Google's upcoming Pixel 8 face swap tools are the dream of parents everywhere (2024)

Well, Google has done it again. Its upcoming smartphones, the Pixel 8 and the Pixel 8 Pro, have managed to leak in what seems to be their entirety weeks before the official event on October 4. Whether intentionally or not, it has become something of a tradition to know nearly everything possible about Google's new hardware before any planned unveiling can get underway. While this does limit some of the excitement, it also gives us a chance to try and wrap our brains around what's coming down the pike — and considering recent leaks about some new camera features are the kind of information we need to digest, that's a good thing.

In case you missed it, over the weekend, a leaked teaser video for the Pixel 8 started making the rounds, showing off some truly impressive new camera software features. In the video, Google talks about things like video boost for smoother recordings, improvements Night Sight, and that Audio Magic Eraser we heard about in August. But perhaps the most impressive — and certainly the most controversial — feature shown off is one that lets you swap faces from a photo to create your perfect shot. Sure, this face replacement feature may sound creepy on the surface, but for many, this tool is going to be a game changer.

Saving bad photos one face at a time

At Google I/O 2023 back in May, we got a glimpse of Google's new update to Magic Eraser, something it's now calling Magic Editor. At the event, we saw what you might call contextual photo editing. During the demo, the presenter was able to move the primary subject of two different photos in the frame and maintain the integrity of the overall image. Even when certain objects in the photo weren't in the original shot — balloons, in one example — these elements were able to be correctly added when the subject was moved. Check out the example images below.

While I found myself impressed with these tools, it's this new "face replacer" feature (as I like to call it) that has me really pumped for the Pixel 8. As best as I can tell from this leaked video, the feature likely works by recognizing faces in a photo you take — similar to how search works in Google Photos — and if someone isn't looking at the camera, blinks, makes silly faces, or whatever else, you can tap on the subject to replace their expression with something else.

Because of computational photography, Pixel and other top camera phones are taking photos before you even tap the shutter button. Thanks to this, Google Photos already has images from the scene you are editing, so you can choose a "better" face for the photo. As a parent of two young kids, it is nearly impossible to get both of them to voluntarily take a photo without being goofy or arguing about something during the attempt. This feature, whatever Google will end up calling it, will be heaven-sent.

However, will I use it on every photo? Of course not. During those moments when my kids are doing something, and I want to capture the moment as I see it, I'll leave those as they should be — spontaneous. I like having photos of my friends and kids showing their personalities off in the moments we share. But sometimes, even in those moments, I'll think to myself, "If my buddy hadn't been the only one who wasn't making a face, this would have been a great photo." So, having the chance to replace his face with a less obnoxious version would be amazing — assuming it lets me save a copy and doesn't overwrite the original, of course.

This feature could definitely have a downside to it as well — but isn't that true with other photo editing tools? Whether you're talking about Instagram, Snapseed, Snapchat, or even the built-in camera app on your phone, all have the ability to alter a photo from its original state. From adjusting the color tone of an image to changing the shape of your face and its features, there are nearly unlimited ways to change a picture to look more like what you want rather than what was there in reality. Those editing options present an image that, like this tool, isn't "real," but these changes often are celebrated in one way or another. Why shouldn't the ability to correct the face of a loved one to preserve the memory as it was intended exist alongside things like filters?

A feature worthy of being two-faced

Google has gotten really good at recognizing faces within Google Photos, so that you can search for specific moments shared with people or pets. The "face replacer" feature makes perfect sense as an addition to the Pixel 8, as it can utilize technology already leveraged with Magic Eraser alongside facial recognition within the app to allow users to get their perfect image. It's no different than how adjusting for shadows, color temperature, saturation, white balance, and more can let you better visualize how that photographed scene made you feel at the moment, or better represent what your eyes saw.

But as I already mentioned, I want this to work as it does when you make normal edits to an image in Google Photos, allowing users to save a copy rather than overwrite the original. Because, oftentimes, it's the imperfections that can truly evoke a moment in our memories.

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