For millions entrenched in the rapidly evolving world of digital photography, Microsoft’s latest foray into AI-powered image editing delivers a headline feature with remarkable promise—and a bit of disappointment. The Photos app in Windows 11 is set to introduce “Relight,” an AI-backed tool whose goal is to recreate in software what professional photographers achieve on set: sophisticated, adjustable lighting, brought to any image, anytime, with just a few clicks. But while the underlying AI magic is poised to change how users interact with their photo libraries, early excitement comes with a wave of practical questions. Is your laptop even capable of running these features? Is Microsoft using breakthrough software as a way to funnel users toward new Copilot+ PCs? And does the “Relight” tool push PC photo editing ahead of web-based AI competitors, or are there alternatives that may already outshine it?
For those who have ever wished their favorite snapshots could be rescued from shadow or flat midday glare, Microsoft’s Relight sounds like a dream product. Announced in early June and first reported by tech outlets like Laptop Mag, Relight gives users after-the-fact creativity usually reserved for photography pros with deep lighting setups. Through integration in the familiar Photos app environment, Relight lets users position up to three distinct AI-generated light sources over any image, regardless of when—or how poorly—it was shot.
Controls for color, intensity, position, and focus give a level of granularity that mirrors the power of physical studio setups. With the added power of AI, the tool does what no simple filter or manual tool can achieve: it understands the content of the photo and adjusts lighting in a way that feels more natural, more cinematic, and often far more flattering. No expensive flash rigs or softboxes required—just a few clicks, some sliders, and the transformative power of a neural engine. Microsoft bolsters the offering with one-click “ready-made lighting styles” as well, providing beginner-friendly options like Softbox, Classic Portrait, Dramatic, Golden Hour, and Cyberpunk. Whether for portraiture, travel snaps, or artistic edits, these templates make high-impact results accessible even to the uninitiated.
This exclusivity is more than just a technicality; it’s part of Microsoft’s widening strategy to make Copilot+ a central requirement for the most innovative features across Windows. While Copilot+ is defined primarily by support for advanced AI workloads, such as Microsoft’s own NPUs (Neural Processing Units), this path isn’t without controversy. Is Microsoft genuinely providing a best-in-class experience only possible with next-gen hardware—or are they locking valued upgrades behind a hardware wall to juice sales?
Professional lighting, after all, is all about nuance. Lighting can accentuate a face, carve out depth, or set an entire emotional mood. The ability to “move” light sources after a photo is shot, and see the effect propagate naturally across a scene, marks a substantial leap over prior tools. It pushes the Photos app into territory only recently explored by rivals harnessing AI vision models, like Adobe’s Firefly or the web-based Clipdrop Relight from Stability AI.
Beyond manual adjustment, Microsoft’s presets allow one-click application of sophisticated multi-source lighting. Judging by company demos and early reports, users can create lifelike softbox effects that simulate studio portraiture, replicate the rich tones of golden hour, or conjure dramatically stylized “cyberpunk” neon. The difference, according to Microsoft, is all achieved algorithmically—no hardware lights, no reshoots, no need to even remember the moment.
Meanwhile, the Windows 11 Snipping Tool, Microsoft’s longtime screen capture utility, now features a color picker for seamless color sampling and an AI-powered “Perfect Screenshot” tool that can intelligently resize the screenshot area. These, like Relight, are part of Microsoft’s broader rollout of generative AI across its operating system, pushing ever more productivity tools to leverage local NPUs for a snappier, privacy-forward experience.
Microsoft’s messaging, at least publicly, frames the Copilot+ PC as necessary for “on-device AI processing,” emphasizing the value of privacy, latency, and battery life by keeping workloads local rather than in the cloud. But even semi-technical users are skeptical. AI tools for lighting and search, while computationally demanding, are already available from competitors—most notably, Clipdrop’s Relight tool—without special hardware, and run in-browser with no native dependencies.
There are hints that Microsoft will eventually bring Relight and related AI features to existing AMD and Intel platforms—though clarity about which past or future models will qualify is sorely lacking. Insiders and industry observers see a familiar pattern: by making top-of-the-line features exclusive to a new generation of hardware, Microsoft builds a soft moat around Copilot+ PCs, using innovative software as a lever for hardware sales.
Meanwhile, heavyweights like Adobe continue to enhance creative cloud offerings with powerful AI-driven tools, integrating generative fill, “neural filters,” and semantic search into flagship products like Photoshop and Lightroom. While these are pro-oriented and sometimes costlier solutions, they reinforce the point: transformative AI image editing, from relighting to semantic search, is increasingly available far beyond Microsoft’s walled garden.
