Google Photos can animate still photos into short videos using AI. The capability is currently in early release but produces realistic results on many images. Testing on several photos shows varied outcomes; successful animations can convincingly move faces and simulate wind in hair while sometimes rendering subtle facial inaccuracies. A sample portrait of the right side of a head produced left-right head movement and hair wind that looked very real. The feature requires Google Photos version 7.41.0 or newer and appears to work on non-Pixel Android phones and iPhones.
Get more in-depth ZDNET tech coverage: Add us as a preferred Google source on Chrome and Chromium browsers. Artificial intelligence strikes again. Yes, we're back to that subject; only this time, it's kind of fun. Google has added a feature to its Photos app that allows you to turn your photos into videos. The feature is currently in early release, but it does work. I've tested it on several photos, and although the results are varied, when it gets things right, it's very impressive.
Case in point: I allowed the feature to work its magic on a photo I took with my Pixel 9 Pro for an earbuds review. The photo in question was of the right side of my head with about half of my face showing. I used the subtle movements option and was shocked by the results. The Photo to Video results had me moving my head left to right, and then the wind blowing my hair.
How do you use this feature? It's quite simple. Let me show you so you can have some fun with your own photos. What you'll need: To use the photo-to-video feature, you'll need the latest version of the Google Photos app. As far as I can tell, this feature is not limited to Pixel devices, so as long as you're sporting Photos version 7.41.0 or newer, this feature should work on other Android phones as well as iPhones.
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