The Best New Features in Windows 11's Photos App

pcmag.com:

We spend a lot of time reviewing high-end photo software, and, while the products from Adobe, DxO, and others can work astounding marvels with your images, many people do just fine with Windows’ free, included Photos app. It not only organizes, adjusts, and edits your photos, but it can also work with video content to an impressive degree. In Windows 11, the default Photos app gets a redesign that keeps what’s good, adds new features, and makes it look even better.

The most noticeable change in the Photos app moving from Window 10 to 11 is the window design. It now uses rounded corners and Mica material, a new semi-transparent texture that’s part of Microsoft’s Fluent Design System. Mica is a subtle effect, which we can just make out if we turn up the brightness on test monitors. It’s more perceptual than obvious. Of course, the new app supports Light mode and Dark mode:

The main menu choices—Collection, Albums, People, Folders, and Video Editor—remain the same, but you may notice that all the buttons in the top right corner have been redesigned. The first button in that group is now simply New, as opposed to Windows 10's New Video button. Tapping the new button drops down choices including New Video Project, Automatic Video, Import Backup, and Album. Those last three choices show up in Windows 10 Photos when you press the New Video button; the Album choice only appears when you switch to the Album tab in the older OS.

When you click on a photo in your collection, the app now shows your image edge-to-edge in the window. This is important because the app serves as the OS’s default photo viewer as well as a photo editor. You can use the arrow keys to move back and forth between photos.

In Windows 10, by comparison, you see