Ready to edit on the go? Matty Graham and AP staff take you through the best photo editing apps for your smartphone! These will help make the difference when shooting creatively, plus we give a range of photo app recommendations that are useful for planning your photo shoots…
Smartphone app stores are awash with photo editing apps, but which ones are really worth downloading? We’ve tried and tested every app on this list, and regularly update this, to make sure the iOS and Android apps we’re recommending do what they’re supposed to, so you know you can trust these recommendations.
Photography apps can be powerful tools, enabling you to make the most of images captured both on your smartphone, and photos you’ve transferred from your camera to your device via Bluetooth.
However, there’s no point clogging up your smartphone with apps that can’t cut it. This feature rounds up the best photo editing apps that we’d recommend. These photo editing apps will unlock the door to creative editing, whilst others will help you capture images in a new way. All are worth hitting the download button for…
Best Photo Editing Apps for your smartphone:
Photoshop Express
Price: Included in Creative Cloud subscription
Available for Android as well as iOS.
It should come as no surprise that having Photoshop in the name means this photo editor has it all. Features include layer editing, core exposure and colour adjustments also healing. However, if you want to ramp up the editing then Photoshop Express has you covered with advanced technology such as Auto Object Selection and Face Contouring.
That said, although there is plenty of advanced tech, there are also more fun features too, with an emphasis on creating tools for social media use. From text and graphics to easy-to-use collage tools, so you can merge multiple images together.
There are also hundreds of effects and themes to choose from if you are looking for an express edit.
One further set of noteworthy features is the Quick Actions, where complex jobs can be completed in one-click. Jobs such as adding Denoise to a grainy image, Smoothing out skin or even adding digital make-up to our subject. Almost all of Photoshop’s power, compressed into a smartphone app – Amazing!
Photoshop Lightroom
Included in Creative Cloud subscription
Photographers know what Lightroom can do, how it works and the smartphone version will be instantly familiar to those who have used the software on a desktop. The combination of one-click Presets and easy-to-use sliders means this is a great editing app for photographers who need to quickly edit images on the go.
Dig a little deeper and you’ll be able to access more advanced features such as being able to quickly remove Chromatic Aberration or enable Lens Corrections, particularly useful if you want to correct the effect of wide-angle lenses.
Remember, you can edit RAWs as well as JPEGs and there’s also plenty of sharing options available, such as the ability to choose the file type you export the image as (JPEG, TIFF, DNG) or the option of uploading straight onto your social media channels such as Facebook or Instagram.
Photoshop Lightroom is available for Android and iOS, you also have the ability to further edit your images in Photoshop Express.
Best photo editing apps: Snapseed
Free
Whisper it quietly, but Snapseed (which is now owned by Google) has actually been around for over a decade. Think of it as a one-stop-shop for editing your images because this app really does have it all.
Available for both Android and iOS, Snapseed tools range from basic exposure/colour adjustments to more advanced HDR and Mono conversion features. The Head Pose option offers a Liquify-style solution to change the direction of gazes in your portraits while the Selective options will allow for precise adjustments to both JPEG and RAW files.
Perspectives can be altered and distractions can be quickly banished with the Healing tool option. For those feeling more creative, Double Exposures can be created in seconds, and vignettes and borders can be accessed to add the final touches to your images.
Photos can be exported as new files or you can overwrite your original photo to save space on your smartphone. Quite simply, you’ll struggle to find a better free photo app, full stop.
Read our guide to editing photos in Snapseed, or have a look at how to edit black and white photos in Snapseed.
Free
Okay, we know Instagram has maybe lost its way a little over the years, and now there’s a shift on the platform towards Reels and adverts. That said, you simply can’t deny the ‘Grams’ power for getting your photos in front of a massive audience. The simple-to-use filter function does allow for a big change and very stylised effects, but obviously there are more advanced features to correct exposure, enhance colours and ramp up contrast.
Detail can be improved via Structure and Sharpening sliders and finishing touches such as vignettes can be added. Of course, it’s worth remembering that Instagram is also a great app for inspiration too.
Off to a landscape location, type in a hashtag, followed by the location name and you’ll see what other photographers have captured at the scene, enabling you to explore compositional options before you even travel to the location. Yes, this app is used by far too many for silly selfies, but at its heart, it’s a fantastic photography resource.
Instagram is available for Android and iOS you can download it from Apple App Store or Google Play.
Google Photos
Free (with in-app purchases)
Google is a big name so it’s no surprise Google Photos is a thoroughly comprehensive photo app. Essentially, you get 15GB of storage free and more if you pay. It’s better to think of the app as a home for your photos as there’s also a lot of options for storing and quickly finding your imagery.