However, the gating of these features behind specific hardware casts a shade on the overall user experience. Those using gaming laptops, professional workstations, or otherwise powerful (but non-NPU) Windows 11 devices are frustrated by their exclusion from AI-driven innovation that, technically, their machines could replicate—if Microsoft chose to support it.
From a business standpoint, Copilot+ exclusives may drive some segment of loyal Windows users—particularly those who work in creative fields or value time-saving AI features—to consider early upgrades. But the rise of web-based rivals, along with the continued expansion of Adobe’s AI offerings, ensures Microsoft cannot assume a monopoly on AI-driven photo editing.
For less-technical users, Relight’s accessibility (when available) provides a genuine selling point. For enthusiasts and professionals, however, the continuing need to juggle multiple tools, platforms, or paid services highlights that no one company—yet—owns the AI editing crown.
If Microsoft delivers on its promise to bring Relight—and, by extension, the full Photos app AI suite—to AMD and Intel Copilot+ PCs in the near term, more users will get to weigh these features against the convenience and flexibility of web alternatives. If those upgrades are paved with new PC purchases, Microsoft may face real pushback, particularly from its most loyal community of creative professionals and enthusiasts.
There’s little doubt that AI-powered relighting—whether through Microsoft’s Photos app or competing services—will reshape workflows, expectations, and perhaps digital memories themselves. What remains to be seen is whether Microsoft’s current hardware-first approach becomes a lasting business advantage or an incentive for dissatisfied users to seek more open, accessible creative ecosystems.
In the months ahead, Windows 11 users should watch both the pace of Microsoft’s Copilot+ rollout and the evolution of browser-based AI products. For now, Relight stands as a tantalizing vision of what’s coming—if your device is ready for it. But as the AI arms race heats up, the ultimate winners may be those who put creative power, not hardware segmentation, at the heart of their platforms.
Source: Laptop Mag Microsoft has created an after-the-fact AI gaffer -- but is your laptop up to snuff?
The Promise of AI Relight: Rewriting History—With Light
For those who have ever wished their favorite snapshots could be rescued from shadow or flat midday glare, Microsoft’s Relight sounds like a dream product. Announced in early June and first reported by tech outlets like Laptop Mag, Relight gives users after-the-fact creativity usually reserved for photography pros with deep lighting setups. Through integration in the familiar Photos app environment, Relight lets users position up to three distinct AI-generated light sources over any image, regardless of when—or how poorly—it was shot.Controls for color, intensity, position, and focus give a level of granularity that mirrors the power of physical studio setups. With the added power of AI, the tool does what no simple filter or manual tool can achieve: it understands the content of the photo and adjusts lighting in a way that feels more natural, more cinematic, and often far more flattering. No expensive flash rigs or softboxes required—just a few clicks, some sliders, and the transformative power of a neural engine. Microsoft bolsters the offering with one-click “ready-made lighting styles” as well, providing beginner-friendly options like Softbox, Classic Portrait, Dramatic, Golden Hour, and Cyberpunk. Whether for portraiture, travel snaps, or artistic edits, these templates make high-impact results accessible even to the uninitiated.
Windows 11 and Copilot+ PC: Who’s Really Invited?
But here’s the catch that tempers much of the excitement. The Relight feature, as of June, is only available to Windows 11 users who own a Qualcomm Snapdragon X-powered Copilot+ PC. This restriction didn’t come as a complete surprise to those following Microsoft’s AI hardware push, but it does raise significant issues of access and intent. According to Microsoft’s own announcements, support for AMD and Intel Copilot+ PCs is due “in the next few months,” but for now, the majority of Windows 11 users are effectively locked out. Even ambitious early adopters in the Windows Insider Program may not see Relight, depending on their hardware—and early reports confirm this rollout is far from universal.This exclusivity is more than just a technicality; it’s part of Microsoft’s widening strategy to make Copilot+ a central requirement for the most innovative features across Windows. While Copilot+ is defined primarily by support for advanced AI workloads, such as Microsoft’s own NPUs (Neural Processing Units), this path isn’t without controversy. Is Microsoft genuinely providing a best-in-class experience only possible with next-gen hardware—or are they locking valued upgrades behind a hardware wall to juice sales?
Relight’s Technical Magic: An AI Gaffer in Every Laptop
To appreciate what’s new, it helps to understand precisely what Microsoft’s Relight does. Classic photo editing software has long let users adjust brightness, contrast, or apply static lighting filters. Relight, however, layers in a degree of semantic intelligence. By leveraging on-device AI capabilities, the tool analyzes the photo’s content—people, faces, landscapes, objects—and intelligently casts “virtual” light based on three fully adjustable positions, complete with real-time feedback on color temperature, intensity, and spread.Professional lighting, after all, is all about nuance. Lighting can accentuate a face, carve out depth, or set an entire emotional mood. The ability to “move” light sources after a photo is shot, and see the effect propagate naturally across a scene, marks a substantial leap over prior tools. It pushes the Photos app into territory only recently explored by rivals harnessing AI vision models, like Adobe’s Firefly or the web-based Clipdrop Relight from Stability AI.
