As part of the next wave of enhancements for Windows 11, Microsoft is enhancing the Photos app for Windows 11. The changes include some new OneDrive integration, as well as removing the video editor in favor of Clipchamp.

Some New Changes for Photos on Windows 11

As per Windows Blogs, Microsoft is beginning to roll out a brand new Photos app for Windows 11. It's not quite ready for release yet, so it's going through the usual testing channels to ensure it works okay, starting with the Windows Insider Dev channel.

The list of changes looks pretty tantalizing:

  • Organize your photos with a productive and beautifully redesigned purpose-built experience.
  • Easily backup your Photos to OneDrive and keep your memories safe.
  • Celebrate a life well-lived with improved “Memories” experiences.
  • Be productive with multi-window and multi-screen.
  • Easily view your OneDrive storage quota usage and add more storage.
  • Import and manage your photos from external sources such as your phone and camera.

However, hidden away at the bottom is a little note from Microsoft. A little while ago, the company released a new video editing program called Clipchamp. Microsoft feels confident that Clipchamp will become the new norm, so it's axing the video editor within Photos.

Yes, you can create videos with Windows 11's Photo app, one of its lesser-known features. And fortunately, if you love the editor, Microsoft states it will upload it to the Store for you to grab. But it would really like it if you checked out Clipchamp instead.

A New Photos App... for Better or for Worse

While the new additions to Photos sound good, the push for users to use Clipchamp is a little worrying. Microsoft hasn't had the best track record with the app, but with this update, it's clear that it wants to go all or nothing with Clipchamp.

The problem is, Clipchamp suffered hate on the day of its release and required Microsoft to implement changes to make Clipchamp suck less. And now the company is funneling people into the app, we have to hope that it can shape up the video editor to the best it can be so it's worth the time.

Smile for the New Photos App

Microsoft's new Photos app has some good and some bad mixed in there, but with the legacy video editor getting uploaded to the Microsoft Store, it might not be all bad. Let's just hope that Clipchamp can handle its new burden.