoft themselves are rumored to be re-entering a market they pretty much created years ago (hello, SPOT!).

Now, two photos have leaked on to the microblogging site Sina weibo that allegedly reveal a prototype device. The story was run by the site Ctech, who have previously unearthed details on unreleased Nokia devices. The source of the actual images ranks high for them, but since there is little corroborating information, it is difficult to verify at this time.  

Actual details about the rumored device are sparse, including any features. But from the images themselves, we can see a black, possibly polycarbonate body with a clear Nokia logo. There is no strap attached and the display can hardly be seen. From the second image, you clearly seen the curve at the bottom to wrap around a wrist—at least that’s what it appears to be.

There’s also no word on the status of the device. There’s good reason to believe it’s an in-house project by Nokia, since many companies are now looking to wearable technology as the “next big thing”. In fact, Samsung just launched theirs this week. But currently, we don’t know if this project—if real—is going forward, especially with the Nokia / Microsoft deal looming.

From the Microsoft PDF document 'Strategic rationale'

Speaking of the Microsoft / Nokia deal, when that was announced a PDF guide to the acquisition was released to explain the benefits of the proposal. In that document, an image titled ‘New form factors’ was noted by the Twitter account MSFTNerd to include a sketch of a watch, possibly either the alleged Microsoft Surface variant or Nokia’s Lumia watch.

As they say, where there is smoke, there is fire. But for now, we're giving this a '6' on our Rumor Meter until more information comes forward. Do you think there is any truth to a Nokia smartwatch program?

Source: CTech; via: GizChina; Thanks, mattdeguile, for the tip!

Question. How do you go about deleting the high resolution image files from you Nokia Lumia 1020 Windows Phone without deleting the 5MP, lower resolution copies?

That's a question Windows Phone Central reader Binson#WP has tossed out over in the WPCentral Forums. There's no way to sync just the low resolution images and you can't see the high res image file from your phone. So what's the solution?

When you connect your Lumia 1020 to a computer, you can view your Lumia 1020 image folders through your computer's File Explorer. Just look under your computer's drives and you'll see your Windows Phone listed. Go to the Phone folder then Pictures then Camera Roll. Both your low and high resolution images will be listed here.

The high resolution file names will end in "_highres.jpg" and will not have an image thumbnail. For example, image file WP_20130813_13_11_28_Pro_highres.jpg is the high resolution file for the low resolution file WP_20130813_13_11_28_Pro.jpg.  You can always sift through these image files and delete only those with "_highres.jpg" in the file name but that can be awfully tedious.

One suggested solution comes from TheCrazySwede who suggests viewing your image files in File Explorer and sort them by file size. The larger high-res files should be grouped together making it easier to select the group as a whole and delete them from your Windows Phone (and copy them to your computer's hard disk drive).

Just be careful that video files don't sneak into the files you're deleting. They will be listed at the upper end due the larger file size as well.

If you've got an easier way to delete only the high resolution image files from the Nokia Lumia 1020, head on over to this forums discussion and share your methods.

Galleries is a Windows Phone 8 photography app that will let you build custom photo galleries and generate collages, pin your galleries to your Start Screen and more from the pictures within these galleries.

Need to create a slide show from photos of your kids, Galleries will do just that.  Need to generate a collage of your favorite scenic images, Galleries will do just that. It even has a clock function that transforms your Windows Phone into a digital clock personalized with your own photos.

While Galleries has a lot going for it, there is room for improvement.  Still, it's a nice photography app for your Windows Phone 8 devices that is worth a try.

When you first launch Galleries you are greeted by a blank screen with a "+" button sitting at the bottom of the screen. Up under the three-dot menu you will also find options to rate the app, view the "how to use" screens, and access the app's settings.

Galleries gallery view, gallery page, and collage maker

Galleries settings cover how the gallery tiles react to touch (open gallery, open digital frame or open the clock), lock screen sequencing, digital frame settings, clock settings and viewing an about screen.

To create a gallery, just tap the "+" button, name your gallery and you are ready to start adding photos. The gallery listing on Galleries main page has five options (button controls) that are displayed out besides the thumbnail. The buttons include:

Collage building: The collage builder has eighteen patterns that you can use to build collages from your photos. Images in the collage can be randomly generated or you can tap an image frame to pick your own image. Finished collages can be saved your Saved Pictures folder in your Windows Phone Pictures Hub. Collages can also be shared within the app to your typical Windows Phone sharing outlets (tap+send, messaging, email, SkyDrive, other apps, etc.).

Clock: Galleries has the option to display a digital clock with your images rotating in the background. You can choose to display a collage of images or a single image at a time. This feature turns your Windows Phone into a nice bedside clock that supports landscape or portrait display.

Slide Show: Turn your Windows Phone into a slide show viewer that automatically rotates through all the pictures within a gallery. You can change the interval timing, sequencing, and how the image is displayed (fill screen or uniform) in Galleries settings. This feature turns your Windows Phone into a digital picture frame of sorts.

Lockscreen: If you want Galleries to be your Windows Phone lockscreen utility, tap the button with a padlock on it. This will rotate your lockscreen image from that particular gallery.

Pin: If you want to access your gallery quickly from your Windows Phone Start Screen, just tap the pin button.  The Live Tile will display images from your gallery.

When you enter a particular gallery you will see thumbnail images that populate the gallery. To add a photo, just tap the "+" button at the bottom of the screen and you'll be sent to your Windows Phone Pictures Hub to select your photos. If you need to import multiple images, there's an option beneath the three-dot menu to do just that.

Galleries digital frame and clock settings and clock view

Galleries also has the ability to launch the native Windows Phone camera app to capture a new photo for the gallery. Additional options include the ability to edit (delete) specific images from the gallery, delete the entire gallery and rename the gallery.

The one feature that Galleries lack is the ability to view a single image. Sure you can view your images with the slide show feature but you can tap all day long on an image thumbnail but nothing will happen. It would be nice to be able to view single images and maybe share them from Galleries.  Another minor nit is that while the clock feature can be useful, there is no alarm feature. You'll need to set an alarm through other means.

Lastly, while Galleries is a free app with no ads you will  randomly see a pop-up window appear inviting you to rate the app in the Store. It's a way to give the developer feedback but unless you rate the app, this pop-up window won't go away. I understand the need for feedback and ratings but developers should be able to take no for an answer. The pop-up should time itself out after, say, three "cancel" responses.

When all is said and done, Galleries isn't a bad photography app. It has room for improvement but if you have the need to build galleries that can be used for slide show viewing, collage building and a digital clock...Galleries is worth a try.

Galleries is a free app for Windows Phone 8 that you can pick up here in the Windows Phone Store.