Google+ Unveils Auto Awesome Movies & New Hangouts, Video & Photo Features
Google+ updates and enhancements announced today will make interactive media fans happy. The social network unveiled Auto Awesome Movies, upgrades to Google+ Hangouts and more.
This morning in a San Francisco warehouse Google had rented out for the occasion, the search and social giant unveiled new and upgraded features for Google+, their social networking platform. A blog post released to coincide with the event reveals details of the upgrade, which brought 18 more Google+ features.
Google+ Video Enhancements: Auto Awesome Movies
This announcement means a slew of photo and video upgrades, most available this week.
Google+ appears to be taking a run at the iMovies with improvements to Auto Awesome, which they promise “can help bring your story to life in many ways.” Auto Awesome Movies gives users the ability to have movies complete with effects, transitions and a soundtrack created automatically, using the photos from an album.
Other Auto Awesome Movies features include different styles and filters users can apply over the video with a swipe and finer controls for video length, soundtrack, etc.
Google+ Photo Enhancements
Some of the changes apply to Google+ photo editing and storage on the network, while others are within the Auto Awesome tool. On photos, Google+ upgrades include:
Full size backups and background sync for Google+ for iOS, to automatically upload photos as they’re taken.
Over 1000 new search terms to improve Google+ photo search, expanding upon the deep learning photo surfacing search unveiled at Google I/O.
The ability to dial auto enhancements up or down, or to exempt an album entirely.
HDR Scrape, a new setting as part of SnapSeed to allow users to control filters strength.
A new filter called Analog Efex Pro for the Nik collection (premium service, $149) of pro photo editing tools.
Auto Awesome upgrades for photos include:
Action- Create a strobe effect, animated GIF by recognizing a moving subject (like an athlete) and superimposing them over one background.
Eraser- Take a series of images and Google+ will erase moving objects to give a cleaner image.
Google+ Hangout Upgrades & Features
One major improvement to Hangouts is the ability for broadcasters to schedule Hangouts on Air and promote them with a dedicated watch page. This is welcome news for marketers and other Hangout hosts everywhere. A Control Room now allows hosts to moderate the conversation on air with mute and eject buttons.
Hangouts for Android now supports location sharing and SMS, allowing users to send a map of their current location and send/receive texts without switching between apps. Animated GIFs will now play inline within Hangouts.
Video calling controls enhancements mean they’ll appear full-screen across desktop and mobile, with automatic lighting and webcam adjustments. On Air improvements will roll out over the next few weeks, according to Google.
Google+ is Growing
In the presentation opening, Vic Gundotra, SVP at Google, shared recent Google+ statistics, including:
1.5 billion photos are uploaded to Google+ each week.
Google+ has more than 300 million members.
540 million people are active on the Google+ network each month; 300 million actively visit the Google+ social stream.
In closing, Gundotra wrote, “…the Google+ community is growing faster than we ever could have imagined. Today’s updates are our way of saying ‘thank you’ -we hope they save you time, and help you share your story.”
Watch the full A Morning with Google+ livestream recording below:
Streaming has become a staple of US media-viewing habits. Streaming video, however, still comes with a variety of pesky frustrations that viewers are ...
Winning the Data Game: Digital Analytics Tactics for Media Groups
5y
Winning the Data Game: Digital Analytics Tactics f...
Data is the lifeblood of so many companies today. You need more of it, all of which at higher quality, and all the meanwhile being compliant with data...
Learning to win the talent war: how digital marketing can develop its peopl...
2y
Learning to win the talent war: how digital market...
This report documents the findings of a Fireside chat held by ClickZ in the first quarter of 2022. It provides expert insight on how companies can ret...
Our four favourite findings from the ClickZ Digital Advertising Breakfast
7y
Leonie Mercedes
Our four favourite findings from the ClickZ Digita...
What does the future of paid search and paid social advertising look like? Last Wednesday, ClickZ sought to answer that question, holding its first Di...
How to take advantage of Facebook's focus on longer videos
7y
Tereza Litsa
How to take advantage of Facebook's focus on longe...
It's not easy to keep track of the changes in Facebook's news feed algorithm, but it's always useful to stay up to date, as they may affect your Page'...
Don’t think twice about doing video on social media
7y
Bob Cargill
Don’t think twice about doing video on social medi...
If your responsibilities have anything to do with marketing, advertising, PR or social media, you can’t afford to be camera-shy in this day and age. R...
Walgreens turns to Pinterest video ads to promote "small gifting"
7y
Al Roberts
Walgreens turns to Pinterest video ads to promote ...
While it typically conjures up images of consumers clamoring for deals on big ticket items, American retailer Walgreens is hoping that this year it ca...
New creative opportunities on Facebook for a video-first world
8y
Tereza Litsa
New creative opportunities on Facebook for a video...
Video consumption keeps increasing and Facebook is serious about a video-first world, encouraging us all to explore its full potential. Ian Crocombe, ...
Eight social media skills for B2B brands to master
8y
Mike O'Brien
Eight social media skills for B2B brands to master
When it comes to social media, B2B brands don't tend to be as sophisticated as their B2C brethren. But with these eight tips, they can be. Read More...