What you need to know
- Google debuted the Monk Skin Tone Scale at its I / O 2022 developer conference.
- The scale will promote consistent skin tone throughout Google Search and other products.
- Real Tone is now available on Android phones outside of Pixel devices, enhanced by the Monk Skin Tone Scale.
Real Tone has been one of the best features of Google’s latest Pixel smartphones, allowing cameras to better perceive darker skin tones. This feature is now coming to other Android phones through Google Photos along with the new Monk Skin Tone Scale.
In a tweet on Tuesday, the official Android account announced that the best Android phones now have access to Real Tone filters, which are evaluated using the Monk Skin Tone Scale. These filters come to Google Photos, allowing users to enhance their images so that they better reflect a variety of skin tones, especially for colored people.
The new Real Tone filters in @GooglePhotos are starting to roll out today on #Android! https://t.co/bGulTKb9EIMay 24, 2022
Monk Skin Tone Scale is an open source project developed by Harvard professor and sociologist Dr. Ellis Monk, consisting of ten different shades designed to represent a wider range of skin tones. Because it is open source, developers have access to the scale to spend on various projects and products. Google intends to do just that by using artificial intelligence and machine learning across search to help users find more inclusive results based on their skin color.
We’ve already noticed that the new filters are coming to the Google Photos editor, including the Playa, Honey, Isla, Desert, and Clay filters. If you select one of them, a “Made with Real Tone” tag will appear, and you can of course adjust the strength of each filter.
As someone with darker skin, I’ve already played with the filters, and I can already see the benefits of bringing Real Tone to more phones, even through the Google Photos app. While I may not be a fan of the Pixel camera system due to its lack of certain features, it is often the first one I choose if I need a quick photo or selfie, mainly because of the AI and how well it portrays my skin. Unfortunately, I can not say the same about many other Android phones, so these new filters should be a big step towards better selfies.
The new filters are available on Google Photos across Android, iOS and the web.
(opens in new tab)
Google Pixel 6 Pro
The Pixel 6 Pro is one of the best Android phones you can buy, thanks in part to the Tensor chip and its versatile camera setup. With Real Tone technology built-in, it is able to take pictures that better reflect different skin tones.