Windows 11 Photos app update improves image editing with a blemish-fixing feature for Insiders

Looking at the enhanced security and UI features of Windows 11, there is no comparison or downside. When a new version of Windows is released, users expect to see new and improved features. Unfortunately, the Windows 11 Photos app lost its most popular Slideshow feature in 2022. Additionally, there were a few bugs, such as audio/video mute and others.

Although the Photos app in Windows has been around for ten years, users are still demanding improvements. To address this, Microsoft announced a new Photos app update yesterday. They have added numerous useful features and fixed the last reported bugs. Here is the complete notification:

Microsoft has rolled out a new photos app update for Insiders in the Canary and developers channel.

The company has been working aggressively over the last few months, as you can see from the new design for Outlook, OneDrive web, and many others. Based on a quick review of Microsoft’s products, it had taken some steps ahead of its Photos app. If you don’t know, the Photos app organizes all your photos from PC, OneDrive, and iCloud. Microsoft added it to its product line at the end of 2012.

Until the Windows 11 2022 update, the app worked decently. However, after the update, it lacked different features and reported a lot of bugs. Microsoft introduced the most awaited Slideshow feature, the Timeline scrollbar, Spot Fix, and other improvements to the Photos app. There are certainly some that Microsoft mentions, but let’s take a look below for a brief explanation.

Create a Slideshow with 25 Original Tracks

In the previous year, this feature was missing. A photos app without a slideshow feature is incomplete. With the new update, you can relieve your memories and view photos in Slideshow format. Select a queue of photos and add transitions, animations, and up to 25 Original Soundtrack to maximize the effects. There is no hard navigation. You will get all the features from the Slideshow menu.

Jump to any photo using the Timeline Scrollbar.

When we have a large collection of photos, the most important thing we need is a tool to jump to a specific photo. In the new update, the Photos app in Windows 11 got a timeline scrollbar with which we can scroll photos based on months or years. By using this feature, you can access photos from any specific month or year.

Remove blemishes & unwanted areas within the Photos app.

The add-on feature seems perfect for users who don’t want to download additional editing tools. It may seem out of the box editing to remove blemishes and unwanted areas. With the “Spot fix” feature in the Photos app, you can remove blemishes and unwanted areas from any photo. The blemish-removing tools work well, except for a few minor bugs that we expect to be fixed in a future update.

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class="wp-block-heading">Auto Enhance without Installing an Add-On

Before this update, Photos users in Windows 11 needed to download a 93MB add-on to use the Auto Enhance feature. Auto enhance a feature that lets you automatically adjust the elements of your photos. This feature seems to be very useful, which is why people download it externally. With the new update, we will have access to this feature within the Photos app as well.

There are a few minor improvements, but they matter a lot. From now on, Windows 11 Photos app users can import photos from an external device by drag & drop. And hidden iCloud files will no longer appear in Gallery. Also, when you copy and paste a photo from the photos app into Outlook or Teams, the image is now inserted inline by default. To make the experience better, hold down the SHIFT key (select multiple consecutive photos) and hold down the CTRL key (select multiple non-consecutive photos).

Now that you have seen the new features of the Photos app update, you are excited to download it. However, I must inform you that this update is currently only available to insiders in the canary and developer channels. You need to join these insider channels to get the Photos app update version 2023.11050.2013.0. After that, follow the steps below to get the new Photos app update.

Note: Do the following from the Microsoft account on which you registered for the Windows Insider Channel or developer channel. Join the Windows 11 Insider program here.

1. Simply head over to the Microsoft Store.
2. Search for the Photos app.
3. Next, click on the update option.
4. Following the instructions on the screen will allow you to download and install it.
5. That’s it. On the next screen, you will be able to access the new Photos app.

To sum up, the Windows 11 Photos app now has more enriched features. However, they tried to fix the previously reported bugs, but it seems that some bugs are still present. I hope Microsoft is working on them and will address them in the coming updates. As of now, the new Photos app update is only available for developers to test and give feedback. Let’s see what will be added to make the Windows 11 experience even better.

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