Do you know that you can turn your images into animated videos, create slideshows with music, resize and edit pictures using free Microsoft Photos app for Windows 10? Yes, you have this app already installed on your PC! Just add your pictures and edit, convert pics into videos with 3D effects, even with sounds! We’ll show you how below. Read our fresh Microsoft Photos 2022 tutorial!
What is Microsoft Photos?
The Photo is a free image editing software preinstalled on every Win10 & 11 PC, so you don’t have to install it from Microsoft Store. Is it any good? Yes, we think so! New free app is the successor of popular Office Picture Manager in Windows 7. With the app you can do 4 complicated multimedia tasks easily and free:
- organize your images
- edit your images
- compare pictures
- and even make and edit videos with music
There are 3 best ways how to launch the Redmond image editor app on your computer:
- Press Windows button on your keyboard and select the software from the apps list as on the screenshot above
- ask Cortana to launch the picture editor app for you
- Type Microsoft Photos in the search bar box on your Windows 10 and click the app from the search results.
All edited images are stored in OneDrivie > Pictures folder. If you use OneDrive to sync and backup your files online, you can access your edited pics at any time on any device (a laptop, a tablet or a phone). Your images won’t get lost.
Watch quick Windows 10 Photos app review showing you its best features in action:
Window 10 Photos apps took after the best features of the Picture Manager. At Edit & Create > Draw tab you can add text to your pictures to annotate them or watermark with your own text signature or even add logo to photos. The freeware can rotate, resize and crop images easily and fast. You can find Crop option at the top of the program. The freeware can shrink pictures for any purpose like: to send by email, to prepare for upload or attachment, or to make ready for printing. Look for reduce file size option under 3 dots at the top right corner > Resize.
SEE ALSO: Top 10 Free Online Image Resizers for Email in KB & Pixels [Without Losing Quality]
How to Edit Pictures in Windows 11?
Unlike Microsoft Paint, the Windows 11 app includes solid tool kit for picture manipulation. At Edit & Create > Edit tab you can:
- add 15 filters to your pics
- turn colorful images into retro black and white pictures (apply Vanilla filter to your pic)
- automatically enhance your image quality with magic wand tool in Filters
- edit Light (Adjustments > Light). Edit pic contrast, exposure, highlights, and shadows
- fine-tune Color (Adjustments > Color). Adjust image tint, warmth
- remove red eyes from your images
- blur your image background with options Adjustments > Clarity and Adjustments > Vignette
- use Spot fix to remove skin imperfections such as wrinkles, acne, freckles, dark circles under the eyes or tattoos
How to Edit Video with Music on Windows 10 – 11?
Do you still miss old good free Movie Maker? If yes, then you’ll definitely enjoy video editing features. In Windows 10 Live Movie Maker isn’t available anymore and all Movie Maker features moved to the new application, see official announcement here. We aren’t video editing blog, so we won’t focus a lot on video making tools. But we tested and liked most of all is the ability to make video slideshow out of your personal pictures with music. Unlike Freemake slideshow, the free picture maker empowers you with a list of audio tracks from its inbuilt library and you just need to select pics from your collection to mix into a slideshow and turn it into an MP4 video file.
Here’s how to make a video slides with music on Windows 10 – 11:
- Start the app
- Select an image for your slideshow
- Click Edit & Create > Create a video with music
- Add a title for your video slideshow
- Click Add button to add more pictures into Project library
- Click Background music to add a soundtrack from free music library
- Or click Custom audio to upload your own song
- Additionally you can add title card, text, motion, filters or 3D effects
- Press Finish video when you’re done and save your final slideshow video with music
If you ever worked with Movie Maker, you’ll quickly make a video. The workflow is quite similar.
Watch video tutorial on how to add music to video in Windows 11:
How to Open HEIC Files (from iPhone, iPad) on Windows 11 & 10?
As the predecessor, the new app works with many image formats including regular JPEG, BMP, PNG and rare RAW images. However, users often complain that image viewer doesn’t not open HEIC files from iPhone, iPad. Please note that to manage HEIC images, you need to install an additional paid extension addon from Microsoft Store. Check the settings and turn on this option as on the screenshot below, if you shoot RAW files.
How to Add 3D Effects to Your Pictures in Windows 11?
Under Create & Edit > Add 3D effects tab is hidden a creative option to add 3D effects from audio library. Your average photo will change into an animated video with artistic effect. Frankly speaking, we expected that such creative images might be saved as GIF, but we were totally wrong. The software allows you to save pictures with 3D animation only as MP4 short video files.
Let’s see how to add 3D effects to your pics easily:
- Open the application
- Choose an image where you want to add 3D effect
- Click Create & Edit > Add 3D effects
- Pick an effect with music and motion from Effects tab
- Pick a still 3D object from 3D library
- Press Save a copy when you’re ready
Click the image to watch web story below & learn how to add 3D effects:
Isn’t it as simple as can be? By the way, what’s your favorite feature? What do you like most of all? Tell us in comments below!
How Good Are You at Editing with Microsoft Photos?
Pass free quiz & check your knowledge of Microsoft Photos app. Do you know edit pics in Microsoft Photos on Window 10?
it’s not on my windows 11 pro
Hi Bruce,
What features do you miss in this image editing software?
Thanks,
Anna, editor