Yay! Photo Lab is the best app of 2017 according to Google

And it feels absolutely crazymazing! 😊

Photo Lab is the best app of 2017 in Google Play Russia

Google Play revealed the winners of the Play Awards of 2017 on Friday, December 01, and we are very proud to say that Photo Lab has become the best app of the year. 🎉

The lists of the winners differ from country to country, so to be more specific Photo Lab has been nominated and picked the trophy as the hottest app in Russia 🇷🇺. For us, it is a huge step forward and the sign of recognition of all the significant changes we were introducing through the year not only from the Play Store team but also from you, our users.

More kudos & thanks

Keep sunlight in your pocket with Photo Lab & LakhtaSun

Photo Lab and the Lakhta Center have introduced the product of their special collaboration –  LakhtaSun photo filters, created to make any photo bright and colorful as rainbow. How did it all start and why it’s all about sun and rainbow? Let us shed some light on that.

Keep sunlight in your pocket with Photo Lab & LakhtaSun

The Lakhta Center is located in Saint-Petersburg, which is known for its melancholic mood and monochrome landscapes. Having become the highest building in Europe (over 374 meters), the Lakhta Center offers a breathtaking panoramic view with an opportunity to watch the sun even on cloudy days, and to witness the unique circular rainbow phenomenon. This extraordinary phenomenon has become a starting point for the brand new collaboration called LakhtaSun.

And what happened next?

Meet new smashing selfie-to-video effect in Photo Lab!

Hey! We’ve just launched our first one-of-a-kind effect that turns a photo into a small video clip, using our latest AI developments. It is exclusively available on iOS on the threshold of Apple’s big announcement and is coming to all Android devices very soon.

Yes, it’s sexy and we know it! 😎

Do you want to compare to the original photo?

Photo Lab 3.0: not just revised and updated

Well, it’s happening: version 3.0 is here, all new and shiny. As the caption says it’s not yet another revision. The new release brings more machine learning editing features, allows users to combine effects, and shifts the spotlight on users and their creativity with its new social feed.

Photo Lab has always been known for its numerous photo effects, impressive in their variety and design. Through the years the app has come to solve many tasks, from adding a simple border to a picture to complicated art style transfer or instant background replacement or creating Photoshop-like edits, all powered by in-house artificial intelligence algorithms. However, no matter how inventive the effects are, only one effect could be applied at a time. Which was a serious limitation. Now we are bringing new approach to the app’s content and shifting the spotlight on you, our users.

Here’s what the changes are.

Photo Lab is #1 overall in App Store again!

…This time in Pakistan and Jordan. Photo Lab has been #1 in App Store since Thursday last week and is hitting top 10 in Google Play now.

We didn’t see that coming. As with India earlier this Summer it happened overnight, and the number of downloads is still growing. However, unlike their neighbors, users from Pakistan have fallen for the whole idea of the effects combinations rather than one particular effect. At least this is as we see it.

#1 in Top overall in Pakistan

Our understanding is it’s a word-of-mouth to blame. And users we questioned about this out-of-the-blue boost of activity confirm, saying that Photo Lab has instantly become as popular as the Prisma app once was. Total craze!

And what about Jordan?

Big News for Instagram Users: Know Your Instagram Filter Now!

Hi everybody! Hope you’ve been missing our updates. 🙂 We’ve got some exciting news that igers* all over the world, armed with their smartphones, will surely like. Know what? Not only we create beautiful filters & effects for our #photolab app, we can now also help you choose the best Instagram filter for your photo!

If you have ever posted a photo on Instagram, you know how important the filters are. In fact, a filter can make or break your photo. That’s why sometimes it takes you too long to pick the most flattering Instagram filter for your holiday selfie or for your breakfast photo. Juno, Ludwig, or Nashville?.. Sometimes the choice is too hard!

askAI app for iPhone and Android is here!

Use the first AI-powered** Instagram filter advisor app to make your photo more engaging and get more instalikes.

How does the magic work?

Smoky Cloud effect by #PhotoLab hits Instagram and Facebook

Facebook and Instagram folks just adore this purple cloudy effect by #PhotoLab. We have no idea why it is SOOO popular, especially in India, but it’s a fact.

New trend: purple cloudy effect by #PhotoLab
Purple cloudy effect: before and after #PhotoLab editing

Today this super-viral effect got us TOP📈 and even #1 rankings in several countries. The doubtless leader by the number of installs is India, where Photo Lab has become #4 in all categories on the App Store and #1 in the Photography category on the Play Store. Just imagine, #PhotoLab is 4th in the whole Indian App Store, right after WhatsApp, Youtube and Facebook! What about Facebook and Instagram, and why this effect?

WOW! Check out new ‘Inspiration’ tab to apply best effect combinations or create yours.

This new Photo Lab tab (as well as tons of opportunities behind it) is truly amazing. The title speaks for itself – it’s all about Inspiration, creativity and unlimited number of effects combinations!

Photo Lab Inspiration tab

The tab is available for all the iOS and Android users. Below is all you need to know about this Photo Lab feature.

Learn how to inspire

Pure art, pure joy! New Art Backgrounds category places your silhouette on a piece of art.

So you have a photo. With a terrible background. Or maybe the background is fine, but you might want to give the photo a fresh look. Or is it artistic touch you are after? Consider the problem solved, since the whole new collection of Art Background changing effects, driven by AI figure detection algorithm is already available in Photo Lab for iOS and Android.

ViMess app will bring your messaging experience to a new level!

The Pho.to team have always tried to find new ways to bring more fun into your everyday life. Now we’ve got great news for those who use messengers like WhatsApp, Viber and others to chat with friends. If you are one of those guys, don’t miss our new app that will make your messaging experience more exciting and fun! ViMess app will help you visualize your messages in a fun and enjoyable manner, instead of sending boring text messages, and will bring your experience in any popular messenger to a more emotional level!

Vimess app

Read more about how it works