However, that’s not to say that the app neglects the editing features. Photos can be quickly enhanced with a high degree of precision. Thanks to sliders that allow you to increase or decrease values such as Saturation, Exposure, Highlights and more. If you have a Google Pixel smartphone, you also benefit from a range of additional features, such as Magic Eraser, letting you remove unwanted objects from your photos.
There are additional ‘wizzard’ style features such as Auto Enhance Lighting which work well and will save you a fair amount of time. Lastly, the app makes it very easy to complete the job and forward on edited images to our contacts in your phone, which will appeal to those working in creative teams.
Google Photos often comes pre-installed to Android phones but it is also available to download from Google Play. For iPad and iOS users it can be downloaded from the Apple App Store.
Lensa – AI photo editor
Free (with in-app purchases for some of the main features like Magic Avatars)
This photo editing app is available for iOS and Android, and is known for creating amazing looking avatars (profile pictures) which it calls “Magic Avatars“, and you’ll have probably seen them on social media. You can even make avatars for you dog or cat!
However, it can also be used for a number of other cool effects, and photo edits, including Magic Retouch – for portrait enhancement, with one touch. You can use it to separate your subject and background, as well as carry out all the other photo edits (like brightness, contrast, saturation) as expected.
On loading it for the first time, it will recommend a free trial, and purchasing the app, however, this can be skipped so that you can try the app for free. In use, the app is easy to use, with no account needed, and you simply import your favourite images to start editing. It can seem a little slow at times, but this may vary depending on your phone and internet speeds.
Lensa app in use, on Android. Image JW/AP
To use the main AI features like Magic Avatars will cost money, which is a real shame, as you can’t just try this feature out without payment.
For general editing, it does have some really useful features, like being able to adjust the exposure in the sky separately to the foreground, or for people and other subjects like pets, you can also adjust the foreground and background separately. As mentioned the usual adjust saturation, sharpness and general editing options are available, but it’s the Effects and Art Styles that can really make your images stand out, with lots of different options available.
Pixlr
Free (with in-app purchases)
Available for iOS and Android, (and Windows), this free app is packed with easy-to-use features that can completely transform a photo and allow you to add a creative stamp on the frame. From the more conventional exposure and colour adjustments. Pixlr also offers a highly effective Autofix option, which does a great job at enhancing the image and even balancing the exposure of skies in landscape scenes.
There’s also a camera function that adds ‘Picture Style’ filters so you can get an idea of how your final image will look. The Collage feature showcases multiple images at the same time. One of the coolest features Pixlr offers however is the huge range of creative borders that can be added around your frame with just one click. From grungy looks to modern and clean borders – there is something for everyone.
Another advantage is that you don’t need to create an account to use this app, just download it and you are ready to go.
The Pixlr app is available on Google Play for Android users and in Apple AppStore for iOS.
Best for the vintage film look: 1998 Cam
Free: Google Play / Apple Store (paid upgrade available)
1998 Cam is, as the title suggests, designed to give you the look of a camera from 1998. In 1998, disposable film cameras were popular, and with this app, you can re-create that retro, nostalgic look without the expense of having to use a film camera.
This app lets you edit your existing photos, or take new photos with it. You’ve got a variety of film choices including all the favourites from Kodak, Fujifilm and more. Plus you can add that all important film grain, and even light leaks. It works with still photos and video too.
If you are inspired to give your photos a vintage look, read our guide on how to get the film look.
1998 Cam – screenshot: Joshua Waller
500px
Free
Sometimes smartphone photography apps don’t need to help you capture or edit images. Sometimes their job is just to provide inspiration. In this area, apps don’t come better than 500px. 500px has been around for over a decade and is the go-to place to scout out locations, research different portrait lighting techniques or just to be surprised and inspired by all the amazing imagery on the app.
Dig a little deeper though and you’ll also discover that there are plenty of resources on there for photographers. Although some need to be paid for, others are free. For example, there are videos on ‘how to build a photo set on a budget’ or ‘how to shoot fine art at home’. You can also drill down further and refine your search by typing in keywords or you can take in one of the curated galleries from the 500px staff.
500px is available for both Android and iOS.
Highest rated: Photo Editor Pro (by InShot Inc)
Free – with adverts
Only available for Android users, Photo Editor Pro has some of the best reviews on the Google Play store and is a great option if you’re looking to edit photos and create collages on your phone. It’s easy to use, with lots of great examples, and has the ability to correct skin blemishes, give images a warmer look, remove backgrounds, or even produce an AI cartoon version of your subject.
Cropping tools come with a number of presets for major social media sites, including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Pinterest, so you know you’ve got the right settings for each one.
