Adobe’s AI-powered Photoshop update is a time-saver

Adobe has unveiled Photoshop 19.1 with a much-anticipated AI-based feature for photo retouchers and a fix for longstanding Windows display issues. The first feature is called “select subject,” and uses Adobe’s Sensei deep-learning algorithms to make it much easier to isolate subjects from backgrounds. Adobe sent Engadget a preview copy of Photoshop to test, and I found that it’s a big time-saver that doesn’t always work, especially if your subject and what’s behind it are too similar.

The tool is certainly simple to use. You load up your photo and choose either the “quick selection,” “magic wand”, or “select and mask” tools to bring up the “select subject” option at the top of the screen. Once you choose that, the AI does the rest, attempting to find the subject in the shot, whether an animal, human or prominent inanimate object.

To be clear, Adobe does not tout this as a feature that can automatically and perfectly select things for you, in the same way as dedicated apps like Fluid Mask. Rather, it aims to do a decent job of getting you started, making the rest of the manual process much simpler.

For instance, photo retouching specialists often separate models from their backgrounds in order to do things like change their skin tone or blur the background more. The first step of that is often to use a magic wand or manually outline the person, both of which are hit and miss and time-consuming. The select subject feature does the entire first step in one shot, freeing your time to fine tune the selection in areas like hair or clothing.

I tried it myself on a bunch of scenes of people, cameras, dogs and cats, and as you’d expect, how well it worked depended completely on the photo (see the gallery, above). If the subjects are well-separated from their backgrounds in terms of colors, shape and depth of field, the system works well. On the other hand, if the background is similar or overly complex, then the feature failed to varying degrees. (To be fair, a subject not well-separated from its background means you probably took a bad photo.)

Even if the selection was poor, the system still saved me a bit of time. Sometimes, however, it was easier to just punt and select things manually from scratch. Overall, it’s a nice addition, but hopefully Adobe will improve it to the point that it makes everything more automatic.

The other primary improvement in Photoshop 19.1 is high-resolution monitor support for Windows 10 Creator’s Edition. Up until today, users with high-resolution QHD or 4K laptop or desktop monitors could end up with tiny text, making the app nearly unusable without a lot of fiddling. That sucks considering that many folks probably bought their high-res screens to do Photoshop better.

With the new release, Photoshop “now offers a full range of choices for UI scale factors from 100 percent to 400 percent, in 25 percent increments … so that the Photoshop user interface will look crisp, beautiful, and the right size no matter the density of your monitor,” Adobe said. The app will automatically adjust itself based on your Windows settings.

What’s more, Photoshop also works better for those of us who use dual monitor setups with multiple resolutions (I have a 3,200 x 1,800 pixel laptop, and 4K primary display, for instance). “One monitor can have a scale factor of 175 percent and another a scale factor of 400 percent,” Adobe said. “This allows Windows users to choose either the highest-end 13-inch laptops with 4k screens, the more affordable 1080p models, or tap into the new 8k desktop monitors, each with an uncompromised experience.”

Speaking of Microsoft, Adobe also improved support for the Dial controller. The feature is no longer a technical preview, and you can now change brush settings on the fly while you paint, rather than between strokes as before. Photoshop 19.1 rolls out today with other Adobe CC products and should be available in your neck of the woods soon.

Snapchat Stories are coming to the web

Snap calls itself a camera company, and today it’s taking a big step towards the proliferation of content beyond the confines of Snapchat. As rumored, the company will allow iOS and Android users to share select stories outside of the app (the same way you’d share a mobile web link or tweet). At launch, the feature is limited to content from Snapchat’s Discover media partners, Our Stories from events and places and stories from the search bar.

Users on the redesigned app in countries like Australia and Canada will get the function first, allowing you to share a story via text, iMessage or email, and to other platforms. The rest of us can view the clips for 30 days (in the case of search and Our Stories) and 24 hours (for Discover stories) on the new story player on Snapchat.com. Yes, ephemerality remains — this is Snapchat, after all. The feature will roll out worldwide in tandem with Snapchat’s redesign over the net few weeks.

Since Snapchat’s blockbuster IPO (that valued the company at $24 billion), there’s been plenty of talk about its declining fortunes. The app is struggling to gain new users and its tricky set-up means that additions (like the location-sharing Snap Maps) are being ignored. You could say that Instagram poaching its Stories function in 2016 set the ball in motion.

