What you need to know
- The Photos app for Windows 11 has a redesigned editor.
- The general rollout of the redesign is happening now, so non-Insiders should be on the lookout for the refresh.
- The new Photos app user interface features enhancements and tweaks to make editing a better experience.
The Windows 11 Photos app may look a bit different the next time you open it up, as Microsoft is rolling out a new editor for it. So when you try to tinker with pictures, don't be surprised if things aren't quite as you remember them.
The changes include relocation of the cropping tool, additional picture rotation tools, as well as speedier access to the landscape and portrait orientation options. Plus, cropping now includes the benefit of letting you know what resolution you're whittling an image down to so you can make better cutting decisions on the fly.
Transparent images will now display a checkered transparency texture while editing but said texture will disappear when you revert back to normal photo browsing.
The filters and adjustments tabs have seen an overhaul as well, though this shakeup has included the removal of features such as spot fix and red-eye removal. It's currently unclear why those two elements have disappeared from the editor. There's a chance they could be re-added in later updates, though there's also the possibility Microsoft removed them for some deliberate purpose and won't change course.
Drawing on images is now more natively integrated into the Photos app editing experience as well, for those of you in the mood to add some e-graffiti to your pictures.
If the update isn't already nestled inside your Photos app, go to the Microsoft Store and manually claim it; odds are an update is sitting there patiently waiting to be downloaded.
