Huge Microsoft Photos update adds amazing new web search with OCR-extracted text feature and makes AI options easier to access
Microsoft Photos is something of an unsung hero of the Windows app family. It is an astonishingly useful and powerful tool that Microsoft keeps quietly updating on an irregular basis. The latest update has just landed, and it’s a biggie.
We’ve already seen the addition of OCR capabilities to Microsoft Photos so in-image text can be easily copied; this has now been extended to include the option to search the web with text that has been extracted. But this is far from being the only change in the latest update.
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The OCR functionality of Microsoft Photos remains relatively new, having only started to roll out to Windows Insiders a couple of months ago, so it’s pleasing to see that Microsoft has not decided to rest on its laurels.
Writing about the latest feature boost in the release notes, the company says:
With this update, we’re adding “Search in Web” functionality so you can quickly search for any selected text from your images right from the app. This enhancement makes it easier than ever to extract and find online results of text from documents, notes, screenshots, and more. Whether you’re capturing text from a document or simply exploring the contents of an image, the Photos app’s OCR and online search features streamline your workflow and boost your productivity.
The embracing of artificial intelligence continues, and this update sees the AI features of Microsoft Photos being pushed forward to make them even more visible -- and more accessible. Access to AI-powered photo editing has been promoted to the Windows context menu. This means that it is possible to right-click an image in Explorer to start an AI editing session in Designer without the need to launch an app first.
There’s also a new Copilot button in Microsoft Photos and Microsoft shares some of the highlights:
- Photo Editing Tips: Get expert advice on enhancing your images.
- Image Insights: Discover interesting details about your photos.
- Framing Suggestions: Improve your photography skills with personalized recommendations.
The Microsoft Photos update is rolling out to Windows Insiders on Windows 11 across all Insider Channels, as well as to the Windows 10 in the Release Preview Channel.
More details are available here.