Posted 9/14/2023, 8:03:00 PM

Windows Photos and Snipping Tool Gain New Recognition and Privacy Features

Windows Photos app getting content and text recognition for images, similar to Google Photos.
Support for motion photos taken on Google and Samsung devices.
Windows Snipping Tool adding text recognition like Google Lens. Can select and copy text from images.
Snipping Tool has new privacy features like quick redaction of text and hiding emails/phone numbers.
New features available now for Windows Insiders, public release later for other Windows users.

9to5google.com

Relevant topic timeline:

8/22/2023

Microsoft is testing new AI features in Windows 11, including OCR and object removal

Windows 11 is expected to introduce AI-powered features such as Copilot, OCR in the Camera app and Snipping Tool, object removal in the Photos app, and generative AI in the Paint app. These features will enhance productivity by allowing users to extract and edit text from images, remove objects from photos, and generate images based on descriptions.

9/15/2023

Microsoft Updates Snipping Tool and Phone Link to Streamline Android Screenshot Transfer and Redaction on Windows PCs

Microsoft has updated its Snipping Tool and Phone Link features, allowing Windows PCs to notify Android users when a photo is captured, enabling them to load the image in Snipping Tool for text extraction and editing, and introduced a redaction feature to remove sensitive information from screenshots.

9/28/2023

Microsoft Rolls Out AI Assistant, UI Upgrades in Windows 11 Update

Microsoft has released its Copilot update for Windows 11, introducing an AI-powered digital assistant and incorporating AI-based tools into various features of the operating system, such as the Snipping Tool and Paint apps. Additionally, the update includes improvements to the File Explorer and gaming features.

10/13/2023

Windows 11 AI Features: Helpful Tools Outshine Underwhelming Copilot Assistant

Microsoft's major update for Windows 11 introduces AI-powered features like Copilot, which has limited functionality and is frustrating to use, but other apps like Snipping Tool, Paint, and Photos have received AI upgrades that offer useful features such as OCR support, background removal, and background blur.