With the invention of smart camera phones and the rise of social media to the heights it’s at today, everyone is a photographer nowadays. But it’s no longer about seeking that perfect shot, that capture that takes blood, sweat and tears to snap. With so much innovation at our fingertips, it comes as no surprise that we now have photo apps that take care of those circumstances that get in the way of that perfect shot: great lighting, a blemish that won’t go away, or unflattering angle situations and shadows in an otherwise good image.
To some, editing has a bad rap and I completely agree in those cases where editing is used to distort details, thus dramatically changing the image into something unrecognizable. But used the right way and thoughtfully applied, editing can turn good amateur photos into amazing professional shots, heightening the perception while maintaining the authentic feel of the image.
Whether I’m taking photos at my friend’s birthday party, at home snapping product shots for my blog or at the beach trying to capture a beautiful sunset, photography is not just the art of taking the shot but also the art of editing! If a photo is worth a thousand words, then editing that photo is paramount.
I’ve tried a lot of photo apps over the years, but here are the ones I’ve been loving and using consistently.
Photoshop Express – This is the one app that does it all. It’s always my first stop when I edit my photos. It can be used for basics such as cropping, brightening, changing the contrast, as well as for adding texts and frames. It’s incredibly easy to use and the features are very self-explanatory.
Snapseed – Once the lighting is adjusted and the contrast enhanced, I typically import the photo into Snapseed, another super useful and very user-friendly app. Here you can heighten the sharpness, rotate the photo and adjust the perspective along the vertical or horizontal axis. The Selective Adjust tool allows you to brighten and saturate specific areas within the image. This is incredibly helpful when working with photos taken in less than perfect lighting and the image is not evenly lit. I rely on this feature often when taking product shots for my blog. It provides the option to isolate and saturate the product I’m photographing, thus making it stand out and become the focal point.
Aviary – This app offers pre-set features that can turn the photo hi-def, softens portraits and sharpens details for photos taken at night or in minimal lighting. It can also be used to blur, blemish, whiten, add text and overlays. I use this app for nature and food shots. It works great at enhancing the vibrancy and overall tone, thus bringing the photo to life.
Lightroom – If you’re looking to change specific colors and change individual shades within an image, then Lightroom is the app you need to play around with. It’s fairly easy to use but you do have to spend some time deciphering the different options and features available. I use this app to accentuate and make specific colors from the photos pop. It’s perfect for product shots, outfit details, as well as sunsets.
Facetune – I went years without trying Facetune, but frankly, now that I have, nothing else compares when it comes to selfies or portrait shots. The app’s Patch tool works wonders at getting rid of unwanted items in your image, such as shadows, trash cans, cigarette buds on the ground, etc. Their Smooth feature can be used to smooth out pesky blemishes, or stubborn dress wrinkles, while still maintaining the authentic feel of the image.
VSCO – Filters can make a world of difference if used right and VSCO has some of the most natural filters I’ve come across. The app gives the option of adjusting the intensity of each filter. You can go for a dramatic change or subtly adjust the tone of your overall capture. I like to play around with filters for selfies, outfit shots and nature. I would also recommend using filters if you’re looking to keep the overall aesthetic look of your photos uniform so that they all have a similar vibe.
Tailwind – When it comes to scheduling my photos whether for Pinterest and Instagram, I’ve been relying heavily on Tailwind. Tailwind is a service that takes the guesswork out of figuring out the best times to post on these two social media platforms. It provides useful analytics, but it’s also an amazing scheduling tool. I started with the free trial a few months ago, but have since become a subscriber. I do plan a separate post on Tailwind, so stay tuned.
My advice when it comes to editing: use a light hand on editing apps and keep things real!
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Great tips! yes snapseed is one of my favorite go-to’s for editing! Thanks for sharing Cat!
Thanks for stopping by, Felicia! So glad you’ve found the post helpful. Snapseed has definitely made things so much easier for me as well, plus it’s very user friendly. Off to check out your blog now. ~ Cat L.
Thanks so much for your recommendations, my dear! Great applications! I am going to try Snapseed and Aviary and I’ll wait for your review on Tailwind, it sounds interesting! Have a great day!
Thank you for stopping by! I am a big fan of your YouTube channel so your feedback means more than you know! So glad you enjoyed the post, hope you find Snapseed and Aviary as helpful as I have! ~ Cat L.
