TL;DR
A journalist who tried to replicate Google Photos on a self-hosted stack finds several flagship features still unmatched by open source alternatives. Missing areas include generative edits, conversational image search, Pixel-linked video processing, memory curation, and seamless partner sharing.
What happened
Ben Khalesi reports on his effort to reproduce Google Photos’ capabilities using a self-hosted solution. He used Immich as his preferred open source alternative and succeeded in replicating many basic functions, but ran into five notable gaps. Google Photos’ Magic Editor performs quick generative edits (for example, removing unwanted objects) that Immich lacks natively; while Immich can be connected to external AI editors, that workflow is DIY and not as integrated. Google’s Ask Photos, backed by Gemini, delivers conversational, context-aware searches that mix image content with metadata — a level of reasoning Immich does not yet provide. Pixel-linked Video Boost relies on cloud processing to improve captured footage after upload, producing better final results than local tools. Google’s Memories and Partner Sharing offer emotionally tuned montages and automatic face-based sharing that the author finds difficult to reproduce on self-hosted setups. Khalesi concludes he uses both Google Photos and self-hosted tools for different needs.
Why it matters
- Cloud AI features can deliver results (editing, search, video processing) that current open source stacks struggle to match.
- Users weighing privacy and control against convenience face trade-offs: self-hosting gives sovereignty but not all automation.
- Device-linked processing (Pixel + cloud) showcases advantages of tight hardware–cloud integration that are hard to replicate independently.
Key facts
- Article by Ben Khalesi comparing Google Photos to self-hosted alternatives, published on Android Police.
- Author tested Immich as his self-hosted photo library solution.
- Magic Editor provides fast generative edits inside Google Photos; Immich lacks a similar built-in feature.
- Ask Photos (with Gemini) performs conversational, semantic searches combining visual cues and metadata; Immich can identify objects but doesn’t reason conversationally.
- Video Boost on Pixel devices uploads video for later cloud processing, producing clearer, less noisy final videos; no open source automated pipeline matching this exists in the author’s experience.
- Google Photos’ Memories algorithm surfaces emotionally relevant photos; open source tools can mimic mechanical filters but not the same emotional effect, per the author.
- Partner Sharing can automatically send photos of a specific face to another person; self-hosted sharing rules are harder to configure and often require technical help.
- The author uses both Google Photos for convenience and quality, and self-hosted tools for control and sovereignty.
What to watch next
- Whether open source projects will build fully integrated generative editing comparable to Google’s Magic Editor: not confirmed in the source.
- If any self-hosted solution develops an automated cloud-style video processing pipeline like Pixel Video Boost: not confirmed in the source.
- Development of conversational, reasoning-capable image search in open source projects (matching Ask Photos/Gemini): not confirmed in the source.
Quick glossary
- Generative editing: AI-powered image edits that synthesize or remove content within a photo, often guided by simple user input.
- Semantic search: Search that understands meaning and context in queries and content, rather than just matching keywords.
- Self-hosted: Software deployed and run on hardware controlled by the user (for example, a NAS or personal server) instead of a third-party cloud service.
- Partner Sharing: A photo-sharing feature that automatically shares certain photos (often filtered by face recognition) with a designated account or person.
Reader FAQ
Which self-hosted app did the author use?
The author used Immich as his preferred self-hosted alternative.
Can Immich perform the same generative edits as Google Photos’ Magic Editor?
Immich does not include comparable built-in generative editing; it can be connected to external AI editors but the experience is less seamless.
Is Video Boost a Pixel-only feature?
The article describes Video Boost as a Pixel–Google Photos pipeline tied to cloud processing, implying it is linked to Pixel devices.
Will open source tools catch up soon?
not confirmed in the source
5 Google Photos features that have no good open source app alternative (yet) Credit: Lucas Gouveia / Android Police By Ben Khalesi Published 1 minute ago Ben Khalesi writes about where…
Sources
- 5 Google Photos features that have no good open source app alternative (yet)
- The big “alternatives to Google Photos” showdown | Page 4
- 10 open source alternatives to Google Photos
- I ditched Samsung Gallery and Google Photos for this open …
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