One of the most important camera upgrades in Google Pixel 6 was the introduction of Real Tone image technology, with the aim of providing more natural and accurate skin tones in images.
At the time, Google believed that people with darker skin often would not look like they should in photos taken on smartphones, often looked contrast-heavy and washed out, and even sometimes with a green tint. The Pixel 6 technology seemed to help in this regard, where the Real Tone technology aimed to make the skin appear naturally illuminated and as lifelike as possible.
As you might expect, the technology was exclusive to Pixel 6 for a while. But Google has finally decided that the technology should not be exclusive to its smartphones, and has baked the feature into Google Photos so that all users on iOS, Android and desktop devices can enjoy them.
The new filters, called Playa, Honey, Isla, Desert and Clay, are slowly rolling out to devices around the world. Once you have the update installed, you can see here how to use the new Real Tone filters on your Android, iPhone, desktop or laptop.
How to use Google’s Real Tone filters on Android
The process of using the Real Tone filters on your Android smartphone is pretty simple; you just have to wait for the update to appear in Google Play and make sure you are running the latest version of the software – even though the rollout of the update is slow.
Once updated, follow these steps:
- Open the Google Photos app.
- Select the image you want to apply the filter to.
- Tap the Edit icon on the toolbar at the bottom of the screen.
- Swipe over the editing tools at the bottom of the screen and tap Filters.
- Select one of the new Real Tone filters (Playa, Honey, Isla, Desert or Clay) to apply to your image.
- Press the filter again to adjust the intensity of the effect.
- To adjust other elements in the image, press ‘Adjust’.
- When you are satisfied with the image, tap Save Copy to save your changes.
How to use Google’s Real Tone filters on iOS
As with the Android version of the Google Photos app, the update that enables Real Tone filters on iOS is slowly rolling out worldwide. Make sure your app is up to date and follow these instructions:
- Open the Google Photos app.
- Select the selfie you want to edit.
- Tap the Edit icon on the toolbar at the bottom of the screen.
- Swipe over the editing tools at the bottom of the screen and tap Filters.
- Select one of the new Real Tone filters (Playa, Honey, Isla, Desert or Clay) to apply to your selfie.
- Press the selected filter again to adjust the strength of the effect.
- To adjust other elements in the image, press ‘Adjust’.
- When you are satisfied with the image, tap Save to save your edits.
Do not worry if you can not find the filters yet; as mentioned, the rollout is slow and may take some time to reach your iPhone, but it comes!
How to use Google’s Real Tone filters on your desktop
There is also a way to access the Real Tone filters on a laptop or desktop computer using the browser version of Google Photos, available at photos.google.com. The editing tools are not quite as advanced as mobile variants, but you can still apply filters. Here’s how you do it:
- Go to the Google Photos website.
- Select the selfie you want to edit.
- Tap the Edit icon in the upper right corner.
- The Filters tab should already be selected; Just select one of the new Real Tone filters (Playa, Honey, Isla, Desert or Clay) to apply to your chosen image.
- As mentioned, you can not adjust as many parameters as smartphone apps, but you have limited customization options by using the icons at the top right to crop and edit.
- Select Done to save your edit, or tap the three dots and select Save Copy to save a copy of the image while preserving the original.