But, the app still boats 178 million daily users who share a whopping 3.5 billion snaps each day. Investors have been screaming at it to better leverage that mountain of content (which includes news, posts from celebs and video-essays from events), and story sharing is the company’s answer. It should also give a leg up to publishers worried about the detrimental effects of a looming redesign that splits user and media content into separate tabs.

Snap has dabbled in creative tools for users in the past, including on-demand geofilters and the recently launched Lens Studio, which opens up its augmented reality graphics.

Netflix’s ‘Mudbound’ receives four Oscar nominations

The Oscar nominations for the 90th Academy Awards were announced this morning, and Netflix came away with a good showing for its film Mudbound. Mary J. Blige was nominated for Best Supporting Actress . Additionally the film received a nod in the Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Song (“Mighty River”) and Best Achievement in Cinematography (Rachel Morrison).

Netflix also made a strong showing in the Best Documentary category. Two of the five nominees, Icarus and Strong Island, were both distributed by Netflix, and Heroin(e) was nominated for Best Documentary Short. Last year, Amazon made a strong showing with Manchester By the Sea; it appears that this year it’s Netflix’s turn. You can see the full list of nominees over at the Oscar website. The ceremony will take place on Sunday, March 4th at 8:00 PM ET; you can watch it live on ABC.

Source: Academy Awards

Twitter COO Anthony Noto resigns to lead a finance startup

If there was one person at Twitter who was more important than co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey, it was COO Anthony Noto. Now, in what could be big news for the social network, Noto has announced that the rumors are true and he is leaving the company to become CEO of personal finance startup SoFi. Noto will begin his responsibilities leading SoFi on March 1st, but the move is likely to cause some fallout for the imperiled microblogging site.

Noto joined Twitter in 2014 after working as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs and a stint working as the NFL’s Chief Financial Officer. It’s believed that Noto’s personal relationship with the league helped seal its 2016 deal to stream Thursday Night Football, and Noto was behind Twitter’s overall push into live video. When former COO Adam Bain left the company in 2016, Noto assumed his title and responsibilities as well.

It’s something of an open secret in Silicon Valley circles that Noto has been the person in charge of Twitter for the last couple of years. A 2016 report suggested that Dorsey’s responsibilities at Square, as well as his passive leadership style created a power vacuum that Noto stepped in to fill. Noto also courted controversy at times, including when he suggested that a Twitter Q&A could replace the White House press briefings.

Whoever replaces Noto at Twitter will inherit their predecessor’s ambitions in the broadcasting space, as well as… the usual.

Source: SoFI

HomePod Launches February 9, Available to Order Starting Friday in United States, UK, and Australia

Apple today announced its HomePod speaker will be released on Friday, February 9, with pre-orders beginning this Friday, January 26 via Apple’s online store or the Apple Store app in the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

Apple added that HomePod will launch in France and Germany at some point “this spring,” but it hasn’t provided release dates for any other countries yet.

HomePod is priced at $349 in the United States, but Apple hasn’t revealed how much the speaker will cost in Australia or the United Kingdom yet. The speaker will be available in Apple Stores and at select resellers, such as Best Buy in the United States, John Lewis in the UK, and Harvey Norman in Australia.

Apple has primarily positioned the HomePod as a speaker that can stream Apple Music, but with built-in Siri, users can send messages, set timers, play podcasts, check the news and weather, control HomeKit-enabled smart home accessories, and complete other tasks without needing to take out their iPhone.

The high-fidelity speaker is equipped with spatial awareness and Apple-engineered audio technology, including a seven‑tweeter array and high-excursion woofer. The nearly seven inch tall speaker is powered by Apple’s A8 chip.

Apple’s marketing chief Phil Schiller:

HomePod is a magical new music experience from Apple. It brings advanced audio technologies like beam-forming tweeters, a high-excursion woofer and automatic spatial awareness, together with the entire Apple Music catalog and the latest Siri intelligence, in a simple, beautiful design that is so much fun to use. We’re so excited for people to get HomePod into their homes, apartments and businesses to hear it for themselves.

We think they will be blown away by the audio quality. The team has worked to give Siri a deeper knowledge of music so that you can ask to play virtually anything from your personal favorites to the latest chart-topping releases, simply by saying ‘Hey Siri.’

Apple said a future software update coming later this year will enable users to play music throughout the house with multi-room audio with multiple HomePods, presumably via its AirPlay 2 protocol. If there’s more than one HomePod set up in the same room, the speakers will be able to deliver stereo sound.

HomePod is compatible with iPhone 5s or newer, any iPad Pro, iPad Air or newer, iPad mini 2 or newer, and the sixth-generation iPod touch running iOS 11.2.5, which remains in beta testing, or later.

