The Photos app is about to become a lot more powerful

Jul 6, 2015 11:22 GMT  ·  By

The GNOME developers are working to improve the functionality and looks of some of the core apps in the stack, and it looks like Photos is just one of them. Allan Day has explained some of the changes that are going to be made to Photos, and they are quite impressive.

You might think that Photos is a pretty decent apps with just the right amount of features, but it looks like it's about to become a lot better. Currently, it's not exactly the go-to app if you want to edit something or quick import from your camera, for example. It's mostly used as an image viewer, despite the fact that it can do a lot more.

Many of the apps that are currently in the GNOME stack are getting some important facelifts and new features. For example, Allan Day has also said that the developers are also working on the Notes apps, and it's safe to say that they are not going to stop with this one. In fact, many of the GNOME core apps are usually integrated by default in various distros, but the vast majority aren't. They are probably focusing on the ones that have the most exposure.

What's new for Photos

The Photos app is not used to its potential, but its developers are aiming high. They want to make this app a very competitive one that can do most of the basic stuff, like simple image editing, importing, and sharing. Implementing a few extra features like these means that you won't have to install anything else just to make a simple crop or to apply some filters.

"The designs organise the different editing tools according to a logical workflow: crop, fix colours (brightness, contrast, saturation, etc.), check sharpness, and finally apply effects," writes Allan Day on his blog.

He also explains that Photos will be able to import images from devices, share photos on social media, and get some new features like hiding image titles or a new details sidebar.

GNOME 3.18 is expected to land on September 23.