You can copy text, translate phrases, and even directly open an image search
Google has been working to integrate Lens into many other apps to help users quickly find relevant information about images. The tool has been a part of the Google Chrome mobile app since 2019 as the de facto way to perform image searches. Lens eventually arrived in desktop Chrome as a direct replacement for the right-click reverse image search. Now, it’s getting updated to do more than just search for images.
When Lens first arrived on desktop Chrome, right-clicking on an image brought up a “Search image with Google Lens” option. When clicked, you were taken to a lens.google.com/search website with the image in question on the left (complete with the ability to crop and focus), while the generated results appeared on the right. With the new update, the left column with the image now gives you three new options: Search, Text, and Translate, according to 9to5Google.
Search is the default reverse image finder, still with the option to crop into any part of your picture. However, you now get a “Find image source” shortcut that opens Google Images. This means you still get to use the original Image Search experience (which Google ditched in favor of Lens), even though it adds an extra step. On the other hand, Text and Translate allow you to click and select a portion of text (or the whole thing), copy, listen, translate, or search for it. The two tabs are interchangeable, too, so you can copy text from Translate and translate words (or sentences) from Text.
The Translate UI is very similar to the mobile app’s interface. First, Lens auto-detects the language, although you can set it manually. It then displays the translations directly over the original text and lists them on the right sidebar, where you can easily copy them if you wish. You can even open the text right inside translate.google.com for a more robust experience.
The changes seem to be widely available for users on Chrome 100 for Windows, Mac, and Chrome OS.
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