Google's Pixel 10 Introduces AI-Powered Camera Coach to Enhance Photography Skills

Wish you could take better pics? Camera Coach on the Pixel 10 can help - here's how

Whether you are trying to take content creation seriously, want photos to frame on the wall, or, like me, like to overshare on the internet, you likely want your photos to look as good as possible. However, this can sometimes be tricky, as many factors, such as angles, lighting, and zoom, impact the quality of your photo. Now, AI can help. Also: Everything announced at Made by Google 2025: Pixel 10 Pro, Fold, Watch 4, and more On Wednesday, Google held its Made by Google event, where it unveiled its latest Pixel devices, including the Pixel 10 Series, Pixel Watch 4, Pixel Buds 2a, and a lot of new AI features. The best part: some of the new features have yet to be done by competitors, providing users with a helpful, original feature like the Camera Coach. The new feature can level up your photo game (or that of those taking photos of you) with some helpful guidance that might just make you a better photographer in the long run. Keep reading below for a dive into the feature and my experience with it. The Camera Coach feature assists you with snapping the perfect shot by suggesting ways to correct your angle, lighting, modes, and more, depending on your goal for taking the picture. For example, if you point your camera at a subject, it will ask what type of photo you want to take (portrait, photo, etc.). Then it will give a series of steps you can click through, with suggestions like "Use Portrait mode" and "Frame for [insert subject name]." Also: I went hands-on with every Google Pixel 10 model - and was surprised by the one I loved most Beyond providing step-by-step instructions, Camera Coach will also generate a reference image of how you should frame your shot, which is especially helpful for visual learners. Beyond capturing better photos in the moment, the goal is for Camera Coach to teach users how to produce better images in the long run by learning foundational principles of photography. I had the opportunity to demo the feature before the Made by Google event and was pleasantly surprised by the experience. In my first demo, the user tried to take a photo outside the window of a landscape shot of a pier. Also: PixelSnap is the MagSafe for Android phones we've been waiting for - here's our first look Camera Coach first analyzed the scene and surfaced options for what the user might want to focus on in the shot, highlighting different elements such as "Activity in the Water" or "The Structure of the Gulf Netting." I was particularly impressed with its ability to recognize exactly what it was looking at, presenting the option, "Focus on the Chelsea Piers Building," with no additional context beyond what it was seeing. Once the demoer selected that he wanted to feature the buildings and sky, the steps were generated in seconds. The first directive was to turn the phone into landscape, then tilt the phone toward the sky, move the phone to the left to avoid the black window bar, and so on until the frame was perfectly composed for the photo. Also: Google just settled the foldable phone debate with one number - and I hope Samsung is watching In another demo, we pointed the camera at a plant. Again, it provided different shot options, including some more original ones you may not have thought of, such as "Textured Leaf Close-Up." Once that option was selected, it generated similar steps. The biggest standout was that it generated an image of the leaf perfectly composed so we could mimic it to take the picture. Camera Coach is available on the Pixel 10 Series, which launched today, and is available for preorder starting Aug. 20. The feature may trickle down to older models in the future, but Google has yet to confirm one way or the other. Also: This hidden Pixel camera setting gave my photos the pop they've been missing Whether a moderately tech-savvy person like myself would find a use for this feature on a daily basis is debatable, but I could see the need for users like my mom, who can't ever seem to get the framing just right when taking a photo, which in turn should get me better photos of myself -- and that I can be hyped about. You can keep up with my latest stories and tech adventures on social media. Follow me on Twitter/X at @sabrinaa_ortiz and on Instagram at @sabrinaa.ortiz.

