- I asked on Twitter recently what the next video is
you guys wanted me to do, and you overwhelmingly
chose the best photo editing apps.
(rhythmic, bass thumping music)
Now while I suggested it, I didn't quite realize
how many photo editing apps there are out there.
I mean, there's one that just turn your photo
into an 8-bit looking, blocky thing.
Ones that just do text overlays, etc.
So I figured out really quick that I needed to come up with
some type of criteria for the best photo editing app.
So for this video I decided that each of the apps had to
not just be good at one very obscure feature,
but good at photo editing in general.
And if it is a rare case where it does just do one feature,
that feature needs to be able to be used
in a lot of photo editing scenarios.
So with that criteria in place, here's what I found.
So the first one is one that
I've actually been using for a little bit, and I love.
Snapseed, created by Google by the way,
is one of the most popular photo editing apps
for iOS, as well as Android.
Reason being is that it has some super intuitive UI features
and tools for pretty much everything a photographer
would need to enhance their photos.
Basics like exposure, color temperature,
adjusting the shadows and highlights, saturation etc.,
are all easily controlled by swiping up and down,
and left and right.
And there's even a histogram at the bottom for those
who wanna look at the data in the photo while editing,
which is something that most professional photo editors
would want to do.
Beyond that there are some artistic filters,
and even a healing tool to remove small, unwanted objects.
And so it just kinda is a good overall, roundabout
photo editing app that, not to mention,
is also completely free for iOS and Android.
Next is VSCO, which is a photo editing app that,
if you search for the best photo editing apps on the web,
you're bound to see come up more than once.
Now the reason that VSCO is so popular is
that it's actually a team that's behind
some really cool tools for Adobe Lightroom,
which is a very popular photo editing app for desktop
if you've never heard of it.
And according to the reviews at least,
they managed to bring a lot of those cool features
over to their mobile counterparts.
So in addition to its basic editing tools,
its big claim to fame is its filters.
So instead of super dramatic ones,
which it does still have by the way.
It also some very subtle ones
that are aimed to make vintage and modern analog film looks.
And unlike a lot of other filter touting apps,
the filter's strength can also be adjusted,
to kind of create the better,
or more exact look that you want.
Now, while it isn't the most intuitive app for some
to just pick up and use, it is quite a stunning one,
and doesn't take that long to learn.
'Cause the next one is one of those tools
that just kinda does one thing,
but it is a thing that I think a lot of photographers
really would benefit from, and it also does it really well.
The tool is called TouchRetouch,
and what it's really good at is
removing items easily from your photos.
So sometimes you get that one item,
photo-bomber, animal in your photo,
and if it weren't for that it'd be an amazing shot.
All you have to do is simply tap the drawing tool,
and color in the part you wanna make disappear,
then tap start, and then just watch it vanish
without too much distortion.
You can also use this tool to clone items,
or just move them as well.
But regardless, it's a great tool to start on a photo
that could be better if it had less in it,
and then bring it into one of the other apps
on this list to finish the job.
Okay so this is the last one
that's gonna just do one feature, I promise.
Again, it is a feature that I think
can help a lot of photographers though.
It's a feature that allows you to create that
bokeh, or depth of field look, using your smart phone.
If you actually took two photos,
one with that effect and one without,
chances are, you show them to enough people,
most of them are gonna say, for some reason,
they don't really know why,
but the one with the blurred background
just looks more pleasing to them.
Now the reason this is, is because technically
it's kind of how our eyes really work.
When you focus on an object with your eyeballs,
the background is slightly blurred.
So it kind of mimics our real vision to some extent.
Now that's not to say that a photo
without this effect is bad or worse,
it's just a stylized artistic choice.
And the app is called After Focus,
and it is available on Android and iOS.
But in a nutshell how it works is you can take any photo,
draw lines on the things that you think
are in the foreground, the mid area, and the background,
and then blur what you want
on the correct part of the photo.
You can also adjust the blur and the feathering
of the edges to make the blur more subtle,
and look a little more realistic.
But for Android you'll need the pro version of the app
in order to use that feature.
Available for both iOS and Android,
and with over 50 million installs on Android alone,
we have to mention Pixlr.
Effects and layers are the name of the game for Pixlr,
boasting over two million combinations of different effects.
You can add text overlays, layer your images on one another,
make collages easily, and even do all of the above
on one photo should you be so inclined.
Now there are too many features to show you them all,
but just understand that it has
pretty much every one imaginable, and it's free.
So it's definitely worth a test run, if nothing else.
Just try not to lose too many hours
of your life playing with it.
And finally, what photo editing round up would be complete
without at least mentioning Adobe.
Adobe's Photoshop has become such a main stay
in desktop photo editing, that it's even become a verb.
They photoshopped the crap out of that model.
Already pretty much dominating
the desktop world of photo editing,
Adobe figured why not make a mobile version of this.
Now while not everything from the desktop version of
Photoshop is included, the basics, some looks and filters,
and some super simple tools like straighten and flip
are there and easy to use.
Now honestly, I prefer some of the other tools on here
to Photoshop, since I'm just not very familiar
with Photoshop itself.
But, since it does the same things
as most of the other photo editing apps on here,
and it is so highly praised,
I'm sure someone with a bit more
Photoshop experience is going to love it.
And there you go, some of the best apps
for photo editing on iOS and Android.
Now I know I missed some of your favorites I'm sure.
So please let me know in the comments below
which ones you can't live without.
Now if you like this video please thumbs up it,
or share it, it is greatly appreciated.
And if you want more videos like this
please subscribe to the Youtube channel.
And as always, thanks for watching.
(rhythmic, bass thumping music)