Google adds electronic stabilization for videos to Photos app

Google has added a method to stabilize videos to Google Photos. The app can stabilize the image by cropping the image and comparing frames with each other. The stabilization is done locally on the device and not on Google’s servers.

The stabilization feature is located under the Edit button in Photos, says Android Police, who found the feature in an update to the app. Google seems to have been working on stabilization since last summer. The stabilization only works afterwards, if the user has already taken the video. It does not matter whether the camera or phone in question worked with optical or software stabilization in the video itself.

Stabilizing a 19-second full-HD video took about 16 seconds in the site’s test. Presumably, the app takes longer to stabilize 4k video material. Many smartphones can now make images in 4k.

The stabilization probably works by analyzing objects in successive frames, and then using a crop to ensure that there is room around the frame to shift the image. The stabilization is in version 2.13 of Photos, which is available as an apk and will probably appear in the Play Store soon.