Microsoft adds background removal and other features to the Windows Photos app

Microsoft is adding new capabilities to the Windows Photos app, such as the ability to instantly remove backgrounds from images. Version 2023.11110.8002.0 of the Photos app for Windows is currently available to Windows Insiders and enhances certain aspects of the current experience.

The main attraction here is background removal, which was added to Microsoft Paint a few weeks ago and is now available in Windows Photos. Windows Photos has the same one-click automated background removal feature as other photo editing programs.

The generated photos can be saved or copied to the clipboard, and the backdrop can be changed to a solid color. Most of the time, the results won’t be flawless, but it’s always a good idea to have as many features as possible in Microsoft apps that are pre-configured for common daily chores like browsing the internet or viewing images.

The Photos update also modifies the functionality of features like filmstrip and photo sharing. From within Photos, users may now use the Share option to share specific photos that have been backed up to their OneDrive account. For a better viewing experience, the filmstrip that displays additional photographs in the same folder at the bottom of the program is now hidden by default. It can be brought back up with larger thumbnails and a larger scrollbar for easy navigation by pressing the filmstrip symbol or the F key.

Other updates include a chronological scrollbar for all folders, a print button at the top for faster printing when viewing a single image, and speed and stability enhancements for the Slideshow feature, tab navigation, and image opening.

As previously stated, the enhanced Photos app in the Microsoft Store is now available only to Windows Insiders. Microsoft will collect input and make more adjustments before releasing the upgraded software to ordinary Windows users.