You have some top notch apps and I use some of them myself – VSCO, Snapseed and Facetune are my favorites. Thank you for sharing as we all learn from each other. Have a terrific Sunday, gorgeous. Xox
Thank you for reading and taking the time out to comment. Yes, I think it’s always a good idea to learn from one another. So glad you’re also enjoying these apps. I honestly don’t know how I managed without Facetune! Now it’s one of my favorites! ~ Cat L.
Snapseed was my favorite when editing on my phone! Very easy to use. This is a great breakdown of all of these different apps – they each have a purpose.
Jenn │ Beauty by Jelly Bean
Hi Jenn, thank you for stopping by. Snapseed is one of my most favorite of the bunch, if I had to pick only one, this would be it. I’d be curious to hear about the apps you’re currently using. Your Instagram and blog photos are so gorgeous! ~ Cat L.
Going to need to look into some of these!!
xx Sofia | SOFIAADOT
Hi Sofia, thank you for stopping by. Hope you enjoyed the post and found it helpful! ~ Cat L.
Such a good post Cat! I think this is a great read for both beginners and IG pros. Thanks for sharing! xx
Naya // http://www.partyparrotblog.com
Thank you, Naya. Means a lot coming from you. I’m a big fan of your blog and IG posts. Your photos are so artistic! ~ Cat L.
I cant live without Snapseed or Facetune. I gave up on Lightroom lol Tailwind sounds like an amazing service! Look forward to your post on it! Thank you so much for sharing Cat! Have a wonderful week!xo
Snapseed is so useful and user-friendly. It’s definitely the one app I would recommend if I had to pick just one. Agreed on Lightroom. It takes a little more getting used to and is not as user-friendly but I love the way it enhances and saturates individual colors in the image! Hope you enjoyed the post! ~ Cat L.
Tailwind I am absolutely loving, makes my life so much easier, VSCO amazing what would I do without it? The rest I need to try, and a big yeah to blogging for bloggers Cat loving all your tips and tricks. Keep it up
Thank you Esnath! I believe we each have our own voices and always love learning from others! Glad you enjoyed the post! ~ Cat L.
Thank you for the useful apps Cat! I’ve been devoting some time to my blog as well and trying to focus more time on Pinterest and figuring out setting up rich pins. Thank you for sharing!
Dom
http://www.calibeaute.com
Hi Dom, same here. I’ve been spending more and more time on Pinterest. It’s been very useful thus far and am hoping it would get less time consuming as I become more familiar with the platform. Thank you for stopping by! Hope you enjoyed the post! ~ Cat L.
Such a helpful post Cat! I’ve started using Tailwind since you mentioned it in your “how to grow your online presence post” and it really does make scheduling my pins a breeze. Snapseed + VSCO are 2 of my go-to photo editors on the phone, but I’ll need to check out the other ones you mentioned now. Thank you for sharing these apps!
Jenny // Geeky Posh
Hi Jenny, thank you for stopping by. I really don’t know how I managed before Tailwind. It’s made blogging/life so much easier! Snapseed is also a super helpful app and very user-friendly. So glad you enjoyed the post! ~ Cat L.
So many great apps! I’m not very good with mobile editing so I’m always excited to learn from experts like you 😉 Lightroom sounds perfect! One of the reasons I don’t like editing on my phone is because I don’t have control over subtle things like adjusting specific colors in specific areas of a photo. I’ll definitely need to download lightroom and give it a try. I’m also looking forward to your tailwind post! I’ve been contemplating a subscription to tailwind/ planoly but have yet to bite the bullet.
Mili | Sharmtoaster
Hi beautiful! Thank you for sharing these tips, they were very helpful. I use Snapseed, Aviary and Facetune. Sometimes I use Buffer to schedule posts but I’m going to look at Tailwind to see if it’s a better option for me. I don’t play around with the apps enough to understand all of their features. Which app and tool do you like to use if lighting is not bad but there are shadows on your eyes? Sometimes that happens to me even when I’m in the sun.
I use Snapseed, VSCO and the one from IG itself. I really like these three combined. But your suggestions sound amazing, especially Tailwind. Great post, Cat.
Lots of love, Desi (stunnydesi_loves on IG)
Very interesting tips Cat ! Snapseed is the best for me 😉 But want to try Photoshop soon ! xo
Kédidja ~ beautymoodboard.com
Thanks for the tips Cat, this post is super educational and just what I needed to know!! I’m familiar with Snapseed but new to everything else!