Beyond manual adjustment, Microsoft’s presets allow one-click application of sophisticated multi-source lighting. Judging by company demos and early reports, users can create lifelike softbox effects that simulate studio portraiture, replicate the rich tones of golden hour, or conjure dramatically stylized “cyberpunk” neon. The difference, according to Microsoft, is all achieved algorithmically—no hardware lights, no reshoots, no need to even remember the moment.
AI Features Galore: Not Just Relight in Photos
The Relight tool isn’t emerging in isolation. Microsoft is giving the Photos app an entire suite of AI upgrades. “Improved semantically-based Windows search” has landed, letting users describe an image in everyday language to surface photos buried deep in local libraries. Forget hunting by file names or metadata; “camels in the desert” now delivers relevant vacation memories instantly—assuming, once again, you’re on Copilot+ hardware.Meanwhile, the Windows 11 Snipping Tool, Microsoft’s longtime screen capture utility, now features a color picker for seamless color sampling and an AI-powered “Perfect Screenshot” tool that can intelligently resize the screenshot area. These, like Relight, are part of Microsoft’s broader rollout of generative AI across its operating system, pushing ever more productivity tools to leverage local NPUs for a snappier, privacy-forward experience.
Exclusive vs. Inclusive: The Hardware-Locked Future of Windows AI
The limitations around hardware support raise some of the sharpest questions for everyday users. If you already have a capable Windows laptop—be it a Surface, a gaming rig, or a high-end ultrabook with discrete graphics—the requirement for a Copilot+ PC (right now, only Snapdragon X models) frustrates. To access the full suite of AI features in Photos, you have to buy or upgrade to a qualifying device.Microsoft’s messaging, at least publicly, frames the Copilot+ PC as necessary for “on-device AI processing,” emphasizing the value of privacy, latency, and battery life by keeping workloads local rather than in the cloud. But even semi-technical users are skeptical. AI tools for lighting and search, while computationally demanding, are already available from competitors—most notably, Clipdrop’s Relight tool—without special hardware, and run in-browser with no native dependencies.
There are hints that Microsoft will eventually bring Relight and related AI features to existing AMD and Intel platforms—though clarity about which past or future models will qualify is sorely lacking. Insiders and industry observers see a familiar pattern: by making top-of-the-line features exclusive to a new generation of hardware, Microsoft builds a soft moat around Copilot+ PCs, using innovative software as a lever for hardware sales.
Clipdrop Relight and AI Photo Tools: The Alternatives
For those denied early access to Microsoft’s Relight, there’s consolation in the vibrant world of AI-powered photo editors already available online. Stability AI’s Clipdrop Relight, for example, provides an uncannily similar feature set: upload a photo, drag up to four light sources around a 3D preview, tweak color and softness, and instantly transform flat or underlit images. Unlike Microsoft’s solution, Clipdrop works in any browser and is device-agnostic—no Copilot+ required, no paid OS upgrades needed for core functionality. There are limitations, too—batch processing and export options are gated behind paid plans, and internet upload/download means images are processed in the cloud.Meanwhile, heavyweights like Adobe continue to enhance creative cloud offerings with powerful AI-driven tools, integrating generative fill, “neural filters,” and semantic search into flagship products like Photoshop and Lightroom. While these are pro-oriented and sometimes costlier solutions, they reinforce the point: transformative AI image editing, from relighting to semantic search, is increasingly available far beyond Microsoft’s walled garden.
Risk and Reward: Is AI-Led Relighting Worth the Upgrade?
Microsoft’s decision to lock Relight and similar features to Copilot+ PC hardware brings both strengths and risks, depending on where you stand:Strengths:
- On-Device AI: Local processing promises privacy and lower latency, with no need to send potentially sensitive images to the cloud.
- Unified Experience: Native integration into the Windows 11 Photos app streamlines workflow; users don’t need to jump between web-based tools or external editors.
- Presets and Customization: One-click lighting templates reduce barriers for novice users, while granular manual controls appeal to power users and photo enthusiasts.
- Continued OS Innovation: The arms race of AI-powered desktop features incentivizes innovation and keeps Windows competitive as a creative platform.
