Google Photos has been my default gallery app for years, and for most of that time I used it as a place to store and view my photos.
But there was one feature I kept noticing but always ignored: the Create tool. Initially, it seemed unnecessary. If I needed to create a collage or a video, I would prefer to use a dedicated photo editing app instead.
However, out of curiosity, I decided to give the Create tool a try. To my surprise, it turned out to be much more useful than I had anticipated.
I dropped these 4 habits — and Google Photos became way better
I was using Google Photos wrong all along
I had been ignoring the Create tab in Google Photos all this time
I originally thought the Create tab in Google Photos was just for basic things like collages or simple edits. However, after I explored it, I realized it’s split into two parts that do very different things.
The first is Create with AI, which is where things get interesting.
It is where you’ll find options that can completely transform your photos, like turning them into collectible-style figurines, generating a professional-looking headshot, or giving your photos a vintage or film-style look.
They’re more like quick creative transformations you can apply in a few taps.
Then there’s the More creative tools section, which includes the more familiar options like Remix, Collage, Highlight video, Cinematic photo, and Animation.
Remix is especially flexible, letting you apply styles such as anime, sketch, or even pixel art to your photos.
The Create tab features a mix of quick edits, creative styles, and lightweight video tools that cover most things I’d normally use a separate app for.
Remix made my photos more fun to share
Out of everything in the Create tab, Remix is the feature I didn’t expect to use at all, but it ended up being one of the most fun.
Inside Google Photos, Remix lets you take a regular photo and apply completely different styles to it. You can turn an image into something that looks like pixel art, anime, claymation, a sketch, or even a painterly version.
I have two cats, and like any cat owner, I take far too many photos of them. I usually share them in my family chat or a friend group.
Earlier, I’d send the same kind of photos every time. Now, I’ll sometimes remix one into a pixel art or anime version before sharing.
I also ended up using some of these remixed photos in other ways. A few of them work surprisingly well as Photomoji in Google Messages, and I’ve even turned some into stickers for WhatsApp.
The Remix feature makes even a simple photo feel more interesting, without adding any extra effort.
The best part is that I don’t have to open another app, edit, export, and then send it. It all happens in a few taps, right where my photos already are.
Collages and highlight videos replaced third-party apps
Anytime I wanted to combine photos or make a quick video, I would reach for a separate app.
Previously, creating photo collages and highlight videos involved multiple steps: selecting photos, exporting them, opening another editing application, and following several additional processes to achieve something relatively simple.
However, everything changed when I started using the Create tab in Google Photos. Now, I can select Collage, choose a few photos, tap Save, and it automatically generates a clean layout for me.
This feature is perfect for compiling trip photos, random highlights, or even combining a few shots of my pets into one cohesive image before sharing.
Highlight videos have proven to be equally useful. Instead of manually stitching clips together, I can select a few photos or videos, and Google Photos will create a short video complete with transitions and music.
If I want to make adjustments, I can do so, but most of the time, the default result is ready to share immediately.
I didn’t expect to enjoy the AI creations
The part I ignored the most in the Create tab of Google Photos was the AI section.
Options such as turning a photo into a collectible figurine or placing it in a stylized scene seemed like gimmicks, but I realized how enjoyable it is after I began using it.
A lot of the photos I take are of my pets, and trying different styles on them turned out to be surprisingly entertaining. One moment it’s a normal photo, and the next it looks like a tiny figurine or something straight out of a stylized shoot.
One thing I did notice is that some of these options work best when there’s a clear human face in the photo.
When I tried using photos of just my pets, a few styles didn’t apply. But when I used photos where I was in the frame with them, those same options worked much better.
I was underusing my photo library this whole time
For a long time, I used Google Photos simply as a storage space for my pictures. The Create tab felt like an extra I did not need, so I ignored it.
After I tried it, that changed quickly. Features like Remix, AI creations, collages, highlight videos, and cinematic tools made sharing more fun.
