Microsoft Begins Rolling Out Photos App Redesign
The redesigned Photos app for Windows that Microsoft teased last week is finally starting to roll out to Windows Insiders in the Dev channel.
“We are beginning to roll out the redesigned Photos app for Windows 11 to all Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel,” Microsoft’s Dave Grochocki announced. “Our goal with the redesigned Photos app was to make it faster, easier, and more enjoyable for you to re-live and edit your photos on Windows 11.”
The Photos app is essentially the same app you see today in Windows 10, with the same basic features and navigation. But it does have some improvements that arguably make it the most heavily redesigned app for Windows 11, at least so far. Those improvements include:
Improved design. The Photos app look more natural in Windows 11, with its rounded corners, opaque Mica material, updated typography, and theme-aware color palettes.
Improved photo viewing experience. Photos is now a better default photo viewer in Windows, It displays pictures to the edges of the app window, an updated editing toolbar with pen support, a new filmstrip view that makes navigation easier, and a new multi-view experience that lets you to compare photos side-by-side.
Access third-party photo editors. In a nod to how basic this app remains, the Photos app now has links to better editors like Affinity Photo, Corel PaintShop Pro, and others when they’re installed.
This is all basic stuff, of course, but the Photos app was rarely updated before, so it’s still good news. And let’s face it, Windows 11 was so rushed that app refreshes will be appearing over time, with not much ready in time for the October 5 launch. So even a mild refresh like this kind of stands out.
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