REAL TONE

About the Work Photos shape the way we see each other and ourselves. And historically, camera technology hasn’t accurately represented darker skin tones. Camera and image technology have centered light skin–a bias that's crept into many of our products, even today. So we set out to design Google’s most inclusive camera, with a strong focus on people with darker skin tones. How? We partnered with a diverse group of image experts, like photographers, cinematographers, and colorists celebrated for their beautiful and accurate imagery of people of color. Working directly with Google’s product and engineering team, they tested the Pixel 6 camera and Google Photos editor in a wide range of tough lighting conditions. The result is Real Tone, a collection of technical improvements to the Pixel 6 camera and Google Photos that more accurately and beautifully highlight the nuances of all skin tones. To share it, we created films that told nuanced stories around the world, including a Super Bowl spot directed by Joshua Kissi and featuring Lizzo. The campaign spread across social channels, editorial partnerships, and in a collaboration with New York Times Advertising. Throughout the process of this project, Google prioritized collaboration with people of color and POC-led organizations, from agency teams to image experts. We learned that, if you want to build something for someone, you will always do a better job if you build it with them. Real Tone is consistently named as one of the most important developments on the new camera, and hundreds of positive comments have reaffirmed just how necessary this work is. And we hope this work continues to inspire everyone in the industry to innovate for and with people of all skin tones.