Getting the best photo editing app can turn your phone snaps
into works of art, and help you get more from your smartphone or tablet.
Whether you're looking for the best apps for Android, iOS, Windows or Mac,
we've scoured the web for the best free and paid for photo editing apps money
out there.
Apps for photo editing are more and more powerful, whether
they're for your phone, browser or PC, you now no longer have to depend on
pricey software like Adobe Photoshop to touch up your snaps and make them look
fantastic.
With all the apps on the market, across of load of different
stores, it can often be tricky to find the one that fits your needs the most.
We've made things a whole lot easier by rounding up ten of our favourite apps
for making your photos all nice and shiny. From iOS exlcusives, to multi-platform
stars and even ones that only require a browser - these are best photo editing
app to download right now.
Oh, and one more thing, we all know Instagram and
Hipstamatic are good - but everyone already knows about them, so that's why you
won't find them on our list.
1. Pro Camera 7 (iOS)
A replacement for the stock iOS camera app, but one that
combines a great quality snapper with a whole host of editing tech. You have
much more control over your options here, from exposure altering to choosing a
specific point of focus, overall you’ll end up with much better shots. There’s
also rapid firing, live data and a self timer, basically every photo option you
could want. After you've snapped you can apply of host of after effects, from
unique filters to the ones Apple added in iOS 7. A fantastic step up from the
in-built app.
69p | Pro Camera 7
2. Photo Editor by Aviary (iOS, Android, Windows 8, Windows
Phone 8 )
A great multiplatform app that performs really well on
Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 - if you’ve recently picked up a Nokia Lumia
1520, this is a must download. With one tap you can auto-enhance your snaps,
the continue to add to the effects with loads of filters and even some stickers
to add that extra bit of charm. All the cropping, resizing and blur/sharpening
tools are here, completing a pretty fully featured app.
Free | Aviary
3.
Camerabag 2 (iOS, Mac)
Take the filtering experience away from that small screen
and edit your snaps on the big screen, using the full power of your Mac in the
process. The filters themselves are some of the best we’ve seen, probably down
to the non-destructive 32-bits-per-component floating-point architecture that
is used to build them - basically this keeps the quality up, even when
layering. You can even create your own and transfer to the iPad and iPhone companion
apps.
Lightweight in its build, it opens quickly and navigation is
silky smooth - with shots adjusting and transforming in next to no time. It
also looks utterly drool worthy on a Retina MacBook Pro
£7.99 (Mac) £1.49 (iOS) | Never Center
4. Fotor (iOS, Android, Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, Mac
& online)
Truly an image editing app that works anywhere, Fotor has
specially built apps for iOS, Android, Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8, along
with a fully featured online client. Simply upload an image, resize, crop, add
effects and the like and then you can save it back to your desktop. No extra
app downloads needed. You can also create neat looking collages - which combine
multiple snaps in a load of different way and make personalised greetings
cards.
The mobile apps boast lots of filters, sharing options and
an in-build camera to shoot right from the app.
Free | Fotor
5. Snapseed (iOS, Android)
Owned by Google, Snapseed is a powerful after effects
package that goes way beyond just adding simple, hipsterish filters to your
snaps. Images can be tweaked and adjusted manually or through the Auto Correct
option if you’re looking to save time, while the shadow slider adds that
professional touch. The UI is neat and easy and the gesture based system for upping
the individual settings is surprisingly
intuitive.
Rocking a Nexus 7? The Android version has a great tablet
interface that really makes the most of the extended screen real estate.
Free | Snapseed
6. VSCO cam (iOS, Android)
Finally released on Android, VSCO cam is easily one of our
favourite photo editing apps that produces some stunning snaps, boasts great
filters and is so simple to use and master. The camera UI lets you select your
focus zone, then shoot - all this is super snappy and responsive. Filters are
plentiful and moving through them is quick as is changing the contrast,
temperature and exposure.
Once you’re photos are taken and edited, you can view them
all on a clever maps - complete with metadata and locations.
Free | VSCO
7. Pixelmator 3.0 FX
This alternative to Photoshop may not be quite as feature
rich as the photo manipulation king, yet with a much lower price tag and a
broad range of useful options, it’s a great app for a Mac. With support for
layers, colour adjustments, re-touching, a multitude of effects and custom
shapes, along with selection tools and paintbrushes it definitely doesn’t fall
overly short of Adobe’s behemoth. The interface is great; stylish and simple
while iCloud syncing means you can keep working across multiple machines.
Pixelmator has just upgraded to the latest version, and it’s
the best one yet. You can now quickly colour layer styles, add lovely looking
gradients and shape images with the fantastic liquefy tool. There’s a new image
editing engine, and Pixelmator 3 FX takes full advantage of OSX Mavericks.
£20.99 | Pixelmator
8. Pixlr Touch Up (Chrome)
While this app may be built for use in the Chrome browser,
it can also be used offline so it’s a must have if your laptop of choice is a
Chromebook. It’s definitely not the most comprehensive app on our list, but
that doesn't mean it doesn't pack features. You’ll easily be able to crop,
resize, rotate, enhance colours and play about with the contrast. Effects are
included too, so you won’t feel left out of the filter loving crowd. As its
built for Chrome, it links directly with Google Drive, saving your images
across your Google account.
Free | Pixlr
9. Photosynth (Windows Phone 8, iOS)
Something a bit different here - instead of adding effects,
Photosynth builds a 3D panorama of your surrounding area, but does it to 360
degrees, creating a full sphere. It’s quick to do, builds right into the camera on Windows Phone 8 and is easily
sharable with a load of social networks. It’s simple, but it works.
Free | Photosynth
10. Photoshop Touch (iOS, Android)
The original king of power picture editing, Photoshop has
been condensed into a touch friendly product for your Android and iOS devices.
Manipulate your snaps with classic Photoshop features such as layers, selection
tools, adjustments, and filters and use the camera to add in special extra
bits. Everything works great with your finger and feels much more natural than
using a mouse plus the helpful tutorial talk you through achieving some awesome
looking photos.
Thanks to Adobe Creative Cloud, you can upload your work and
continue editing on the desktop versions of Photoshop. Clever, eh?
£6.99 (tablets) £2.99 (phones) | Adobe
No comments:
Post a Comment