If you have a Google Pixel 9 series phone, there’s a simple solution. It’s called Best Take, and it allows you to blend similar photos into one fantastic image where everyone looks their best. It’s like having a personal photo editor with you, wherever you go.

The Feature Focus Series showcases Pixel's most powerful features by those who know them best: #TeamPixel. In this episode, Vicky Alvarez shows us how to use Best Take to help everyone in the group pic put their best face forward.

Over the holidays, that tool came in handy for Eric Peterson, a software engineering manager in the Bay Area, when he was at a family dinner with his wife and two children. “My wife’s family lives in Brazil,” he says, “So when they’re here we try and get everyone together for a holiday photo.” 

But the cutest photo subjects can sometimes be the most difficult. Like lots of kids, his daughter has a habit of looking at everything except the camera. His son tends to make silly faces when he’s supposed to smile.

That’s why Peterson turned to Pixel’s Best Take, which made his family photos simple. After he took the pictures, Google AI analyzed multiple expressions from each one. Then he selected their best expressions and – voilà – the tool combined the images into a single, amazing group take.

“It’s made such a difference when we’re out having fun,” Peterson says. “Now, we just take five photos and figure it out later. We don’t have to stop and pose.”

Whether you’re in front of the Eiffel Tower, Cinderella Castle, or the glittering ocean, Best Take on Pixel makes the helpful stranger’s job faster, easier, and free from the usual awkwardness of taking another round. 

Travelers can flag down a passerby to take a few quick photos, say thanks, and let Google AI help select different expressions and combine them into one great image. That’s what Peterson did recently when he went on vacation to Legoland with his wife and children. “If I ask someone to take a picture … it doesn’t matter if it’s good or not,” he says. “Best Take can fix it later.”

Using the tool means a helpful stranger only has to do a few seconds of work. Then, everyone can get back to relaxing on the beach or exploring the city.

Want to learn more about editing photos on your Pixel?

Remove objects, get better group photos and more with Magic Editor and other AI-powered editing tools built for Pixel.

Learn more

Want to learn more about editing photos on your Pixel?

Remove objects, get better group photos and more with Magic Editor and other AI-powered editing tools built for Pixel.

Learn more

Best Take works for all of your favorite moments, from everyday fun to once-in-a-lifetime experiences. 

For many friends, a night out doesn’t feel complete without a picture to share on social media. With just a few taps, Best Take will make sure everyone is looking sharp, whether they’re at a neighborhood bar or the Grand Canyon.

And when it comes to special occasions like weddings, a single picture might be your best memory of the experience. With Best Take, even if the bride is blinking while the groom is beaming in one photo, in the final image they’re both ecstatic.

For families with kids, taking pictures can be an epic struggle – one Melissa Hague knows well. She’s a landscaper in West Point, Utah, who took an amazing group photo that would have never worked without her Pixel. “I used Best Take to get the best image of my wife and I and our friends with their kids,” she says. “The kids would be looking one way in a photo, they’d be crying in another, and one of the adults sneezed mid-photo. But I was finally able to create the perfect photo using this incredible feature.”

Sam Nies, an experiences supervisor in Alta, California, credits Best Take for helping him create the best Christmas card his family has sent out in decades. “I have four teenagers … [and] I can’t get them all to smile at the same time ever,” he says. “Everyone I’ve shared [the card] with has been impressed and asks me to take all our group pictures.”

Best Take makes group photos faster and less stressful in just a few quick steps. Here’s how it works:

1. Take a series of consecutive photos within 10 seconds.

2. Open up a photo and tap Edit.

3. Head to the Tools tab and tap Best Take, then See result.

4. If you want, tap someone’s face bubble, then tap on a different expression for that person.

5. Repeat the same process for as many faces as you want until you have your Best Take.

6. Tap Done and then Save Copy.