IOS 16 Photo Editing is iCloud’s shared photo library, a new addition that promises to make sharing and editing pictures with family members an easier affair. However, we’ve already shown you how to set up an iCloud shared photo library, as it’s probably one of the first features you’ll try when you download the iOS 16 public beta.
Likewise, one of the most impressive additions to iOS 16 in general is the ability to tap the subject of a photo and lift it from the background in order to paste it into other apps installed on your iPhone such as Notes, Messages, and Mail. The feature is tied to iOS 16’s updated visual search feature, however, and while you’ll mostly lift a subject from photos stored in the Photos library, you can also do the same thing with images in Safari and QuickLook, as well as screenshots, as I have found out working on my iOS 16 beta handy.
Another high-profile photo addition in iOS 16 draws on Live Text, the feature introduced by Apple last year that lets you tap text in photos to copy it or perform quick tasks like address searches, phone calls, or browse the Web. IOS 16 Live Text extends the functionality to text included in paused videos and we showed you how to copy text in a video with Live Text.
As great as these three additions are, they’re not the only changes Apple is making to iOS 16 Photos. Check out the app in the available public beta and you’ll find a host of new editing tools aimed at making it easier to make changes to your various photos, even if it means making those changes in one go. You also have new tools for managing photos in your library.
If you want to see what’s new in iOS 16 Photos as well as iCloud’s shared photo library and Apple’s enhanced intelligence features, you’ve come to the right place.
Copy and paste changes to photos and videos
When you make changes to a photo, you now have the ability to copy those changes and paste them onto a second image, thanks to a new feature in iOS 16 Photos. Let’s say there is a particular filter you came across for a photo that you would like to apply to another photo you took during the same event – copy and paste can take care of that, or you can use it to copy adjustments for contrast, lighting, exposure or other settings rather than having to make the same changes over and over again.
Here’s how copy and paste photo editing works. Once you’ve edited a photo to your liking, tap the Actions menu in the top right corner (the circle with three dots in the center). A bottom menu will appear with an option to copy the changes. Go to the next photo you want to edit and tap the action items menu again – a Paste Edits option will appear in the drop-down menu.
You can apply edits to multiple photos at once through the miracle of batch processing. Just select a group of photos in your library, select the action items menu – it’s now at the bottom right of the screen – and select Paste Changes from the menu that appears.
Edits to copied and pasted photos are a real time saver for iOS 16 Photos users, especially those who take advantage of batch processing.
New editing commands undo and redo
Let’s say you’re adjusting a photo’s exposure and you’ve made one change too many. Instead of having to drag the exposure setting back to where you started, you can now move on to the new Undo / Redo arrows that Apple is adding to the iOS 16 Photos app.
These arrows appear in the upper left corner of the screen when you edit a photo. Tapping them allows you to revert a change or redo it if you decide you like the change after all. Undo / Redo also supports multiple editing steps, allowing you to revert to a previous edit if you prefer.
A new folder for duplicates
Finding duplicate images is easier than ever in iOS 16 Photos thanks to a new Duplicates folder that was added to iOS 16 beta 4. (Now in developer hands, but should arrive shortly in a subsequent update to the public beta. of iOS 16.)
To find the Duplicates folder, go to the Albums tab in Photos and scroll to the bottom of the screen – it’s in Utilities. Inside the folder, you will find a list of duplicate images in your Photos library. Select the ones you want to merge and Photos combine captions, keywords and other data into one photo in the highest quality.
Safer folders
Apple adds a layer of security to Hidden and Recently Deleted folders in iOS 16. To keep hidden pictures in those folders away from prying eyes, you now need to unlock your phone with Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode to see what’s there. inside.
There’s also a handy visual cue to let you know that things have changed with Hidden and Recently Deleted – both folders now have a small padlock icon that alerts you to enhanced security. It has always seemed odd that you can hide a photo from your main library, but that anyone scrolling through albums can find the Hidden Photos folder, so this is a welcome change.
Quick actions for photo albums
It is easier to add photos to albums and perform other tasks in iOS 16 Photos by adding quick actions. Now when you press and hold an album thumbnail, a menu of options will appear. Available actions include adding photos, sharing album details, renaming the album, playing a video in memory if the album contains multiple photos, and viewing a map where the photos were taken. photo with location data.
Turn off live photos
In some cases, you may have captured a live photo with a few seconds of video and audio when all you wanted was a still image. iOS 15 allows you to disable live items, but it requires a few steps: you have to edit the photo and disable the feature via a special Live Photo section in the toolbar.
In iOS 16, all you have to do is select the photo. Tap the Live menu on the left side of the screen and simply select Off from the list of options that appear. Adding saves you an extra step or two.
New types of memory
Apple has made so many changes to the Memories features in iOS 15, I called it one of the best reasons to upgrade to last year’s iPhone software update. The changes in iOS 16 aren’t that extensive, but the one big change introduced this year to keep Memories a pretty engaging feature.
Apple says it is adding new types of memories to iOS 16 Photos. The only additions Apple has specified are This Day in History, which allegedly collects photos of a particular day, and one involving children playing. (We think this does exactly what it says on the label.) I’ve yet to see photo collections based on these new memories on the surface in iOS 16 Photos, but I’m sure they will increase the types of existing memories Apple already supports.
More changes to iOS 16 photos
Other additions to iOS 16 Photos are minor changes that should still make your activity in Photos easier. Chief among these changes is faster access to image actions. Instead of living in the share sheet like in iOS 15, iOS 16 moves actions like duplicating, hiding or adding a photo to an album in the Actions menu.
Other changes to iOS 16 Photos include sorting the People album alphabetically and preventing memories and featured photos from appearing in Photos or the Photos widget.