Edit a photo on your Pixel phone

You can edit or change what a photo looks like on your Pixel phone.

Turn on RAW + JPEG control

Your camera’s default settings save your image files in JPEG format. You can also save your camera images as additional RAW files, which are image files optimized for editing instead of sharing. The Play Store has apps that can open and edit RAW files such as Google Snapseed. A RAW version of an image may appear different from a JPEG one. For example, face-aware distortion correction is only applied to JPEG files. In some cases, a RAW version of an image may have more distortion but also greater resolution and an enhanced field of view.

To turn on RAW + JPEG files:

1. Open the Camera app.
2. Tap the Down arrow   Settings .
3. Tap Advanced.
4. Turn on RAW+JPEG control.

Tip: To make sure “RAW+JPEG” is on, return to the viewfinder. Then, tap the Down arrow . Under “More Light”, you should find the setting “RAW” set to “RAW + JPEG.”

To use RAW files:

1. Take a photo in Night Sight or default mode.
2. Go to your Home screen.
   • Gesture navigation: Swipe up from the bottom of the screen.
   • Three-button or two-button navigation: Tap Home.
3. Open Google Photos.
4. At the bottom right, tap Library Raw.

Straighten or adjust the size of a photo

Use gridlines to straighten photos

1. From your Camera app, tap the Down arrow .
2. Tap Settings   Grid type.
3. Select the type of grid you want.

Adjust the photo's ratio

1. From your Camera app, tap the Down arrow .
2. Select a ratio option: Wide crop or Full image.

Crop a photo

1. In the Photos app, go to the photo that you want to edit.
2. Tap Edit photo   Crop . 
3. Adjust the borders to your desired size.

Change the color, light, or blur of a photo

In the Photos app:

1. Find the photo that you want to edit.
2. Tap Edit   Adjust.
3. From here, you can adjust the light, color, or blur of a photo.

Take Portrait-style photos

1. Open your Google Camera app . Learn how.
2. Tap Portrait  Capture .
   • To view the enhanced version, in the bottom right corner, tap the photo.

Tip: To add a blurred background after you take a photo, tap Edit photo   Adjust  Blur . Then, move the Blur slider.

Adjust Portrait blur, light & color pop on photos

Portrait blur

1. In your Google Photos app , tap Edit photo Adjust  Blur .
2. Adjust the Blur slider.

Pop (Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a (5G))

1. In your Google Photos app , tap Edit photo   Adjust  Pop.
2. Then, adjust the scale slider.

Color pop (Pixel 4a & earlier)

1. In your Google Photos app , tap Edit photo   Color Pop.
2. Then, adjust the color pop slider.

Portrait light (Pixel 2 & later)

You can adjust the lighting in your photos of people through Portrait light in your photo editor. Portrait light is available only when a photo shows 4 or fewer people from the waist up.

1. In your Google Photos app ,  tap Edit photo   Adjust  Portrait light.
2. Move the white ring to where you want more light.
3. Lower or raise the brightness manually or automatically:
   • To set the brightness yourself, adjust the slider.
   • To let your phone set the lighting, tap Auto.

Tip: Portrait light works on older photos in your Google Photos storage, which includes photos taken on other phones. To use Portrait light with your older photos, open them in your Photos app .

Adjust brightness or shadows (Pixel 4 & later)

• Adjust brightness: On the right, adjust the slider to lower or raise Brightness .
• Adjust shadows: On the right, adjust the slider to lower or raise Shadows .