Google Photos could soon save you hours of video editing labor with beat matching

Google Photos rolled out its redesigned video editor late last year, and alongside it, the app could also make Highlight videos for you, selecting text, music, and cuts that are automatically synced to your photos and clips. Highlight Videos could soon get a handy upgrade: an automatic “Beat Match” feature that syncs your photos directly to the rhythm of your chosen soundtrack.

Currently, Google Photos’ Highlight Videos lets you add a bunch of photos as your source for the highlight video. By default, you get a one-second interval between photos, but you can adjust it using the drag handles on the timeline. To align the new video’s transitions with your music tracks’ beats, you have to manually adjust each photo, which is very time-consuming.

Dedicated short-form video editors like CapCut and design platforms like Canva have long popularized automatic beat syncing, making it super easy for casual users to turn static slideshows of their photos into a punchy short movie. Google now looks set to bring that same convenience to Google Photos.

Within Google Photos v7.93.0, we managed to enable the upcoming Beat Match feature for Highlight Videos. When the feature rolls out, users will be able to select their music track, choose the new Beat Match option, and Google Photos will automatically adjust the timing of each photo to sync with the music’s beats.

As you can see, users will retain control over the process by simply choosing “No matching” if they prefer to do things manually or differently. You will likely also be able to fine-tune the beat-matched output to iron out any kinks. Note that if you have a music track with a fast tempo, you might end up with photos shown for only a fraction of a second, which would be intended behavior.

Beat Match is not currently available in Highlight Videos in Google Photos, so you will have to wait for Google to roll it out to enjoy snappily edited videos with minimal effort. Until then, you’ll have to do your beat-matching manually or use a different video editor.