Subj : Google Photos' Magic Editor will refuse to make these edits To : All From : TechnologyDaily Date : Tue Nov 07 2023 21:00:11 Google Photos' Magic Editor will refuse to make these edits Date: Tue, 07 Nov 2023 20:41:13 +0000 Description: Magic Editor now won't let you alter photos of IDs, receipts, and your own face, but there may be a loophole. FULL STORY ====================================================================== A newly discovered string of code in the latest Google Photos update reveals there are certain subjects that the Magic Editor tool on the Pixel 8 series will refuse to edit. Android Authority recently dove into the Google Photos v.6.60 patch when they came across the guardrails. First, they state Magic Editor will not alter pictures of ID cards, receipts, or any other documents that violate [the companys] GenAI terms. Second, the tool will not edit images with personally identifiable information. Third, it wont change human faces [or] body parts. And finally, Magic Editor wont work on large selected areas in a photo. When editing on your Pixel 8 smartphone, youll have to keep selections short and sweet. Highlighted portions requiring a lot of data to be generated will result in an error message popping up on the screen. The report states Magic Editor could already block many of these changes, but the way it went about it was really vague. The problem with the previous version was it lacked specific error messages leaving Pixel 8 owners scratching their heads wondering what went wrong. Moving forward, things will be a lot more clear. The mobile device will tell you specifically what you did wrong. Room for improvement Out of curiosity, we tested Magic Eraser on a Chromebook Plus laptop to see if it was possible to alter a drivers license. While not as robust as Magic Editor, the tool also harnesses a generative AI model capable of creating pixels to cover up parts of a photo. As it turns out, it is possible to produce a clean driver's license with just Magic Eraser although it takes a little while nor is it perfect. It did have several flaws. Perhaps Google doesnt see the Chromebook Plus feature as capable as Magic Editor so it didnt see the need to address its potential flaws. However, if the tech giant does want to ensure bad actors arent misusing their tech, they may want to close up that potential Chromebook Plus loophole. It is worth pointing out that in their investigation, the news site was able to edit invoices. Those should technically violate Googles terms of service as they are documents with personally identifiable information, but that wasn't the case. So there is room for improvement in a future update. Potential future updates In addition to the guardrail, Android Authority discovered clues that Magic Editor might gain prompt-based editing. This would give users the ability to move objects and people in an image via text prompts. For example, you could tell the Pixel 8 to move you toward the middle, erase some random guy in the back, and replace a cloud sky with a clear one at least in theory. The report admits there isnt any hard evidence suggesting how itll exactly work apart from a few lines of code, but it does look like Google is working on it. If youre looking to become a better photo editor but dont know where to start, check out TechRadars list of the best free photo editing software . You might also like Google Pixel 8 and Google Photos: the 7 biggest new camera tricks Google Photos update makes it easier to edit your photos on the web here's how Google Pixel 8 vs Google Pixel 8 Pro: the key differences ====================================================================== Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/phones/google-photos-magic-editor-will-refuse-to-mak e-these-edits --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 (Linux/64) * Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100) .