Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR An Android Authority teardown has revealed an overhauled video editor in Google Photos.
The new editor features some visual changes in line with the Material 3 Expressive style.
The editor also has video flipping functionality and the ability to add music to videos.
We previously discovered a redesigned image editor in Google Photos before its recent release. Google isn’t stopping here, as it’s also working on an overhauled video editor.
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We dug into the Google Photos app for Android (version 7.39) and enabled a redesigned video editor. Check out the screenshots below for a good look.
The new editor, which is referred to as “varenyky” in code strings, features some changes in line with Material 3 Expressive. For starters, there’s a larger video timeline with a vertical line replacing the circular scrubbing icon. We also see more prominent sliders encased in a pill-shaped box, as well as rounded box icons instead of circular or square icons. There are also tick and X icons instead of the current Save copy and Cancel buttons.
Interestingly, the main edit page now shows a prominent Export frame button. By contrast, Google Photos currently features this option as one of several options alongside Enhance, Stabilize, Auto-Trim, and other tools. This will make it a little easier to grab a frame, especially if you treat 4K or 8K video capture like a burst mode.
It’s worth noting that we can’t see some editing features like Markup, effects, Presets, and Audio Eraser. However, we can see the Effects and Audio Eraser options in varenyky code strings, suggesting these features will come to the editor.
What else is coming to the video editor? We also discovered two more features in the redesigned editor, starting with the ability to flip a video via a Mirror button (found in the Crop menu). This is a welcome feature if you captured a flipped video via your selfie camera or webcam, or if you just want a fancy editing option.
Original Mirrored
Google Photos could also let you add music to your videos. You can already add music to videos via the Highlight videos feature, but the ability to add music via the video editor seems like a new option. Highlight videos are meant for auto-generated photo/video collages based on identified people, locations, and more. So this is great if you merely want to add a music track to a single video or specific clips. Check out the screens below.
This feature should be accessible by tapping the Music button in the Edit menu. From here, you can choose Google’s own tracks (divided into All, Bright, Chill, Dramatic, Inspiring) or your on-device music files.
Once you’ve picked your desired track, you can choose the section of music you’d like to use. You’ll subsequently see the music track name below the video timeline. Tapping this track name will surface more options, like changing the section, swapping out the music, or adjusting the volume. In a welcome touch, you can independently adjust the video audio and soundtrack volume.
In any event, the redesigned video editor seems like a substantial upgrade. We’re also glad to see the mirror and music options here. So we hope to see this overhaul sooner rather than later. However, it’s worth noting that Google saw a mixed reaction to the redesigned photo editor. Don’t be surprised if this new video editor gets a similarly polarizing reception.
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