Google's New Algorithm Makes Your Photos Perfect--Before You Take Them

Taking Instagram-worthy photos is one thing, editing them is another. Most of us just upload a pic, tap a filter, tweak the saturation, and post. If you want to make a photo look good without the instant gratification of the Reyes filter, enlist a professional. Researchers from MIT and Google recently showed off a machine learning algorithm capable of automatically retouching photos just like a professional photographer. Snap a photo and the neural network identifies exactly how to make it look better--increase contrast a smidge, tone down brightness, whatever--and apply the changes in a 20th of a millisecond.