Microsoft is overhauling the Snipping Tool and Photos app with useful features like copying text from screenshots and adding background blur to photos. Windows Insiders on Canary and Dev Channels now have access to updated versions of the Snipping Tool and Photos apps for Windows 11. Features will also come to end users in the future.Copying text in screenshots is coming
The test version of Snipping Tool now offers a text copy feature that can detect text in screenshots and allow you to share the text across apps. This feature is similar to the feature to copy text from images found on modern Android phones or iOS devices. However, Microsoft has added another feature that allows you to automatically edit and hide emails and phone numbers in images. It is also possible to select the text you want to redact before sharing a screenshot.Microsoft is also making this an ecosystem. If your phone is connected to Windows 11 with Phone Link, you can take the screenshot you took on your device directly into the Snipping Tool and easily copy the text if it contains text.
Doping the Photos app
Microsoft’s new photo-related features in Windows 11 also extend to the main Windows Photos app. Canary and Dev Channel testers can now test out the updated Photos app, which includes background blurring, content searching in OneDrive photos, location searching, and support for Samsung and Google motion photos.
Background blur will automatically find the background in a photo and highlight the subject and blur the background. It is also possible to adjust the intensity of this blurring. Additionally, blurred areas can also be selected. Photo-based search feature is coming to OneDrive. For example, you will be able to search for photos with cars in them. OneDrive on the web also has a similar feature, so it’s good to see that it will soon be part of the Windows Photos app. The location search feature also makes it easier to find photos taken in a specific area. These small additions increase the effectiveness of Windows 11.Microsoft will also be holding an event in New York next week, on September 21, where it will announce new AI-powered features for Windows, Office, Surface, Bing, and more. Here we expect previous announcements such as Windows Copilot to be detailed.
