How to Get Google Photo’s Magic Editing Features on Mac

Google Photos magic photo editing features enable you to perform complex photo edits without needing pro-level editing skills. With just a few steps, you can remove the specific parts of an image, unblock it, and reposition the subject of an image.

The Magic editing feature is integrated into the Google Photos app and is only available for Pixel smartphones and Google One subscribers. In this guide, you will learn how to get Google Photos Magic Editing features on Mac to edit and enhance the quality of the images.

How to Get Magic Editor for Mac

Use Mac’s Inbuilt Photo Editing Features

One of the easiest ways to access Magic editing features on a Mac is through the built-in Photos app.

The Retouch tool, similar to Magic Editor on the Photos app, allows you to remove unwanted objects from an image. You can use it to fix your photos’ marks, blemishes, and other imperfections. With the background remover tool, you can remove the background from any image on Mac with simple steps.

The Retouch and background removal tools are free for everyone in the Photos app. You can edit both built-in photos and external photos downloaded from the internet.

How to remove background using the Photos app on Mac

• Step 1: Open the Photos app on your Mac.
  
• Step 2: If you want to edit the external image, Select the image, open the image, and follow step 6.
• Step 3: To edit an image in the Photos app, Open the Photos app on your Mac and Select the image you want to edit.
  
• Step 5: Double-click the image, open it in the Preview, or right-click and choose Edit With > Preview. option
  
• Step 6: In the full screen, click on Tools from the top toolbar and select Remove Background. You can also use the shortcut Command + Shift + K. to access this feature. 
  
• Step 7: You can remove the background only from PNG images. If the image is in JPEG format, Preview will prompt you to convert it to PNG before removing the background. Click Convert to proceed.
  
• Step 8: Wait a few seconds, and Preview will create a new image with a transparent background.
  

How to Remove unwanted objects from the Photos app on Mac

• Step 1: Open the Photos app on your Mac.
  
• Step 2: If you want to edit an external photo, Import the image you want to edit by clicking File> Import in the menu bar, then select the image and click Import. or preview the external image and click on the many and tap on the Add to photos
  
• Step 3: Select the image and double-click it to open it.
• Step 4: Click the Edit button in the window’s top-right corner.
  
• Step 5: Select the Retouch tool in the right sidebar.
  
• Step 6: Select the brush. You can also adjust the brush size using the Size slider.
• Step 7: Mark the object you want to remove.
  
• Step 8: You can also pick pixels from another photo area to replace the removed object. Select the Retouch tool, hold the Option key, and click the area you want to use, then mark the object you want to remove.
• Step 9: Wait for a few seconds. The objects will be removed automatically. Click Done to save the changes.
  

Use Third-Party Editing Tools

The built-in photos on Mac don’t offer a generative fill feature. You cannot extend or reposition the elements in the image. Fortunately, plenty of third-party tools allow you to get functionalities. Most of the tools are free to use and require no additional installations. Some tools even produce better results than the Google Magic Edit.

1. Adobe Firefly (Free)

Adobe Firefly is the best and most free photo editing tool, and it comes with different photo editing features. You can replace or extend the image using the tool with simple prompt AI instructions. The tools generate impressive results.

Using the tool, you can edit images with various prompts – the only limit is your imagination. For example, you can replace a plant with a simple background or add a dog to the image. The AI requires some time to produce results. It usually produces three options based on your preferences.

Adobe Firefly also has other AI image editing tools, such as an AI-to-text image generator, text effects, Generative color, text-to-template, text-to-vector graphics, and more. You can access these web-based tools for free. The images uploaded to the site will not be shared with the parties.

Download Adobe Firefly: Generative AI

2. Pincel (Paid)

Pincel is a paid generative AI tool that allows you to edit, remove, or add new elements to the image using different editing tools.

The site offers over a dozen photo editing tools, such as object remover, AI image editor, AU upscaler, Backgroud remover, Photo extender, and more. You can pick any tool and edit the images. You can replace specific objects with other elements, Unblur the image, extend the image, and more.

Using the tool is simple: Visit the Pincel website and upload your photo (according to the Pincel terms, Images uploaded to the site will not be stored and shared with a third party). Use the brush and select the object you want to change. Now, enter the prompt and edit the image.

3. Canva (Paid)

Canva is an online graphic design tool that introduced new AI photo editing tools recently. Most of the photo editing tools are only available to premium subscribers.

The tool offers Magic Eraser (similar to the Magic Eraser feature on Pixel) to remove unwanted objects from the image and Magic Expand (similar to the Magic Edit feature) that expands the image using Generative fill.

You can use these features on the Mac to remove or edit the image. You can customize the image with different elements, add coherent edits, make it a template, and more.

How to use the Magic Editor feature on Canva

• Step 1: Open Canva and upload the image. Add the image to the editor
• Step 2: Select the photo and click on the Edit.
• Step 3: Select the tool you want to use and select the style you want
• Step 4: Click Generate to apply the changes to your image.

Bringing Google Photos Magic Editing to Your Mac

Anyone without photo editing skills can perform complex image edits with Google’s Magic Editor features. These features are integrated into the Google Photos app and are only available for the Pixel and Google One subscribers.

To get similar functionality on the Mac, you can use the retouch feature in the photos app to remove unwanted objects and use third-party tools like Adobe Firefly, Picel, and Canva to extend or reposition the subjects in the image. I hope you find this guide helpful.

FAQs on Using Magic Editor on Mac

1. Can I use Google Photos editing features directly on Mac OS?

You cannot use Google Photos editing features directly on Mac OS. The Magic editor features are only available for pixel smartphones and Google One users inside the Google Photos app. Instead, you can use the alternative features inside the photos app on Mac and third-party tools to get similar functionality.

2. How do I access Google Photos from my Mac?

You can access Google Photos using the Google Photos web. Visit https://photos.google.com/ and sign in with your Google account.

3. Are any Mac applications offering similar features to Google Photos’ magic editor?

Yes, plenty of tools offer Magic editing features similar to those on Mac.

• Apple Photos: Integrated into Mac OS, offers retouching and background removal tools.
• Adobe Lightroom: A professional photo editing software that comes with a wide variety of photo editing features.
• Pixelmator Pro: A powerful image editor with AI-powered editing tools.
• Affinity Photo: Offers advanced photo editing and retouching tools.
• Luminar AI: Best AI-driven editing photo editing app.

4. How can I sync my Google Photos with Mac OS for easy editing?

Photos edited on the Google Web will be synced with the Google Photos app on your smartphone. If you use an alternative method, you can manually share the edited photos on your Mac with Android and save them to your Google Photos app.