How to use the Slideshow and Spot Fix features in the Photos app on Windows 11

Microsoft Photos is testing a number of new features aimed at turning it into a full-fledged photo viewing and editing app. The main standout feature is Spot Fix which helps to remove blemishes from photos. Another new addition is the improved Slideshow which now offers cool designs, background music as well as some transitions and animations.

Want to know how to get these latest features in the Photos app and use them to organize and edit your image collection? Let's discuss these features and see if they fix the bugs in the Photos app.

What does the Slideshow feature do?

The current Photos app in Windows 11 lacks the Slideshow feature. If you want to preview the image in full screen or windowed mode, you need to click the left or right icon in the application to change the image or press the left or right arrow key. The Slideshow feature automates this process but doesn't stop there.

While playing slideshow, you can choose from 25 newly introduced official music tracks in different categories (Chill, Beat, Energetic and 3 more options) and configure automatic loop for slideshow. Furthermore, you can add animations and transitions to the slideshow.

The updated Photos app also supports the option to switch slideshows to windowed mode. That means you can drag and resize the slideshow window and keep it running in part of the screen.

How to update the Photos app

All new features are available with Photos app version 2023.11050.2013.0 or later. At the time of this writing, this feature is only available to Windows Insider users. If you're not an Insider, you can still download the Windows 11 Insider ISO without joining the Insider program.

If you're in the Windows Insider program, update your Insider build and manually check for updates in the Photos app or the Microsoft Store. You can run this new version of the Photos app in both the Dev and Canary channels.

If you haven't seen the update for the Photos app, copy the app's official Microsoft Store link and visit the Store.Rg-adguard website. Paste the link in the search box and select the Fast or Slow option. Click the tick icon and download the latest build of the Photos app for Windows Insider. Install the app and then continue to the next section.

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How to use the Slideshow feature in the Photos app

When you launch the Photos app, you'll see a Start Slideshow icon in the All Photos section next to the filter option. Click on it to start the slideshow. Alternatively, you can press the F5 key to start Slideshow.

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Slideshow will continue to play in the background even if you click the music icon. You can press the spacebar or click the Pause icon to stop it.

By default, the application will apply transitions, music, animations, and loops to the slideshow. To adjust any of these features, hover over the slideshow and click the music icon. You can now enable or disable any of the 4 toggles to add or remove effects from the slideshow.

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By default, you're stuck with the basic zoom-in, fade-out, and auto loop options. The only customization feature is the background music where you can choose tracks from multiple categories.

If you want to adjust the volume of the slideshow, you can hover over the speaker icon and use the slider. It does not affect system volume settings. Click the speaker icon or press the M key to mute the slideshow.

If you want to resize the slideshow window, click the resize icon. To close the slideshow, click the Exit Slideshow button in the top left corner.

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What is the Spot Fix feature?

The Spot Fix feature can remove points or objects from any image. Think of it like an eraser that affects the background color and neighboring elements. It erases selected points or objects and tries to blend the empty space with the palette or style of nearby objects.

So you don't need to blur areas in the image before sending it to others. The end result is pretty perfect (in most cases with a simple background). A simpler use case is to remove facial spots.

How to use the Spot Fix feature in the Photos app

Double-click any photo in the app to open it in a new window. Now, press Ctrl + E or click the Edit icon to switch to the image editing window. Click the Retouch option to open the Spot Fix tool.

Now click on the area that you want to remove with the tool. If you want to increase the size of the tool, adjust the size slider currently on the right. You may have to use Spot Fix on an area (texture or pattern) more than once to correct it.

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The article tried removing some taskbar icons from an image and the tool worked perfectly. But it also struggles in some areas where the Transparency effects are at work. However, given the actual image of an ice cream cone, the tool had trouble fixing the point. So the final result depends on the number of objects, shapes, patterns and colors in an image.

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Another problem with the Spot Fix feature is that you can't select an area in the image. You are left with only the maximum size of the tool. The tool's circular size makes it difficult to deal with the corners of the object you want to remove from the image.

Jessica Tanner

Update 24 July 2023