Related Roundup: HomePod
Discuss this article in our forums

Apple Says HomePod Launches in France and Germany in Spring 2018

In addition to the HomePod launching February 9 in the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom, Apple has also revealed that its Siri-enabled speaker will launch in France and Germany at some point “this spring,” suggesting a release date between March and June at the absolute latest in those countries.

France and Germany will be the first HomePod launch countries where English isn’t the primary language spoken. Siri on the HomePod should be able to answer French and German queries as on the iPhone and other devices.

HomePod is priced at $349 in the United States, but Apple has yet to reveal how much it will cost in other countries. Pricing in Australia and the United Kingdom should be revealed when online orders begin this Friday in those countries. Apple also hasn’t provided release dates for any other countries yet.

Apple has primarily positioned the HomePod as a speaker that can stream Apple Music, but with built-in Siri, users can send messages, set timers, play podcasts, check the news and weather, control HomeKit-enabled smart home accessories, and complete other tasks without needing to take out their iPhone.

The high-fidelity speaker is equipped with spatial awareness and Apple-engineered audio technology, including a seven‑tweeter array and high-excursion woofer. The nearly seven inch tall speaker is powered by Apple’s A8 chip.

Related Roundup: HomePodTags: France, Germany
Discuss this article in our forums

Ditch the cart and look at the Garmin Approach X10 to see the whole golf course

If improving your golf game was one of your 2018 resolutions, Garmin may be able to help. The latest wearable to join the Garmin family is the Approach X10, a band that comes loaded with data for more than 41,000 courses across the globe. Amateur and professional golfers alike will be able to see precise distances to the front, back, and middle of the green, and keep an eye on hazards, all without getting in a golf cart — they need only take a peek at their wrist.

“The Approach X10 is a simple and intuitive band perfect for beginners just starting to learn the game, or for avid golfers who want a fundamental golf band used exclusively on the course,” Dan Bartel, Garmin vice president of global consumer sales, said in a statement. “Even if you’ve never played the course before, the Approach X10 will give you the tools to swing with confidence.”

Layups, doglegs, and hazards including bunkers and water will be displayed on the wearable’s face, and because golf is a lifetime game, the 41,000 courses on the Approach X10 will be feature lifetime updates so you are never caught unaware. And as you make your way across a course from hole to hole, the wearable will follow your progress and provide you with the most recent information. Moreover, the X10 promises to keep tabs on key game stats including greens in regulation, putts and fairways, and will also measure shot distance.

With the Approach X10’s Green View display, you will be able to see the layout of the green and can position a pin on the wearable’s touchscreen for an accurate shot selection. And if you’re looking to bring out your competitive edge, the Approach X10’s compatibility with the new Garmin Golf app will certainly help. You will be able to compete in weekly leaderboards on any of the golf courses available on the X10, and view other players’ ranks, scores, handicaps, and more. So even if you’re not going to the Masters, you can set up your own tournament and invite folks to compete.

Water-resistant up to 5 ATM1, which means the slim band can brave the rain or your sweat, the X10 boasts an easy-to-read 1-inch display. The rechargeable battery is said to last 12 hours in GPS mode, so even if you’re spending the whole day on the course, the X10 can keep up with you. The wearable should be made available in January for $200.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Garmin contactless payments go live on the Vivoactive 3 smartwatch, just about
• Teach yourself to hit the ball out of the infield with Garmin’s Impact sensor
• Garmin’s Forerunner 645 Music lets runners listen to tunes, no phone required
• Garmin Vivoactive 3 review
• The Vivofit 4 from Garmin is a wearable you’ll actually wear all day long

How to set up a new Chromebook

These are the best tips to follow to set up your new Chromebook.

Speaking as someone who makes a living deploying and managing Windows laptops and Chromebooks , Chromebooks are awesome. Almost the entire initial setup is handled for the user automatically when they sign in with their Google account. Having said that, there are more things you can do to make your Chromebook yours after signing in.

Here are all the things you should do when setting up a brand new Chromebook!

• Plug it into power
• Sign into your Google account
• Download some apps
• Add a second account
• Check out the touchpad
• Learn the keyboard shortcuts
• Unlock your Chromebook with a PIN code
• Set up Smart Lock
• Set up Instant Tethering
• Choose what to sync

Plug it into power

When you get a brand new Chromebook, just pressing the power button doesn’t actually turn it on. Instead, you need to plug the charger in first. Once your Chromebook starts getting a bit of juice, it will turn on on its own and you’ll be ready to go.

