/https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/5fad5bf7f1b90890d9dfa549/0x0.jpg "Google issues quality warning to millions of Google Photos users")
After Google Photos recently removed its best feature, we’re now trying to convince ourselves that it was not good in the first place and have warned users about the consequences.
Google Photos logo
In a recent subscriber email, the Google Photos team outlined new premium editing features available exclusively to paying Google One customers. However, the email also contains a somewhat surprising section that encourages users to use more of their storage quota by uploading from high quality to original quality or seemingly daring serious consequences.
According to the email, “original quality photos retain the most detail and allow you to zoom, crop and print photos with less pixelation.” While this statement is objectively true, it is contrary to what Google has told us in the past about its high-quality option.
At the launch of 2015, Anil Sabharwal, creator of Google Photos, promised that high quality uploading will provide an “almost identical visual quality” compared to your original photos.
But now Google wants us to see a seemingly big difference in quality between the two institutions and is willing to pay extra for it. It seems that ‘original quality’ is now suddenly something we should all be willing to pay extra for.
Here is the image Google used to show the difference between original quality and high quality:
Original quality images may look better than Google’s high quality option, but not so much
So, do the two quality settings offer an almost identical visual quality as originally promised, or do high quality photos actually look like a pixel mess above compared to the original? Do you really need to switch to original quality as Google suggests and pay more for the extra storage space it needs?
High quality images are limited to 16 megapixels for photos or 1080p resolution for video and are free to store until June 2021. Original quality uploads, on the other hand, have the resolution your camera is set to, which can often be larger files that exceed the 16 megapixel / 1080p limit. These larger files consume the user’s storage quota and require the purchase of a Google One storage plan once the initial 15 GB of free storage is exhausted.
If you are worried about losing quality if you do not switch to original quality, do not worry. It is important to emphasize that the example of Google is by no means representative of the difference you will see between the two quality settings. Most people will probably not notice the difference at all.
On the other hand, cameras have come a long way since 2015, and if you decided to stay at High Quality at the time, you want to reconsider the option for a moment if you have a new phone with much higher specifications. what you actually use.
For example, if you have started taking many videos in 4K or even 8K, you may want to set up a plan to preserve the photos in original quality. With photos, it’s a little different: the iPhone 12 Pro Max, for example, comes with a 12-megapixel main sensor that fits below the 16-megapixel limit. However, if your phone offers a high resolution option like a 108 megapixel mode, that’s a different story.
In any case, think about your quality options, but do not be fooled by Google’s pixel bird alert. You will probably stay with high quality.
Follow @paul_monckton on Instagram