It’s going from a Pixel 6-exclusive feature to something tens of millions can use, regardless of platform
Back at I/O, Google announced it was bringing Real Tone photo processing technology introduced with the Pixel 6 to more users. Anyone with a Google Photos account on iOS, Android, and the web would be able to use Real Tone as a filter, matching the overall lighting with specific skin tones to create a more accurate photo. Two weeks after being unveiled, these filters are starting to roll out to users everywhere.
Google Photos on Twitter officially announced Real Tone was ready for users starting today. The included screenshot gave us our best look yet at how the feature works, identifying four filters coming to the app. Playa, Honey, Isla, and Desert are among the options anyone can choose from once their software has been updated. Selecting one of these new filters shows a “Made with Real Tone” badge in the editing screen and includes additional sliders and settings to tweak the enhancements.
Real Tone is based on Google’s Monk Skin Tone Scale, which went open-source this month ahead of the launch in Photos. The software was first introduced as a Pixel 6-exclusive and featured prominently in the company’s ad campaign. Google even highlighted it in a Super Bowl ad this year, showing how Real Tone can highlight darker skin tones often misrepresented by other cameras.
As obvious a selling point as it is, moving the function to a filter in Google Photos and allowing everyone to use it, regardless of their phone, is the right move. Hopefully, it’ll make mobile photography much more accurate to real life.
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