The 3 Best Photo Editing App for Your Phone.
As a pro photographer and teacher of photography I’m always looking for new things to try. I’m always interested in the process and different processes equal different end results.
Unedited image
A few months ago while submitting to a online fashion magazine I decided to edit all the shots with VSCO presets and actually edited all the shots on my iPad. They loved them and they were published.
Most of friends know I am bad when when it comes to iPads and Iphones and I am constantly breaking them so as of right now my iPad and Iphone 5s are both waiting to get a new screens but the other day I was thinking about different Apps and wondered how much difference there is the final image.
I decided to take 3 different apps and edit the same photo so I used an old Iphone 4 to test and compare 3 of my favorites.
I gave myself the limitation of one minute to edit each shot and I decided it was be easier for purposes of comparison to edit the shots into Black and white.
Here are my results.
VSCO app
VSCO is really popular and for good reason. It’s clean and user-friendly and has both adjustments and filters.
It’s free and occasionally they offer free downloads for additional filters but you can also purchase additional bundles of filters for anywhere from .99 cents to 5.99.
What I have found is that most photo editing apps are a little harsh. VSCO filters seem to be more subtle and are easy on the eye. VSCO is known to make presets that imitate film. Even though film has a much crisper look and I have never found a way to get a digital image to look as good as I feel film does I do love VSCO presets and I recommend every photographer considers purchasing this app and VSCO Lightroom and Photoshops actions as part of their editing arsenal.
VSCO turned out to be my favorite of the three.
Snapseed App
Snapseed App has a lot of options and is quite powerful. It’s easy to use and is the most popular App with Iphone users. It’s completely free and has great adjustment choices. I would not have a phone without this app on it. It’s so easy to learn that you just can’t go wrong with it.
For my taste I think this black and white image that I produced is a little harsh compared to the VSCO image however the harshness might be partly explained by the one minute time limit I set on myself while editing.
One thing that I don’t like about Snapseed is there is no Set filters as there are VSCO and Photoshop PS Express.
Still, this App is fast, efficient, fun and easy to use.
PS Express App
Photoshop PS Express is free to download and contains editing tools that are similar to VSCO. It has a basic set of filters and adjustments, and you can purchase additional ones within the app.
One thing I really like about this app is that you can add borders and crop and it also includes a red eye reduction filter and a healing tool.
Personally, I don’t think it’s as good as VSCO or Snapseed but Photoshop PS express does include a few options that make it important and it still has great features for a free app.
At first it really bothered me that to use some of the important features I had to pay but I also understand that I get a lot for free and paying 1 or 2 dollars for these features is worth it and justifiable.
In the end, I am a just a photographer who likes to shoot and even though I know Photoshop and Lightroom I don’t want to edit all day. These Apps can really help when I need to save some time or just want the look they give.
It’s great that today we have technology right at our fingertips that allows us to do so much and now anyone can edit photos on a phone. I can’t think of a reason why anyone who shoots shouldn’t download these apps and learn how to use them. They are fun, fast and powerful. Do you?
What is your favorite App to edit with? Leave a comment and let me know.
Glaston Vallhall
Photography Tips and Training 
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