Google targets photo face filters and other “beautification techniques” that are mental health Experts | believe can affect a person’s confidence, especially when introduced to younger users. The company says it will now rely on expert guidance in applying the design principles for photo filters used by the Android camera app on Pixel smartphones. By doing pixel In 4a, Google has already deactivated face retouching by default. The user interface will be updated shortly and now contains the descriptive symbols and labels for the face retouching effects of the app, which Google calls “neutral”.
That means it doesn’t use language like “beauty filters” or even more subtle implications that facial retouching tools can make someone look better. These changes are also carried over to the Android Camera app in other pixel smartphones through updates.
The changes, although they may not be noticed by the end user, can make a difference over time.
According to Google, more than 70% of photos on Android are taken with the front camera, and over 24 billion photos have been marked as “selfies” in Google Photos.
Credit: Google
But the pictures our smartphones show us mean that more people are dissatisfied with their own appearance. According to the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 72% of its members in the past year said that their patients came to see them to improve their selfies. This corresponds to an increase of 15% compared to the previous year. In addition, 80% of parents said they were concerned about the effects of filters, and two-thirds of teens said they were bullied about what they look like in photos.
Google says it has enlisted the help of child and mental health experts to better understand the impact of filters on people’s wellbeing. It found that if people did not know a photo filter was being applied, the resulting photos could have a negative impact on mental wellbeing as they quietly set a standard of beauty that people would compare themselves to over time.
Credit: Google
Additionally, filters using terminology such as “beauty”, “embellishment”, “enhancement” and “mending” imply that something is wrong with a person’s physical appearance that needs to be corrected. According to Google, the way they actually look is bad. The same applies to terms like “losing weight”, which involve improving a person’s body.
Google also found that even the icons used can contribute to the problem.
It is often the case that face retouch filters use “sparkling” design elements on the icon that turns the feature on. This suggests that using the filter will improve your photo.
To fix this problem, Google is updating the value-neutral language for its filters along with new symbols.
Credit: Google
For example, instead of marking an option for facial retouching as “natural”, it is renamed “subtle”. Instead of sparkling icons, an icon of the face with an edit pen is shown instead to indicate which key must be pressed to activate the feature.
The levels of customization also follow new guidelines, using either numbers and symbols or simple terms such as “low” and “high” in place of terms related to beauty.
Credit: Google
According to Google, the camera app should also make it clear when a filter has been activated – both during real-time recording and afterwards. For example, an indicator at the top of the screen could inform the user when a filter has been activated so that users know that their image is being edited.
On Pixel smartphones, from Pixel 4a, when using face retouching effects, more information is displayed about how each setting is applied and what specific changes are made to the image. For example, if you choose the “subtle” effect, it is explained that it adjusts your skin texture, the tone under the eyes and the brightness of the eyes. Transparency about the effects applied can help demystify the sometimes subtle changes facial retouch filters make to our photos.
Face retouching will also be turned off on the new Pixel devices announced on Wednesday, including the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5. The changes to labels and descriptions will be carried over to Pixel phones that will support Pixel 2 and later devices through an upcoming update, according to Google.
