Google+ will now make your photos more ‘awesome’ with snowflakes and sparkles

Google has introduced some genuinely useful tools that make Google+ a great place to store your photos. But today the company is adding two new Auto Awesome features to bring some lighthearted fun to your holiday pictures. When you upload a photo containing “something that sparkles” (Google uses a Christmas tree or chandelier as examples), Google+ will now automatically make those light sources sparkle by converting the image into an animated GIF. The effect is actually fairly nice-looking, though it won’t be for everyone.

The second feature dives further into gimmick territory; Google is adding a falling snow effect to photos that prominently feature the white stuff. It’s not at all realistic looking — not that such a feat would be easy to pull off — but should make for a fun demo at Google’s Winter Wonderland pop-up shops across the US.