If you bought a used or refurbished Chromebook, this won’t be necessary. Just hold the power button for a few seconds and your Chromebook will turn on.

Sign into your Google account

You’ll need to sign into your Google account as soon as the Chromebook boots up. This isn’t any different than signing into the Chrome browser or gmail.com. Once you’re signed in, your bookmarks, themes, and other settings will synchronize.

If you’re on a business-owned Chromebook, it’s probably set up for enterprise use. In this case, just enter your employee email address, password, and two-factor authentication method instead of your personal credentials.

After signing in, your Chromebook will be completely set up and ready to use. But to get the most out of your new device, keep reading for more tips!

More: Setting up a Chromebook for Enterprise use

Download some apps

Most newer Chromebooks come with access to the Google Play Store, meaning (almost) every application on your Android phone can be installed on your Chromebook. Microsoft Word, Adobe Lightroom, and more work wonderfully on Chrome OS, and they take the Chrome experience to a whole new level.

There are plenty of consumption apps as well. Amazon Video, Netflix, Kindle, Comixology, you name it. Convertible Chromebooks are wonderful video players and book readers. Most games that run on Android phones will also work on a Chromebook, but not all support the touchpad and keyboard.

More: These are the Chromebooks that can run Android apps from Google Play

More: Best Android games for Chromebook

Add a second account

Have a friend who may need to use your Chromebook every once in a while, or do you want to add your work account? As long as those are Google accounts, they can also be added to your Chromebook!

More: How to add a second user and Google account to your Chromebook

Check out the touchpad

You can of course use a wired or wireless mouse with your Chromebook, but the touchpad is already there and is pretty great. Chromebook touchpads have full gesture support, but if you’re coming from a Windows laptop, it may be a bit of a change. Don’t worry, once you start poking around a bit, using the new touchpad will become second nature.

For most use cases, you’ll be perfectly happy just using one finger to move the cursor around and two fingers to scroll through a webpage. If you want to try more with your touchpad, check out our full post below.

More: How to get the most from your Chromebook touchpad

Learn the keyboard shortcuts

The keyboard is the second most common way you’ll interact with your new Chromebook, so it may be worth taking some time to learn the shortcuts that will make your life easier. Standard shortcuts like Ctrl + X for cut and Ctrl + V for paste work perfectly, and I used Chromebooks for a full year before caring about the keyboard shortcuts because everything I needed to do worked. If you want to dive in and be as productive as possible, you can see some shortcuts in the article below.

More: 10 Essential Chromebook keyboard shortcuts you need to know

Unlock your Chromebook with a PIN code

A super secure password is the best way to keep your data safe, but not necessarily the most convenient. Fortunately, you can set your Chromebook to unlock with a six-digit PIN, just like your phone does. You will still need to use the full password at least every 24 hours, after a reboot or if you switch accounts.

More: How to unlock your Chromebook with a PIN code

Set up Smart Lock

Speaking of your phone and unlocking things, if you’re reading this, you probably use an Android phone. If you do, you can set up your Chromebook to unlock automatically if your phone is connected with Bluetooth. The only caveat that applies — beside your phone being turned on and connected with Bluetooth — is the Chromebook has to be connected to an Internet connection before trying to unlock.

One cool feature is that if you have multiple Google accounts on your phone, you can use Smart Lock to login to those same accounts on your Chromebook without needing a password.

More: How to unlock your Chromebook using your Android phone with Smart Lock

Pixel phone owners — set up Instant Tethering

There’s one other cool feature for your Chromebook if you use one of Google’s phones — Instant Tethering. While every phone can be used as a Wi-Fi hotspot or tether over Bluetooth or USB, the setup process is a bit clunky. Using Instant Tethering the first time is also clunky but after that, just open your Chromebook and it’ll automagically connect to your phone’s Internet connection.

Choose what to sync

You’ve probably used the Chrome browser before picking up a Chromebook — though that’s not a requirement — and by default, all your bookmarks, passwords, and other content will synchronize back and forth between the Chrome browser on your other computer, the Chrome browser on your phone and your new Chromebook.

But let’s say you don’t want that. You may have Netflix and Hulu bookmarked on your desktop computer, but prefer using the Android apps on your Chromebook. No worries, just dive into the settings and select which data you want to sync over between devices.

More: How to choose what you sync on Chrome devices

Check out our forums!

This isn’t an all-encompassing article, and you may have more specific questions once you begin using your Chromebook. Thankfully, our forums are chock-full of knowledgeable folks ready to lend a helping hand. Stop by there if you have any questions about your Chromebook.

