5 Photo Editing Apps on Mobile For The Perfect ‘Gram

I’ve found myself relying more and more on mobile photo editing apps because I’m too lazy to sit in front of my desktop for hours on end editing photos. With mobile apps, I can edit photos while I’m commuting, while I’m having lunch or just waiting for friends. It’s definitely a convenient solution, but which apps are the best? Let’s take a look at the five apps I’ve been trying out.

1. Snapseed

This is probably the photo editing app that almost everybody uses. Bought over by Google from the original developers, it’s my go-to app because there are features suitable for more serious photographers like levels and perspective correction, but people who just want a quick edit on their photos will also be able to select “auto” on the filters and get it looking reasonably nice.

There are also the common stuff like healing, selective brushes and HDR filters. Best part? Everything is free!

2. Lightroom / Photoshop

Professional photographers will be used to Lightroom and Photoshop on computers, and they both have mobile counterpart apps. Personally I use Lightroom more than Photoshop, and the main reason why I use Lightroom Mobile is because of how well it renders details.

Here’s a shot of a model I took with Sony’s 64MP camera, the A7R4. On other photo editing apps, the photo doesn’t show as much detail as Lightroom Mobile does. And it’s definitely a nicer editing experience on Lightroom Mobile, especially for photographers who know what they’re doing.

3. VSCO

Ah, VSCO. This was wildly popular back when I was still in school, and there’s recently been the whole VSCO girl meme popping up which caught my attention.

VSCO’s biggest draw factor is perhaps, convenience. There are hundreds of filters for users to choose from, and if you curate your feed and want to have a consistent aesthetic, VSCO will provide that.

Unfortunately, VSCO locks most of their presets and filters away under their subscription membership pass. You’ll get 10 filters on a free account, which can be hit and miss depending on whether you like the filters or not.

4. PhotoDirector

For some fun photo editing, PhotoDirector might be what you’re looking for. Unfortunately, all the quirky photo editors tend to keep filters and features locked behind a subscription. PhotoDirector might not be as intuitive as Snapseed or Lightroom, but you do get the basic editing tools, including perspective editing, removal and clone tools as well as HDR settings.

The real use for this app however, is the effects that you can unlock once you pay for a subscription. You can add effects that make it look as if the photo was taken with a lomo cam, or add a translucent layer to photos with stuff like clouds or auroras.

Perhaps not something to use for serious photography, but definitely good for some cute photos with friends.

5. Photo Editor Pro

Photo Editor Pro is quite similar to PhotoDirector, but the main thing that wow-ed me when I first tried it out was the “Body” feature. It’s broken down into a few subcategories, Body, Tattoo, Muscle, Face and Accessories.

Under Body, you’ll get the body modification tools like waist and face slimming, height modification, and more. Tattoo and Accessories basically adds a layer on top of the photo that you can adjust to make it seem like you got a tattoo done, or if you’re wearing a scarf or tie.

Muscle is where it gets slightly interesting (and weird). You get translucent layers here that you can layer over your own (naked) torso to make it resemble abs, pectoral muscles or bicep muscles. Most of these are meant for men, but I’m not entirely sure there’ll be men who would be so invested in editing their photos to this extent.

Face is the really fun part. You get options here where you can layer a completely new hairstyle on, and even facial hair! So if female users have always wondered what their boyfriends would look like with a beard or stubble, you’ll be able to envision it here. Granted, it doesn’t look 100% natural, but hey, it really is fun.

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So that’s the five apps that we think covers most of any budding photographer’s needs. Did we miss out your favourite app? Let us know!