Who doesn’t love the perfect selfie? I sure do, even if it’s for my private collection. Or maybe that brilliant scenic shot from a recent vacation? I’m definitely not going to upload something that isn’t gorgeous on my social media page. After all, a good picture is worth a thousand words.
And in the day and age of smartphones that boast brilliant camera lenses, it isn’t all that hard to take a great picture. Except, of course, for that occasional zit or maybe poor lighting. That’s where photo editing apps step in with their editing features and filters to produce that perfect shot.
Take a shot, make a few minor tweaks here and there, add a filter for that extra glow and you’re set. Do, however, be careful that you don’t go overboard with that editing. These apps work best to accentuate your images, not completely alter them.
Here are a few of my favourites.
Snapseed
One of the best photo editing apps out there, Snapseed brings together some powerful editing tools and filters to give your images a new dimension. The app, with its clean user interface, lets you touch up your photos, increase brightness, adjust the contrast and even auto-correct them. It also boasts of touch gestures to let you edit that picture. Snapseed also has some of the best filters to let you brighten up an image instantly. For the uninitiated, the app also has a short demo with every command to guide you through the process. Best part: it’s free and has no annoying ads popping up on your phone screen between commands.
Cymera
This is the perfect app for those looking to create charming portraits.
While you can use the app for any kind of an image, it works best with portraits, with Cymera offering different types of lenses and modes to instantly improve photographs. So, if there’s a zit that’s playing spoilsport in your picture, you know what to do.
The app also offers over 20 filters and make-up effects that are rather realistic.
Aviary
Love turning a friend’s picture into a meme? Aviary is your one-stop solution. While the app offers the standard options to rotate, crop and colour-correct photographs, it also has focus functions, text input and cosmetic corrections.
The highlight of the app, however, is the meme generator, with the app letting you share images directly onto social media platforms.
While the app itself is free, it does have in-app purchases for special effects.
AirBrush
This is one of the best apps in the iOS and PlayStore markets for those obsessed with the perfect selfie. So, if you want whiter teeth, a smoother complexion, or want to blur out those stray strands of hair, you know where to look.
The app also has features that let you reshape your face or enhance certain features. Caution: It’s easy to go overboard with its array of features. Just try and stay as real as you can. You don’t want to look plastic do you?
Lightroom
Looking for professional level editing for your images? Download the Lightroom app.
Made by the trusted Adobe Photoshop, the app lets you craft and share professional-looking images from your smartphone or tablet. The best part is that it lets you experiment with whatever edits you like, without actually saving it immediately.
So, you can revert to the original any time you want, with a single tap.
You can also seamlessly sync photo edits from your smartphone or DSLR across Lightroom-enabled devices.
