TL;DR
- Google announced several upcoming Chromebook features, including a new easy-to-use Google Photos movie editor.
- Chromebooks will also get new light and dark themes, along with other customizable options.
- New productivity features and apps are coming soon as well.
It’s hard to believe, but we are getting close to a new school season for both primary and college students. Many of them will be taking a new Chromebook to use in class, or at home. Today, Google announced a number of upcoming new apps and features that will be coming to Chromebooks and ChromeOS in the next few months. Perhaps the biggest new feature is the revamped Google Photos movie editor that will debut first on Chromebooks sometime this fall.
Read more: How to edit photos and videos on Chromebooks
The new editor will be able to create a movie with your Google Photos images and video clips just by selecting a theme, and the people or animals you wish to see. If you want more control over the process, you can use the editor to edit your movie from the ground up, adding features like video filters, title cards, and music. If you open a video on your Chromeook Gallary app, you can edit it in Google Photos by just tapping on it. Speaking of editing, the LumaFusion video app is also coming to Chromebooks. It will allow users to also add music tracks, narration, sound effects, transitions and much more.
The Chromebook Gallery app will also add a new feature sometime in early August that will let users edit PDF files, and the Screencast app will support recording and transcribing of video for people who like to make or video how-to clips or presentations. If you have a Chromebook that supports a touch screen stylus, the upcoming Cursive app will let you edit and organize all of your handwritten notes, and copy them to another app.
John Callaham / Android Authority
Chromebooks will also be getting some nice customizable features in the coming weeks. One of the most long awaited new additions is light and dark themes. You will soon be able to switch between these two themes on your Chromebook or have them automatically switch depending on the time of day. Some Chromebook wallpapers are being made to support both themes. You can also use images from your Google Photos account for your wallpaper, and you can set it so you get a different wallpaper image every day.
Chromebook virtual desks, which let you have a set number of apps and windows for a specific job, can now be saved and closed with just a single tap when you want to get out of it. Finally, tapping on a specific date on the Chromebook shelf will bring up your monthly calendar so you can keep track of your plans quickly.