Risks and Outstanding Questions:
- Access Barriers: Restricting AI features to new hardware, especially when web competitors provide similar results universally, may alienate existing users and stoke accusations of artificial segmentation.
- Performance Claims: While specialized NPUs no doubt accelerate AI inference, many existing PCs with advanced GPUs or CPUs can run similar models (if less efficiently); the claim that Copilot+ hardware is strictly necessary deserves skepticism.
- Reliability and Quality: Early demos look impressive, but real-world results will need to be tested rigorously. Does AI lighting create natural, artifact-free results across photo types, or does it sometimes introduce weird “uncanny” results?
- Privacy Trade-Offs: While on-device AI protects data, anything uploaded to web-based editors faces potential scrutiny, a tradeoff many users may not fully understand.
- Upgrade Pressure: Microsoft’s direction may signal that a “feature wall” awaits owners of older Windows devices. If AI features define the new Windows experience, those with even recent computers may soon feel outdated.
User Experience and Real-World Scenarios: Separating Hype from Reality
For most users, Relight’s greatest value will be determined not by its technical cleverness, but by its real-world workflow impact. Consider these potential use cases:- Social Media and Portraiture: A poorly lit selfie becomes post-worthy in seconds, bypassing the need for reshoots or unstable mobile filters.
- Creative Editing: Artists can experiment with moody lighting setups or stylized effects (like golden hour) with a few slider tweaks.
- Photo Rescue: Precious moments dimmed by shadows or unpredictable lighting conditions can be rescued, revitalizing old photos and memories.
However, the gating of these features behind specific hardware casts a shade on the overall user experience. Those using gaming laptops, professional workstations, or otherwise powerful (but non-NPU) Windows 11 devices are frustrated by their exclusion from AI-driven innovation that, technically, their machines could replicate—if Microsoft chose to support it.
Does Relight Secure Microsoft’s Advantage, or Spur Competition?
Introducing Relight and similar features exclusively for Copilot+ hardware serves a dual purpose for Microsoft. On one hand, it signals to consumers and OEMs that next-generation Windows devices will be defined by AI, not just raw processor speed. On the other, it risks a repeat of previous platform splits—where premium software capabilities are fenced behind new hardware even as older devices remain functionally capable.From a business standpoint, Copilot+ exclusives may drive some segment of loyal Windows users—particularly those who work in creative fields or value time-saving AI features—to consider early upgrades. But the rise of web-based rivals, along with the continued expansion of Adobe’s AI offerings, ensures Microsoft cannot assume a monopoly on AI-driven photo editing.
For less-technical users, Relight’s accessibility (when available) provides a genuine selling point. For enthusiasts and professionals, however, the continuing need to juggle multiple tools, platforms, or paid services highlights that no one company—yet—owns the AI editing crown.
The Future of AI-Powered Creative Tools in Windows
The arrival of Relight defines the current AI moment for Windows: dazzling in its potential, controversial in its restrictions, and emblematic of how hardware and software are merging as never before. As Microsoft and its rivals race to “AI-ify” both operating systems and productivity suites, the question for users becomes not just what features are available, but whether their existing hardware will remain supported, and at what cost.If Microsoft delivers on its promise to bring Relight—and, by extension, the full Photos app AI suite—to AMD and Intel Copilot+ PCs in the near term, more users will get to weigh these features against the convenience and flexibility of web alternatives. If those upgrades are paved with new PC purchases, Microsoft may face real pushback, particularly from its most loyal community of creative professionals and enthusiasts.
Should You Wait, Upgrade, or Try the Alternatives?
For now, those who already own (or were planning to buy) a Snapdragon X Copilot+ PC are well-positioned to enjoy Relight and the Photos app’s expanding AI toolkit as it rolls out. For everyone else, patience—or curiosity—may pay off. Clipdrop, web AI editors, and classic desktop champions like Adobe continue to push forward, sometimes with greater flexibility or deeper feature sets (if at a premium).There’s little doubt that AI-powered relighting—whether through Microsoft’s Photos app or competing services—will reshape workflows, expectations, and perhaps digital memories themselves. What remains to be seen is whether Microsoft’s current hardware-first approach becomes a lasting business advantage or an incentive for dissatisfied users to seek more open, accessible creative ecosystems.
In the months ahead, Windows 11 users should watch both the pace of Microsoft’s Copilot+ rollout and the evolution of browser-based AI products. For now, Relight stands as a tantalizing vision of what’s coming—if your device is ready for it. But as the AI arms race heats up, the ultimate winners may be those who put creative power, not hardware segmentation, at the heart of their platforms.
Source: Laptop Mag Microsoft has created an after-the-fact AI gaffer -- but is your laptop up to snuff?
