Google makes Snapseed, a free photo editor for iPhone and Android, and a CNET reviewer says the Pixel 11 Pro should borrow its best tools.
Google already makes one of the best photo editing apps around, and it is free. It is called Snapseed, and it works on both iPhone and Android. A CNET reviewer who tested the new Pixel 11 Pro says Google should build Snapseed's tools right into the Pixel camera instead of leaving them in a separate app.
Snapseed is simple to use and packed with features. The reviewer calls it one of his favorite editing apps. Google makes it, but you would not know from opening it. There is no Google branding inside, and the company's name only shows up when you download it. It also does not push Gemini, Google's AI assistant, at you while you edit.
A recent update added presets that mimic old film stocks, including one that copies the look of Kodak Gold. Those sit alongside Snapseed's existing set of editing tools.
The Pixel 11 Pro has a new feature called Camera Looks. It offers a small set of color styles you apply as you shoot, and you can adjust them to taste. It is similar to Photographic Styles on Apple's iPhone 18 Pro. The reviewer used it for photos on a walk through Paris and liked the results, but found it far less capable than Snapseed.
The argument leans on Fujifilm's X100 VI compact camera. It has film-style looks built in. It also lets owners create custom "recipes" that set the look at the moment the photo is taken. The reviewer says this is a main reason Fujifilm cameras stay popular. The X100 VI is still hard to find more than two years after launch.
Pixel phones are known for solid cameras for casual shooters. They are not seen as must-have gear for serious photographers, the way the iPhone or the Leitzphone from Leica and Xiaomi are. Snapseed's tools, the reviewer argues, could change that.
This is an opinion piece. Google has not said it plans to combine Snapseed with the Pixel camera. The reviewer also asks Google not to change Snapseed itself.
No Pixel is needed to try this. Snapseed costs nothing and runs on iPhone and Android, so you can test the film-style presets on photos you already have.
Snapseed is a free Google photo editor for any phone, and its new film-style looks are worth a try today.
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