Google+ Stories automatically creates slideshows of your greatest photo, video hits

By Chase Melvin Published May 20, 2014

google stories creates automatic slideshows screen 1 — Screenshot of a Google Stories slideshow featuring Google's Director of Product Management Anil Sabharwal. (Credit: Google) Image used with permission by copyright holder

After a trip filled with lasting memories, it can be a hassle for some people to painstakingly sift through their collections of photos and videos. Google offers some assistance to its users with the launch of Google+ Stories, an automated tool able to compile your media into online presentations – with minimal effort on your part.

Stories is essentially an updated version of Google’s Auto Awesome movie app, but boasts more features. With Stories, Google filters your image and movie files and compiles them into a personalized slideshow, hosted on the Internet. Additionally, Stories includes maps of places you’ve visited (using your devices’ location services), and any hashtags that accompany the featured photos. Like any Web-based slideshow, you are free to navigate through the presentation with a click or scroll of your mouse, and you can share the link with friends and family instantly.

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Google Stories follows Adobe Voice’s example of making you the center of this presentation, reflecting on experiences you’ve personally undergone. On Google’s official blog, Google’s Director of Product Management Anil Sabharwal demonstrated how Stories works by showing a slideshow and video (created using Google+ Movies) featuring one of his recent family vacations. In the short video, you can see Sabharwal’s daughter taking her first bike ride.

In order to use Google Stories, you’ll need to back up your media files to Google+ (if you haven’t already), and that’s it. Google will start compiling your slideshow behind the scenes and you’ll soon be notified once it’s complete. If you’re among those who already use Google+ to back up your files, you just might have a slideshow or two already waiting for your perusal online.

In addition to Sabharwal’s slideshow, there are many other examples to view online, such as those created from the experiences of paraglider Tom de Dorlodot, DJ Steve Aoki, and Allrecipes photographer Angela Sackett.

Google Stories is currently available on Android devices and the Web, with an iOS version coming soon.

(Via Google)

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Chase Melvin is a writer and native New Yorker. He graduated from LIU Brooklyn where he spent 3 years as the News and Photo…

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