Chrome OS forums

Chromebooks

• The best Chromebooks
• Should you buy a Chromebook?
• Google Play is coming to Chromebooks
• Acer Chromebook 14 review
• Join our Chromebook forums

The Morning After: Microsoft’s next gambit on education

Hey, good morning!

Morning there! Ready to shop in Amazon’s store of the future? How about grabbing a cheap Windows laptop for your kid’s next semester?

The Pulse Wave Velocity tracking will be deactivated on January 24th.
Nokia will disable the key feature of its priciest scale

Nokia will be disabling the headline feature of its Body Cardio scale in a software update. The scale was sold with the ability to track Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV), the speed at which your blood flows through your veins. The slower and more constant the speed, the healthier you are, and vice versa. In a statement, the company said the feature “may require a different level of regulatory approval,” possibly risking the wrath of regulators. Now it’s issuing a mandatory update that will kill the feature, while halting sales of new devices.

Integral Memory’s new card is built for 4K.
The first 512GB microSD card arrives in February

So long as your device can handle microSDXC (most Android phones and tablets, as well as PCs like the Surface Pro can), you, too, can have half a terabyte in the space of a fingernail.

What do we lose when we hand over control to Amazon?

Amazon’s convenience store of the future makes me nervous

Amazon’s cashier-free convenience store is opening to the public. Amazon Go, in the base of the company’s Seattle HQ, is the first of its kind: a convenience store with no checkouts, no lines and no stress. Simply walk in, select your purchases and walk out — a seamless, frictionless, fast way to grab a sandwich for lunch. At least that’s the story Amazon wants you to know. Dan Cooper explains why it makes him nervous.

A few ways Microsoft is trying to tempt schools away from Chromebooks.
Microsoft unveils cheap laptops and more tools for education

When it comes to the lucrative education market, Microsoft doesn’t want to be left behind — especially when Google’s Chromebooks are increasingly popular with schools. Microsoft’s big selling point this year? More cheap Windows 10 notebooks starting at $189, and a Minecraft: Education Edition update focused on chemistry. As you’d expect, the company also has plenty of updates in tow for its Office 365 education tools, which should make lives easier for teachers and students alike.

And Google doesn’t mind.
Google’s $20 million Lunar Xprize will end without a winner

The Lunar Xprize is about to come to an anticlimactic end after more than a decade. Google has confirmed to CNBC that it doesn’t plan to extend the $20-million competition past its March 31st deadline — itself an extension well beyond the original 2014 end date. Given that all the finalists either don’t have the funds to continue or don’t expect to launch that quickly (the fastest, SpaceIL, might not launch before the end of 2018), the competition is effectively over with no winners. Not that Google minds.

Formerly of Xbox and PlayStation.
Google hires gaming exec Phil Harrison

Phil Harrison had a leadership role with Sony during its PlayStation 3 run and managed details of the Xbox One launch in Europe. Now the executive tweeted that he’s joining Google as a VP and GM. But, you say, Google doesn’t have a gaming console? Well, it doesn’t have one yet.

But wait, there’s more…

• iTunes snafu made ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ available almost a month early
• Leaked: DJI’s Mavic Air drone may have improved 4K video
• Intel tells customers to stop using its faulty Spectre patch
• ‘Sonic’ designer Yuji Naka joins Square Enix
• Kim Dotcom sues the New Zealand government for $6.8 billion

The Morning After is a new daily newsletter from Engadget designed to help you fight off FOMO. Who knows what you’ll miss if you don’t Subscribe.

Craving even more? Like us on Facebook or Follow us on Twitter.

Have a suggestion on how we can improve The Morning After? Send us a note.

Garmin’s latest activity band is built for rookie golfers

To date, Garmin’s golf tracking wearables have been aimed at experienced players, with the higher prices to match. Even the Approach X40 isn’t a trivial purchase. But what if you’re relatively new? Enter the Approach X10: the new model gives you data for 41,000 courses at a $200 price that’s easier to swallow for someone just starting to refine their game. You still get GPS positioning, a 1-inch touchscreen and connectivity with the Garmin Golf app to compete with friends. The main sacrifice is the absence of support for a TruSwing club sensor, so you’ll need to step up to pricier gear if you want to perfect your swing.

The band is water-resistant to 5 ATM in case you get caught out in the rain, and it’ll easily last a full round with 12 hours of battery life when GPS is active. The X10 should be available before January is over, or just in time for that mid-winter golf vacation.

Source: Garmin