Camera Coach on Pixel 10 helps you take better photos as you shoot them

Whether you are trying to take content creation seriously, want photos to frame on the wall, or, like me, like to overshare on the internet, you likely want your photos to look as good as possible. However, this can sometimes be tricky, as many factors, such as angles, lighting, and zoom, impact the quality of your photo. Now, AI can help. Also: Everything announced at Made by Google 2025: Pixel 10 Pro, Fold, Watch 4, and more On Wednesday, Google held its Made by Google event, where it unveiled its latest Pixel devices, including the Pixel 10 Series, Pixel Watch 4, Pixel Buds 2a, and a lot of new AI features. The best part: some of the new features have yet to be done by competitors, providing users with a helpful, original feature like the Camera Coach. The new feature can level up your photo game (or that of those taking photos of you) with some helpful guidance that might just make you a better photographer in the long run. Keep reading below for a dive into the feature and my experience with it. The Camera Coach feature assists you with snapping the perfect shot by suggesting ways to correct your angle, lighting, modes, and more, depending on your goal for taking the picture. For example, if you point your camera at a subject, it will ask what type of photo you want to take (portrait, photo, etc.). Then it will give a series of steps you can click through, with suggestions like "Use Portrait mode" and "Frame for [insert subject name]." Also: I went hands-on with every Google Pixel 10 model - and was surprised by the one I loved most Beyond providing step-by-step instructions, Camera Coach will also generate a reference image of how you should frame your shot, which is especially helpful for visual learners. Beyond capturing better photos in the moment, the goal is for Camera Coach to teach users how to produce better images in the long run by learning foundational principles of photography. I had the opportunity to demo the feature before the Made by Google event and was pleasantly surprised by the experience. In my first demo, the user tried to take a photo outside the window of a landscape shot of a pier. Also: PixelSnap is the MagSafe for Android phones we've been waiting for - here's our first look Camera Coach first analyzed the scene and surfaced options for what the user might want to focus on in the shot, highlighting different elements such as "Activity in the Water" or "The Structure of the Gulf Netting." I was particularly impressed with its ability to recognize exactly what it was looking at, presenting the option, "Focus on the Chelsea Piers Building," with no additional context beyond what it was seeing. Once the demoer selected that he wanted to feature the buildings and sky, the steps were generated in seconds. The first directive was to turn the phone into landscape, then tilt the phone toward the sky, move the phone to the left to avoid the black window bar, and so on until the frame was perfectly composed for the photo. Also: I'm a diehard Pixel fan, but I'm not upgrading to the Pixel 10. Here's why In another demo, we pointed the camera at a plant. Again, it provided different shot options, including some more original ones you may not have thought of, such as "Textured Leaf Close-Up." Once that option was selected, it generated similar steps. The biggest standout was that it generated an image of the leaf perfectly composed so we could mimic it to take the picture. Camera Coach is available on the Pixel 10 Series, which launched today, and is available for preorder starting Aug. 20. The feature may trickle down to older models in the future, but Google has yet to confirm one way or the other. Also: This hidden Pixel camera setting gave my photos the pop they've been missing Whether a moderately tech-savvy person like myself would find a use for this feature on a daily basis is debatable, but I could see the need for users like my mom, who can't ever seem to get the framing just right when taking a photo, which in turn should get me better photos of myself -- and that I can be hyped about. You can keep up with my latest stories and tech adventures on social media. Follow me on Twitter/X at @sabrinaa_ortiz and on Instagram at @sabrinaa.ortiz.

Pixel 10's Camera Coach helps you get better at taking photos

Google has just announced the Pixel 10 series of phones, and there are plenty of features worth knowing. However, one of the most intriguing camera-related additions is a so-called Camera Coach feature. Camera Coach is a feature within the Pixel Camera app that uses on-device AI models and reference images to analyze your scene and make step-by-step shooting suggestions. These suggestions include trying different angles and framing, moving closer, switching camera modes, asking the subject to look at the camera, and more. The feature even generates reference images from your scene and lets you choose them so you can capture a similar-looking snap.

What is Camera Coach on the Pixel 10?

