{"id":117948,"date":"2025-05-20T20:22:10","date_gmt":"2025-05-20T20:22:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/117948\/"},"modified":"2025-05-20T20:22:10","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T20:22:10","slug":"first-look-pixels-magic-portrait-frames-your-photos-on-the-lock-screen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/117948\/","title":{"rendered":"First look: Pixel&#8217;s &#8216;Magic Portrait&#8217; frames your photos on the lock screen"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img class=\"e_-g\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"eager\"  title=\"google pixel lock screen hero\"  alt=\"Lock screen on the Google Pixel 9 Pro.\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/google-pixel-lock-screen-hero-scaled.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Joe Maring \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n<p>TL;DR<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Pixel phones are gaining a \u201cMagic Portrait\u201d feature in the Android 16 beta to enhance lock screen wallpapers by framing cutouts of subjects.<\/li>\n<li>This new tool, found in the Pixel wallpaper app\u2019s effects, automatically isolates part of an image and offers various frame shapes and background colors.<\/li>\n<li>Alternatively, users can apply dynamic weather effects to their wallpapers, adding another layer of personalization.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>There are plenty of ways to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.androidauthority.com\/android-wallpapers-662790\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">find new wallpapers<\/a> for your Android device, from simply browsing the web to following Android Authority. However, if you have a Pixel phone and can\u2019t find one that catches your eye, you also have several options to create your own. You can transform existing photos into short 3D animations with the Pixel\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.androidauthority.com\/android-cinematic-wallpapers-3328906\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cinematic Wallpaper<\/a> feature, design an emoji collage using the Emoji Workshop app, or generate unique wallpapers through the AI Wallpaper app. Soon, another option will join this lineup: the new Magic Portrait feature, which takes your existing lock screen wallpaper and places it in a beautiful frame to make it stand out even more.<\/p>\n<p>Magic Portrait is rolling out with the new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.androidauthority.com\/android-16-features-3484159\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Android 16<\/a> beta which Google released today. After installing the new update on a Pixel 9 Pro, we found the new Magic Portrait option by opening the Pixel wallpaper app, tapping the lock screen preview, and then selecting the \u2018effects\u2019 button.<\/p>\n<p>Once we selected Magic Portrait, the system analyzed the lock screen wallpaper and automatically cut out a portion to place within a frame. While the default frame is an oval, several other shapes are available, including a rounded square and a clover. An opaque background surrounds the frame, helping to highlight it. Users can choose from a few background color options, though a color wheel for precise color selection isn\u2019t available.<\/p>\n<p>Alternatively, instead of framing a cutout, you can apply a weather effect to the wallpaper, similar to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.androidauthority.com\/one-ui-live-effect-wallpaper-3461602\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Samsung\u2019s Live Effect wallpapers<\/a> found in One UI 6.1.1 and later. Some of the available weather effects include fog, rain, snow, and sun, and they can add a dynamic touch to various wallpapers.<\/p>\n<p><img class=\"e_-g\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"  title=\"New weather effects feature in Android 16 QPR1 Beta 1 on Pixel\"  alt=\"New weather effects feature in Android 16 QPR1 Beta 1 on Pixel\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/New-weather-effects-feature-in-Android-16-QPR1-Beta-1-on-Pixel.jpg\"\/><img class=\"e_-g\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"  title=\"Rain effect applied to wallpaper in Android 16 QPR1 Beta 1 on Pixel\"  alt=\"Rain effect applied to wallpaper in Android 16 QPR1 Beta 1 on Pixel\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Rain-effect-applied-to-wallpaper-in-Android-16-QPR1-Beta-1-on-Pixel.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Overall, Google\u2019s new Magic Portrait feature is a welcome addition to the Pixel\u2019s wallpaper customization toolkit. It allows you to isolate the most important part of any wallpaper\u2014such as a person or pet\u2014and showcase it in an attractive frame. Furthermore, the option to apply dynamic weather effects can bring otherwise static shots to life. Given how frequently people see their lock screen, Google is providing a thoughtful way for users to add a more personal touch. This aligns with Google\u2019s broader goals for its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.androidauthority.com\/google-material-3-expressive-features-changes-availability-devices-3556392\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Material 3 Expressive<\/a> design language, aiming to make the Android experience feel more expressive and individual.<\/p>\n<p>Although the Magic Portrait feature is available in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.androidauthority.com\/android-16-qpr1-beta-1-3557258\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Android 16 QPR1 Beta 1<\/a>, it\u2019s a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.androidauthority.com\/best-pixel-features-explained-3217987\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pixel-exclusive offering<\/a> rather than a standard Android feature, meaning other devices won\u2019t receive it. However, this doesn\u2019t prevent other device makers from implementing their own versions of this feature, and indeed, some already offer similar customization options.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Got a tip? Talk to us!<\/strong>\u00a0Email our staff at <a class=\"c-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.androidauthority.com\/pixel-magic-portrait-wallpapers-3557769\/mailto:news@androidauthority.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-stringify-link=\"mailto:tips@androidauthority.com\" data-sk=\"tooltip_parent\" aria-haspopup=\"menu\" target=\"_blank\">news@androidauthority.com<\/a>. You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it&#8217;s your choice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Joe Maring \/ Android Authority TL;DR Pixel phones are gaining a \u201cMagic Portrait\u201d feature in the Android 16&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":117949,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[2239,868,53,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-117948","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-technology","8":"tag-android-16","9":"tag-google-pixel","10":"tag-technology","11":"tag-uk","12":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114542028150545369","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117948","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=117948"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117948\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/117949"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=117948"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=117948"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=117948"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}