Improve holiday photos with AI while keeping the original

What you need on your Android phone

A rubbish bin in front of a view or a slightly blurry holiday picture: Google Photos includes tools for editing these images. Google lists Magic Eraser for removing elements and Unblur for sharpening photos. This guide follows Google’s Android app documentation, checked on 19 October 2026; it is not our own quality test.

Not every tool works on every phone. Google says most editing features need at least Android 8.0 and 3 GB of RAM. Some need 4 or 6 GB, and some are exclusive to Pixel phones. Certain features are not supported on 32-bit devices. A missing tool does not necessarily mean you have done anything wrong.

Some tools must first be downloaded within the app. Tap the tool, then Install. Google recommends a Wi-Fi connection and sufficient free device storage. With less than 1 GB of free storage, some tools cannot be downloaded.

Remove one distracting object

Open the Google Photos app and select a photo. Tap Edit at the bottom. According to Google, Magic Eraser is under Actions. You can also tap Search in the editor and enter the tool’s name.

Within the tool, select the area you want to remove by circling or brushing over it. In the documented selection workflow, tap Erase to remove the selected area, then Done to finish the edit. Here, Erase refers to the selected part of the image.

Our recommendation: start with one small distraction, such as a rubbish bin near the edge. Inspect the area around the edit afterwards. If you do not like the result, discard the change. There is no promise that every subject can be edited cleanly.

Improve sharpness and brightness gently

Open Edit again and look for Unblur under Actions. Google specifies at least 4 GB of RAM for the enhanced version. You can also find tools by entering their names in the editor’s search.

If the picture is mainly too dark, look for Brightness under Adjust. You can also try a suggested effect such as Enhance. Google says the suggestions depend on the photo, and results can vary by device.

Press and hold the image preview to compare the edit with the original. Our recommendation: pay particular attention to faces and small details. A sharper-looking picture is not evidence that lost details have been faithfully reconstructed. You may like the edit as a holiday memory; keep the original as a record of the original image.

Save a copy and keep the original

After editing, tap Save and choose Save as copy. Google says this creates a new photo with your changes while leaving the original unchanged. This is our recommendation for your first attempt.

The other option, Save, applies changes to the original photo. Google describes how to undo those changes through Edit and Revert. However, this saving option is unavailable for certain edits.

Important: Google says changes in a version saved as a copy cannot be reverted. You still have the unchanged original and can start again from there. Compare both versions after saving before sharing either one.

Check backup before editing private photos

Google notes that changes sync with your Google Photos account when backup is enabled. Check your backup setting before you begin. Save as copy describes what happens to the original; it is not a promise that the photo will only be processed or stored on your phone.

For a first attempt, we recommend a landscape photo that contains nothing sensitive. Inspect the result yourself before deciding whether to edit more pictures. These steps apply to the Android app. Some editing features are unavailable on the website, where the controls can also differ.