I cracked the code on home screen organization and my phone finally makes sense Like every year, Google's Pixel 10 doubles down on its photography prowess with a range of hardware and software features aimed at capturing better images, no matter the circumstances. However, good photography is equal parts hardware and framing. To solve that skill gap, the Pixel 10 series is launching with a new feature called Camera Coach that is aimed at changing the way people take photos on their phones. Instead of relying on generative AI or computational photography, Camera Coach takes an educational route. The tool uses the phone's onboard Gemini AI to analyze ambient scenes in real time and guides users with tips, reference shots, and suggestions to improve their photography frame. The goal isn't just a great shot, but to improve the standard of photography through better composition and framing. Here's how Camera Coach works Real-time tips, AI-based inspiration, and spatial awareness At its most basic level, Camera Coach is essentially a photography tutor built into the Pixel Camera app. When the feature is switched on, it analyzes the scene you are trying to photograph and offers instructions on how to better capture the scene. This could mean adjusting the angle at which you are shooting the photograph, moving closer to the subject, switching to a different Portrait Mode, or even asking people in the photo to look at the camera lens. It's surprisingly intelligent. But that's not all. There's a built-in mode that gives you further inspiration for the kind of images you can capture. This mode generates example photos using generative AI to show you visually the kind of images you can capture. You can then pick one, and the app will guide you through the steps and changes you should make to capture an image similar to the example. For people who struggle with imagining creative compositions on the spot, this could be the gentle nudge they need to try something new and break free from the standard point-and-shoot routine. This could be the gentle nudge you need to try something new and break free from the standard point-and-shoot routine. Built on top of Gemini AI, the feature also understands scene context and can make suggestions based on ambient lighting, or perhaps a different perspective if you are shooting food at a restaurant. Elsewhere, the coach might recommend switching to the ultrawide lens when shooting landscapes. Over time, this feedback can help users discover new ways of framing their own shots, get better at photography, and even develop their own style. It's less about AI doing the work for you and more about helping you observe a different approach to making a shot stand out, which in itself is a pretty refreshing change from how we've seen AI applied so far. Camera Coach has its advantages A surprisingly useful teaching aid Unlike some of the other AI features on the Pixel 10, like Magic Cue, Camera Coach is fairly simplistic. However, it serves a very specific purpose. Rather than encouraging editing, cropping into images, or adding to them with generative AI after the photo has been shot, it helps at the point of capture. The entire goal here is to encourage users to think about composition and technique. This is valuable for users who might not always be the best photographers, but expect great photos from their phones. It allows newcomers to dive into photography without spending hours looking at tutorials to improve their game. Not just newcomers, I can also see it being a helpful tool for seasoned photographers to get inspiration to break out of a rut. Not just newcomers, I can also see it being a helpful tool for seasoned photographers to get inspiration to break out of a rut. While most users would see it as a helpful assistant that is making photography more accessible, it could come across as a gimmick to be used once or twice by others. However, as far as AI tools go, Camera Coach highlights Google's direction with the Pixel 10. Instead of just delivering hardware upgrades or bigger numbers, Camera Coach and Magic Cue are both designed to make the camera feel more collaborative. The tools are creativity and productivity accelerators instead of replacements. And that's a very big difference. AI as a coaching tool, not just another gimmick Camera Coach is one of those tools that might not see too much use. Despite that, it is a clear sign that Google sees the smartphone camera as more than just a point-and-shoot tool. It is a bona fide creativity tool and the only camera for most. By combining AI, live scene analysis, and coaching driven by tried and tested photography principles, the Pixel 10 doesn't just aim to make your next photograph better. It is trying to teach you what makes that photograph better. A good coach doesn't just help you capture a good image. It gives you the tools to repeat that process, and that's exactly what you're getting here. It remains to be seen if it gets serious adoption or remains a curiosity, but Camera Coach represents a big step forward towards using AI as a context-aware assistant in creativity instead of a replacement for creativity. If nothing else, it proves that AI on phones can serve other creative purposes than rephrasing text or generating cartoon images.

Hate your smartphone photos? Google's Pixel 10 could have your back - here's how

When people ask me about smartphones, I often say there's not been a huge amount of evolution in them over the past few years, especially on the camera side: even some of the best cheap phones now take photos that are more than good enough for social media. In many ways, we've arguably hit a plateau on how much can be squeezed out of the compact camera hardware slotted into phones, regardless of the megapixel count. It's here where artificial intelligence comes into play, along with evolved image signal processing, to optimize and refine shots. However, as smart as AI tech seems to be getting, it couldn't really fix a dud photo in the first place - until now, it seems. Enter the new Google Pixel 10 series. Already stuffed with AI, Google has equipped its latest suite of Pixel phones - comprising the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 XL and Pixel 10 Pro Fold - with fresh smart features, with one catching my eye: Camera Coach. Building upon the AI camera features of past Pixel phones, Camera Coaches uses Google Gemini models, which are built into the camera system, to process a scene a user is trying to capture and then offer a mix of suggestions to help them find the best angle, lighting, and even suggest what camera modes to use to get the best photos. In essence, Camera Coach is a way to help people who suck at getting good shots on their phones to produce better photos. It might seem like a bit of a crutch to people who think photography is an art to be finessed, and I partially agree. But it's also a tool that should help people learn how to better take photos and frame a scene. I'm a big advocate of trying to capture the best photo you can before going down the editing route, and I feel Camera Coach could be the means to do that. I should point out I've not tried this feature yet, so I am going off Google's information - but by helping people take the best photo to begin with, Camera Coach should avoid the need to use a whole suite of generative AI editing tools to create a good photo after hitting the shutter button; to me, that means less artificial finesse and fakery and more 'real' photography, albeit with a little help from some smart algorithms. One could argue that there's nothing revolutionary about Camera Coach, as it's potentially just an evolved take on the Guided Frame features, which uses AI to help guide people with visual impairments take good photos. But I feel it's an evolution in the right place, with AI being used to help people be better rather than simply replace a skill or do something for them. Now, that's not to say the Pixel 10 models are lacking in other AI image enhancements and photo manipulation tools, as there's now an automatic version of Best Take for group photos to find and combine similar photos into a single image in which everyone looks their best. Features like the Magic Editor and automatic AI editing are also present and correct. Yet, Camera Coach to my eyes is a promising use of AI to help upskill people and offers a fresh (well, fresh-ish) take on AI use in smartphone cameras. And while I think I'm handy enough with a camera or one of the best camera phones, I'm still keen to try it out. What do you reckon? Let me know in the comments below.

