It's time for another Google+ update, and this one's all about photos. Don't use Google+ for pictures? Tough. Let's dive in.

What's New?

Google+ now supports non-destructive photo editing across multiple devices, so if you start an edit on one device, you can tweak it again or start over using another. And if you don't like what you see, you can still revert back to the original image at any time.

Inside you will find new filters and enhancements inspired by Snapseed. You also get your standard set of tools for cropping and rotating images.

If you've used Snapseed, the interface will look familiar. You're able to drag up and down on the picture you're editing to select different settings, and moving left or right adjusts values. The last picture below gives this adorable kitten its healthy dosage of fabulousness via the Drama option, which can be scaled and comes with presets.

The update also applies a selection of borders to frame your image with, along with various options for blurring those pixels.

Leaving editing alone for a moment, Google has streamlined the photos view. Now a single "All" category displays your entire library, regardless of whether the images are stored on your current device or saved online. A scrollbar is also available on the right, so you can move more quickly between old and new pictures.

The app won't show all photos initially if your library is in the tens of thousands of photos, but future updates should improve on this.

Another, perhaps smaller change, applies to the ActionBar. Now you can hold the overflow menu button, slide down, and release. Before Google+ used a custom approach that didn't feel quite right. And on the topic of UI tweaks, the Folder option is now tucked away in the slideout menu.

Update: What do we have here? Apparently the option to back up local folders has also found its way into the app.

Here's the full list of options provided by the new photo editor:

  • Auto (Auto Enhance) - Off, Normal, High
  • Crop - Free, Original, Square
  • Rotate - Drag to straighten the angle - Left, Right
  • Looks - 15 different presets
  • Tune Image - Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, Shadows Warmth
  • Selective - Add / Remove (allows you to manually position points for radial edits) -- Each point has Brightness, Saturation, Contrast , and Center Size
  • Details - Structure, Sharpening
  • Vintage - Brightness, Saturation, Style Strength, Vignette Strength - Blur - 12 preset styles
  • Drama - Filter Strength, Saturation - 6 preset styles
  • Black & White - Brightness, Contrast, Grain - Color Filter - 6 preset styles
  • HDR Scape - Filter Strength, Brightness, Saturation - 4 Styles
  • Retrolux - Brightness, Saturation, Contrast, Style Strength, Scratches, Light Leaks - Shuffle (randomizer) - 13 preset styles
  • Center Focus - Blur Strength, Outer Brightness, Inner Brightness, Center Size - Blur (toggles weak/strong) - 6 preset styles
  • Frames - Colorize toggle - 23 frame options - Frame size is adjustable

Download

The update is rolling out now. If it has yet to pop up on your device, here are several mirrors that can reduce the wait.

The APK is signed by Google and upgrades your existing app. The cryptographic signature guarantees that the file is safe to install and was not tampered with in any way. Rather than wait for Google to push this download to your devices, which can take days, download and install it just like any other APK.

File name: com.google.android.apps.plus-4.3.0.62152090.apk

File Size: 33.3 MB

Version: 4.3.0.62152090 (Android 3.0+)

MD5: 42823ece1ca6fc7b391f4f7c992c5d9e

Source: Google+