You’ll find a whole range of cool filters, including RGB Glitch, and more. In fact there’s so much packed into this photo editing app that we’d be here all day if we went into every feature available. Needless to say, it’s really comprehensive, and worthy of the high rating it has.
There are a range of templates available, great if you want to create something quickly, and the collages feature is so quick and easy to use. Some of the more advanced features, such as ToonTap, are actually adverts, and take you to other software from the same company, but apart from this, it’s difficult to find anything to complain about.
INSTAX UP!
Free
When Fujifilm announced the Instax Mini 12 instant camera earlier this year, they also released their smartphone app Instax Up!, which is available to download from both the Apple Store and Google Play Store. The app has been designed for instant photographers who want to quickly digitally scan and store their photos. The time and place a photo was taken can be added, as well as tags that can be used to organise your collection of images.
There are several basic editing options available, and you can adjust the photo’s contrast, brightness, saturation, and colour temperature. There’s also an option to share photos through messaging apps or posting directly to social media like Instagram and Twitter.
Screenshot of INSTAX UP! app. Credit: Isabella Ruffatti.
Other useful Photo apps for your phone:
Google PhotoScan
Free
Available for both Android and iOS devices, this app is designed to make it possible to scan photos using your smartphone without the need for any additional software. The photo app will cleverly merge a number of photos, meaning that it can remove reflections and glare, for example when using the flash on your smartphone, or from other light sources.
If you need to quickly get a printed photo into digital form, then this is a great way of taking advantage of your smartphone, and using free software. If you wanted to move up to higher quality scans, then have a look at our guide to photographing film photos at home with a camera.
Google Photo Scan App for scanning printed photos.
PhotoPills
Price: $10.99
Paid-for apps need to offer a huge amount of value to compete with the free alternatives. But Photopills really does deserve a place on your homescreen. A must-have app for landscape and astrophotographers, the comprehensive app will help you plan and shoot your shots and it works like this. A map feature lets you pinpoint a location with great accuracy. Then, it will display both the direction of light throughout the day and also the times of golden hours or moonlight.
That’s not all though, because there’s also an exposure calculator with a feature to factor in an ND filter (and change the strength of the filter) so you can capture balanced exposures. Add in a Depth Of Field table, Hyperfocal table, a Star Trail feature and an amazing Night Augmented Reality feature and you’ll soon realise why this is one of the most highly regarded apps out there. If you shoot any photos outdoors, you must download this app. Photo Pills is available for both android and iOS.
SkyView Lite
Free
Want to shoot some astrophotography but feeling a little lost? The free version of SkyView will help you find your bearings, as this clever app works with your phone’s camera and augmented reality technology to help you line up celestial targets that you can then choose to shoot with your phone or to swap in your DSLR and shoot with that instead.
SkyView Lite is available to download for Android and iOS.
Basically, this app takes all the guesswork out of astrophotography and I found the app to be hugely accurate. For a total investment of absolutely nothing, every photographer should be downloading this app; even if you only use it for the search function alongside using your camera, it’s an excellent piece of technology.
Light Mate
Free
Smartphone apps can even come in handy for those shooting film. Even though available for iOS only Light Mate is a highly useful app that can be downloaded completely free. With variables such as shutter speed, aperture and ISO, you can dial in your settings, point your phone at a subject and the camera will read the light levels and suggest the appropriate exposure information.
It works with both the front and back camera on your smartphone (assuming your device has both). It could save you a fair amount of money on over or underexposing frames on pricey film. The whole app only measures 6MB in size so is definitely one to keep on your phone just in case and that won’t eat up the storage on your device.
Lee Filters – Stopper Exposure
Free
If you use Lee Filters out in the field then this app is a must-have that will take all the guesswork out of using the brand’s filters. All you have to do is select between the Little Stopper (6-stops), Big Stopper (10-stops) and Super Stopper (15-stops). Then, dial in what would be the balanced shutter speed without a ND filter.
The app will immediately display the recalculated shutter to use once you’ve swapped in the ND filter so you don’t have to mess about with trial and error. Better still, once you’ve dialled in the setting, the app even has a timer function. So, if you are using the Bulb function on your camera, you simply start the timer and end the exposure once it’s finished – easy!
Lee Filters – StopperExposure is available for both Android from Google Play Store and for iOS from Apple App Store.
Other smartphone photography apps to try: ProCam X, Filca, VSCO Cam, and Prisma Art Effect Photo Editor.
Featured image credit: Photo by Jametlene Reskp on Unsplash
Read our latest smartphone reviews, plus have a look at the best camera phones for photography.
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