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Google Photos’ new video editor makes it more like Capcut

The video editor in Google Photos has been redesigned with options for text, music, and highlight reel templates.

The video editor in Google Photos has been redesigned with options for text, music, and highlight reel templates.

google-photos-templates-editor-update-hero
google-photos-templates-editor-update-hero
Image: Google
Stevie Bonifield
is a news writer covering all things consumer tech. Stevie started out at Laptop Mag writing news and reviews on hardware, gaming, and AI.

The Google Photos app on Android and iOS is getting a video editing overhaul with a redesigned editor, templates for highlight reels, and options for adding custom text overlays and music to individual videos.

An animated demo of highlight reel templates in Google Photos
Highlight reels in Google Photos now have options for stylized pre-made templates.
Image: Google

Highlight reels, which automatically cut together a video featuring selected photos and videos, were already part of Google Photos, but now you’ll have more options for creating them.

The previous version of the highlight reel feature had fairly limited editing and style options, and simply compiled selected photos and videos into a basic mashup video. The new themed templates have built-in music and text overlays that your photos and videos will automatically sync with. Note that the updated version of the highlight reel and custom text overlays will only be available on Android.

Additionally, Google has revamped the video editor in the Google Photos app with a new design that features a universal timeline where you can trim and reorganize clips, similar to the UI on TikTok’s Capcut app and others like Instagram. It also introduces options to add custom text and music to videos, which is easier now with a reworked UI for browsing through music in Google Photos.

The improved video editor and the option to add custom text to videos are available now, and the rest of the new features are currently rolling out.

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Update, December 9th: Updated story to clarify the availability of the new features.

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