Google Photos Best Take: What is it, and how to use it

Capturing group pictures can be tricky, especially when your little one is blinking, not smiling, or looking away. Even a single mishap can ruin an ideal group shot. However, a new feature on the Google Pixel 8 series is here to solve this. This is where Google Photos Best Take comes into play to refine your group photos with minimal effort.

What is Google Photos Best Take, and how does it work

Google Photos Best Take is part of new AI capabilities on the Pixel 8 series and is one of the best Pixel-exclusive features available. It’s an advanced version of Top Shot that uses several similar photos taken quickly and automatically creates a modified shot with everyone’s best expression. The aim is to enhance a photo and better define what you are trying to capture with slight expression alterations.

Best Take uses an on-device face detection algorithm to match up people’s faces across group shots taken in a short timeframe. It doesn’t pull up someone’s expressions from your old photos, as it may change the context of an image. Google Photos Best Take uses expressions from photos taken within a 10-second window.

You can rely on Best Take to pick an ideal expression or manually select another look from available facial expressions. Manual selection gives you complete control over your group shot outcome.

How to use Google Photos Best Take

Now that you know how Best Take functions, follow the steps below to test it.

1. Take a series of group photos with different facial expressions.
2. Launch Google Photos and select a group photo you want to tweak.
3. Tap Edit at the bottom and slide to the Tools menu.

4. Select Best Take.
5. Google Photos detects faces from a group photo and shows a small preview beneath.
6. Tap on a person’s face and check available expressions at the bottom. Tap on an expression to apply it to a photo.
7. Select Done to save changes.

Is Google Photos Best Take available on older Pixel phones?

Google Photos Best Take is exclusive to the Pixel 8 series. Looking at past trends, we won’t be surprised if Google releases Best Take on older Pixel phones, like the Pixel 7 series.

Is Google Photos Best Take coming to non-Pixel phones?

Google is tight-lipped about Best Take’s availability on non-Pixel phones. Since it’s a part of Google Photos, it may come to non-Pixel phones via an app update. After all, Magic Eraser was exclusive to the Pixel 6 series at launch, and the add-on eventually made its way to non-Pixel phones.