Earlier this year, Samsung released a clever tool called Generative Edit as part of its Galaxy AI suite. With it, Galaxy S24 users could edit their photos using new Generative AI methods.
Last week at Unpacked 2024, Samsung introduced new Generative Editing tools for the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 running One UI 6.1.1. They are called Portrait Studio and Sketch to Image.
Portrait Studio uses AI to turn portrait photos into renderings. You can choose different styles for your portrait, such as as 3D cartoon, sketch, watercolor, and comic book, and the AI will do the rest, such as removing backgrounds and stylizing the shot.
Sketch to Image employs Generative AI tools in slightly different ways. It lets users draw something and turn whatever sketches they drew into much more elaborate renders.
Sometimes, Sketch to Image works great! Other times it harshly reminds you that you can't become a better artist using AI alone, an example of which is the AI's attempt to turn a crude drawing of Donald Duck into something better, as seen in the images below.
But while these are all neat additions to Galaxy AI and fun to use, something is missing, and we hope the next step in Samsung's Generative Edit journey will add this missing piece.
Next Galaxy AI Generative Edit update should let us turn any images into AI renders
The one issue that exists with the current Portrait Studio and Sketch to Image tools is that they don't allow you to turn everything into an AI render.
Portrait Studio only works with people, as Samsung used human faces to train the AI. Furthermore, if a photo has multiple faces, you have to repeat the process for each face. Portrait Studio can't turn multiple faces into renders at the same time.
Sketch to Image, meanwhile, lets you sketch something new and turn it into a render. But the tool doesn't let you use an existing sketch. None of your PENUP drawings can be turned into an AI render, for example. You have to draw something new, and only then can it be turned into a beautified render using the power of Generative AI.
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You probably see where this is going. But just to ensure we're on the same page: we're hoping that the next step in the Galaxy AI saga for Generative Edit will be the ability to turn any image, sketch, or photo into an AI render — even if it's an old photo captured years ago with a different phone or an old sketch made using a retired Galaxy Note S Pen.
For now, we'll have fun with the new tools Samsung introduced with the One UI 6.1.1 update. And regardless of what the future might hold, we'll talk more about the existing tools in our upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6 reviews. Stay tuned.