The Pixel 10 Has an AI-Powered 'Camera Coach' That I Actually Liked

Google debuted a bunch of new camera features that add AI to your photos during its Made by Google event yesterday, including one that claims to let you zoom in by 100 times -- but there's one other AI-powered addition that doesn't actually add AI to your final photo. Called Camera Coach, it essentially tries to ensure your pictures look perfect before you click the shutter rather than trying to fix them up afterwards. As someone who's still wary of AI-generated imagery, could this be the perfect blend of man and machine I've been waiting for? Not everyone took a photography course in high school like I did, which means they may not also be experts in basic concepts like "the rule of thirds" and "make sure your subject is in frame." Kidding aside, if you've ever handed your phone off to a family member and tried (and failed) to guide them through taking a photo of you, you're Camera Coach's target audience. Essentially, if you have a Pixel 10 device, you can now point it at a subject, then click a button in the top right corner of the Camera app to suddenly have the phone's AI become an impromptu cinematographer. This will pop up an interface with a number of potential shots you could take, generated by the AI. Click on one, and you'll be guided through the steps you need to take it, with the AI watching your screen and offering advice as needed. Snap the photo, and it'll save as it appears in your lens, with no AI imagery being added to your final result. Most of Camera Coach is just about helping you with framing and zooming, but there is one case where the AI image generation takes a more heavy role. Alongside Camera Coach's typical suggestions, which rely on cropping or panning around what was already in your camera's frame, it also throws in suggestions with a blue highlight around them that prompt you to "Get Inspired." These use generative AI to guess at what your photo might look like from a different angle, or with more of the surrounding environment included. The catch is that it can only intuit what it has actually seen through your camera lens, rather than actually know what is and isn't there, so some of these shots might not be physically possible. Luckily, if none of the Get Inspired suggestions, or even the normal suggestions, appeal to you, you can always hit a refresh button to get more. In a hands-on demo in a controlled environment, Get Inspired did pretty accurately guess at the area surrounding the initial shot, but since we were on a mostly blank sound stage, that's not too surprising. If you decide to use Camera Coach, prepare to get on your feet. The steps to get the perfect shot can be as simple as moving your phone up or down and zooming in a bit, but in my demo, we actually had to crouch and kind of crab walk a couple of feet. It can be a bit picky about making sure the subject is where it wants it. Camera Coach operates on two different kinds of AI. First, there's on-device AI, which means it never leaves your phone. This is what you'll see when you're actually following the Coach's directions, as it'll watch your screen to try to ensure you get the right shot. But unlike most of Google's other new AI features, Camera Coach also relies on cloud-based AI. A Google spokesperson told me Camera Coach will send one frame to the cloud at the start of your session, to "ensure you get the best processing available," but that it'll delete your frame afterwards. It shouldn't be too much of a security issue -- Google won't train its AI on that single frame -- but it does mean you won't be able to use Camera Coach if you don't have a connection. Against all my usual suspicion, I was decently impressed with the suggestions Camera Coach made. You're not going to win a Pulitzer with these, but it does a decent job of helping you realize the potential of what's in front of you, and how it could be improved if you just took a step forward or back, or moved your subject just a little to the left. Given how many family members I've had just take zoomed out, overexposed photos of me in the dead center of the frame, maybe some folks could use the guidance. I'm also happy that there's no generative AI actually in your shots, so I can safely post them to social media without making my followers suspicious. As for the machine learning algorithm behind Camera Coach, Google told me its photography team fed it both "good" and "bad" example photos and did its best to teach the AI the difference, so it seems like there was significant human intervention in the backend. At the same time, we still don't know where Google got those training photos, so the typical concerns with generative AI apply, even if you can be sure there will be no hallucinations in your final image. Camera Coach also won't work for quick shots, where the subject isn't going to be sitting still in front of you long enough for the AI to figure out how to best frame it.