Take amazing photos of family, friends and pets with Google Pixel Camera.

Google Pixel Camera automatically tweaks brightness and colours with AI to get the best out of the trickiest shooting conditions. Just one tap of the shutter button and your photos will come out vibrant and true-to-life, capturing every detail just as you saw it.

Dive into the top tips below for using your Google Pixel Camera to create Pixel-perfect portraits.

When you're taking photos of people, Portrait Mode is your secret for making your subject pop. Google Pixel's AI separates the person from their setting, blurring the background to give your photos a natural, soft aesthetic.

To use Portrait Mode, just open the Camera app on your Google Pixel → tap Portrait → then tap the shutter. Too easy! You'll be creating your own stunning art in a matter of moments.

No worries if you forgot to use Portrait Mode when you took the pic, you can still add the soft blurred, artistic effect known as ‘bokeh’ afterwards using the Portrait Blur feature in Google Photos. Here’s how:

• Open the photo you want to edit.

• Tap Edit, then Tools.

• Select Portrait Blur, and tap on your subject to make your subject sharp while blurring the background.

Portrait Mode is helpful for kids and pets as well. You can try capturing their natural, everyday moments in Portrait Mode with a blurred background. It's an artistic way to capture your child as they grow up much too quickly.

Ever tried to snap a pic at a sports game or concert, only to find your photos of people far away aren't quite cutting it?

If you have a Google Pixel 7 Pro and later Pro series phones your Super Res Zoom feature goes all the way up to 30x¹. Pixel Camera uses AI to fill in the gaps, so even from far across the field, you can see your loved ones’ faces without losing much quality. On Google Pixel 9 Pro and later Pro series phones, Super Res Zoom works for videos too, letting you zoom in up to 20x while keeping the quality realistic.

When you don't want to lose any quality, Optical Zoom is your go-to. Google Pixel 9 Pro and later Pro series phones offer up to 10x Optical Zoom, while Google Pixel 7 Pro and 8 Pro have 5x. It's a good idea to swap between Super Res Zoom and Optical Zoom depending on how much zoom factor you’re looking for.

If your kids or pets get a bit shy when you point the camera at them, Super Res Zoom can save the day. Stand a bit further back and use Super Res Zoom to capture natural expressions from a distance at a high quality.

Little tots and pets aren't exactly known for sitting still. But with Google Pixel Camera, you can capture those fleeting adorable moments easily.

Motion Photo is perfect to use for active subjects, like kids and animals. It records a few seconds of movement before and after you tap the shutter. These photos are created automatically and your Google Pixel will pick the clearest moment in the Top Shot feature. Here’s how to use Motion Photo:

• Open your camera to Photo.

• Tap the settings icon in the bottom-left corner.

• Set Top Shot to Auto or On.

• Take a photo like normal. After you've taken a Motion Photo, you can even go into the Google Photos app and manually export your favourite frame as a still image.

Quick tip: If you have the Motion Photo icon at the top of your screen, tap this On instead.

If your kids are already 100m sprinting stars, or when your dogs are racing around the park, Action Pan is a cracking tool to photograph small things on the go. This feature focuses on the moving subject and uses AI to automatically blur the background. This creates a professional-looking panning effect and makes your photos look really dynamic effortlessly.

You don't need to be a pro at quickly moving the camera or fiddling with aperture and shutter speed. Action Pan lets you grab action shots with ease.

Capturing group photos can often be a mission, especially taking family photos when kids, grandparents and pets are all over the show. The more people, the harder it tends to get everyone looking their best.

Best Take is a helpful feature that lets you pick everyone's best expression from a series of photos, then AI merges them into one perfect group shot. No need to worry about people blinking or dogs barking at the wrong time. Best Take is available on Google Pixel 6 series phones and later².

Best Take will automatically swap out faces where people are looking away or blinking, but you can also manually pick different expressions. It's easy to get a group shot where everyone looks fantastic. Or, if your family loves to laugh at themselves, why not put together a photo where everyone is blinking or looking away!

Here’s how to use Best Take:

• Open the Google Photos app.

• Select a photo with everyone in it.

• Tap Edit, Tools, then Best Take.

• Tap on a face and choose the expression you like.

• Select each face that needs adjusting and repeat.

• Tap Done and save a copy of the photo.

Are you sick of always being the designated group photographer and missing out on actually being in the shot? Sigh no more, Google Pixel Camera’s Add Me function has you covered. Now you can take the photo and be in it, too. So, how do you do it?

• Open the Camera.

• Select Add Me.

• Take a group photo, with a gap for yourself. 

• Have someone else take the next photo, and get into your gap.

• On the screen, there will be an outline of the first person in the shot.

• A frame will appear, and if it’s red, they’ll need to adjust the phone until it’s white.

• Tap the shutter to capture the photo.

Once the second photo has been shot, the two photos will be merged seamlessly by AI on your Pixel. Just like that, you've got a perfect group shot without needing a selfie stick or a self-timer. Add Me is available on Google Pixel 9 series phones and later².

Even blurry or shaky photos can be rescued by your Google Pixel and turned into keepers. Using Photo Unblur in Google Photos, you can fix fuzzy pictures easily by picking the photo you want to fix → tap Edit → then Tools → tap Photo Unblur → hit Done → Save a copy.

Photo Unblur works wonders on photos with a moving subject. Plus, you can import images from other devices and sharpen them up, thanks to your Pixel’s handy Photo Unblur.

For precious now-or-never moments, like your kid blowing out their birthday candles, or your cat striking a sassy pose, you need to take the photo instantly, even if the background is less than ideal.

Magic Eraser is an incredible editing feature on your Google Pixel. It automatically picks out and gets rid of unwanted people or objects in the background, making them disappear. So, if your kid looks cute with their cake, but they’ve also made a mess on the table, you can circle what you want gone with your finger and it'll vanish. Here’s how:

• Open Google Photos app.

• Select photo to edit.

• Tap Edit.

• Go to Tools.

• Select Magic Eraser.

• Tap suggestions or circle/brush unwanted objects.

• Tap Done then Save.

Your Google Pixel Camera is loaded with features to help you get stunning photos of your loved ones that you’ll be chuffed with forever. Give these tips a go and see what awesome memories you can create.

For more tips on how to photograph food and everyday items brilliantly, check out this article.