Turn Old Photos into Ultra HDR with Google Photos Update

The Google Photos app is continuously updating with demanding features. Now, according to some reports, Google Photos is working on a feature that is tied to the Ultra HDR file format Google introduced with Android 14. As its name suggests, Ultra HDR allows for capturing and displaying photos with a wider range of light and colour. The result is more vibrant, lifelike images, especially noticeable on devices with high dynamic range (HDR) displays. But Ultra HDR is also backwards-compatible, meaning it can still display normally on older, non-HDR devices. Now, Google Photos is rolling out the ability to convert standard photos into Ultra HDR after they’ve been taken. The feature seems to have started appearing for some users as well.

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Some users have already spotted this feature in the Google Photos app, version 7.24.0.747539053. Don’t worry if you can’t spot the new option just yet, you will get it very soon.

For those who don’t know, the Ultra HDR feature is available in the “Adjust” section of the photo editor. Once it goes live, it will replace the current “HDR Effect” option. You will also be able to tweak the Ultra HDR strength using a slider.

You can easily notice the difference between a regular image and one enhanced with the new Ultra HDR effect in Google Photos. Images with Ultra HDR are labelled as such in their details and typically have a smaller file size. This is because Ultra HDR uses a gain map, which is smaller than the main image file. The gain map stores brightness and colour information, enabling devices to display more vivid and dynamic images without needing to store a full-resolution version of the enhanced effect. The difference should be clearly noticeable if you’re using a device with an HDR display and an operating system or browser that supports the Ultra HDR format.

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Having Ultra HDR as an editing option in Google Photos is a big deal for photo sharing. It means that photos you take every day can now be upgraded to Ultra HDR and look their best on supported displays without needing special hardware or settings.