This post is in collaboration with Verizon Wireless. All thoughts and opinions are my own. My experience may differ from your own. You can read my full disclosure policy here.
Last month I shared some of my favorite Instagram shots through the phone (I think this perspective is so cool!). I use my phone for a lot of things, everything from my banking to texting and staying in touch with friends and family. But probably the #1 thing I do with it is take photos and share them. This is why I love Verizon coverage. I can be in the middle of nowhere and still have a signal to get my pics to my Mom, to Facebook, wherever I want to share!
I have to say, I’m totally WOWED with the Samsung S8 camera and as these phone cameras get better and better, less photo editing is needed. But when you need to throw in a sunbeam to get the feel you’re going for on Instagram, or remove a stray power line, you need a good photo editing app.
Below are the 4 photo editing apps that I have on my phone and actually use regularly. You can visit the websites to find out more about their features, but I wanted to tell you why I go to each one for different reasons.
Afterlight ($)
Afterlight website | App Store | Google Play
Afterlight is probably the photo editing app I use the most. It’s really intuitive and easy to use right off the bat. It includes lots of filters, but they’re easy to flip through and not overwhelming, so I can edit my pics in here pretty quickly.
There are other tools like adding a light leak and film effect, too. The photo above was edited in Afterlight in just a few minutes. My daughter and I were having a girls’ night out and I did a quick filter, maybe some other minor tweaks, and shared it to Facebook.
A Color Story (free…to start)
A Color Story website | App Store | Google Play
A Color Story is one of my more recent adds to my photo edit app collection and I LOVE it. This one is free, but there are a lot of in-app purchase options, and I think I bought them all. You can unlock additional filter packs and effects for a few bucks each, and some of my favorite filters that I use most frequently are part of those paid add-ons.
I use A Color Story mostly for travel pics that are outside. I love the color fog effects to enhance a sky, and the flare and light leaks are awesome for adding a interest to your photos. I used some of those effects on the image above.
This is definitely the app I go to when I have time to mess around with my photos for a while. If I need it done quickly, I use Afterlight. A Color Story has a lot more options but as you know, more options to sort through require more time to play. One thing that makes this app really cool: If you like your finished product when you get done editing a photo, you can save the process and create your own custom filter and quickly apply it going forward. Love that!
Snapseed (free)
Snapseed website | App Store | Google Play
Snapseed is a really fun photo editing app that’s free. A couple of things I love that make this one different: It includes some ‘high drama’ filters so when you’re going for a dramatic shot, maybe the reflection off the water or a really blue sky, you can use these filters to make your photos really pop.
I imagine it’s a high contrast effect, but some are dark and some are bright so it can add a lot of WOW to your images. This little frogger was found in my yard and the kids took him for a swim in the birdbath (ah, sweet summertime!). With a Snapseed filter he became one wild looking little amphibian.
This app also makes it really easy to add a little text blurb to your pics which is fun! I created this one for a quick Facebook share when we were at the beach this summer. The text options include a lot of different styles.
TouchRetouch ($)
TouchRetouch website | App Store | Google Play
I honestly don’t use this one too often, BUT when I need it it’s a lifesaver. TouchRetouch is perfect for removing unwanted objects from your photos. So when you take an adorable pic of your child and there’s a tub of slime in the background ruining the photo (slime is ruining my life but that’s another post), you can lasso it with this tool and bam, gone!
One thing I hate in photos are power lines. So many beautiful scenery pics are ruined with wires running through them. TouchRetouch allows you to select the line and remove it.
So this app is generally one I use in combination with another app: I start here to remove any unwanted lines, strangers, junk in the background, and then I open the pic in another app to filter from there.
Sometimes I use a combo of these apps to get my photos just right. In this image above, I used TouchRetouch to remove the depth marker on the interior edge of the pool (who wants to see ‘8 feet’ in their #mermaidlife pic?), then I used a Snapseed high drama filter to contrast the light in the water against my daughter, and finally I used A Color Story to add some cool bokeh lights to the pic.
What are your favorite photo editing apps I should check out?
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