The Best Photo Editing Apps

Expert photographers share their favorite apps to take and edit pictures using only natural light

No matter what your photography style is, these tools will help you get the most out of your mobile device. Photographers Nicanor García (@nicanorgarcia), Emilio Chuliá Soler (@emiliochulia) and Derio Ilari (@derioi) recommend their favorite applications for phones and tablets, apps that will help you capture and edit incredible pictures both indoors and outdoors, using only natural light.

SKRWT

This application allows you to apply perspective correction (horizontal and vertical), distortion, cropping, lens correction, ISO adjustments and gives you exposure information of your pictures, as well as a gallery view function.

VSCO

VSCO has different photo editing tools and filters. There are pre-selected options, but you can also customize your preferences. It offers classic editing functions like contrast, saturation and grain adjustment.

RNI Flashback

Available only for iPhone, this app allows you to edit images to get that retro vibe everybody loves. You can play with multiple options but instead of these being displayed as filter galleries, like in other photo apps, the app suggests virtual “chemicals” to use every time you press the button.

Enlight Quickshot

This photo editing app allows you to add realistic effects that can dramatically transform your images, such as clouds to the sky. It has special options designed for portraits.

Adobe Lightroom

Lightroom allows you to browse and organize your images, edit collections and save photos after editing them. Capture photos in RAW format, and add overlays and various effects even when using the camera on your phone.

Snapseed

Mobile photo editing suite with professional editing features and a simple interface. It allows you to work on high-quality images, and has a wide variety of filters and tools.

Touch Retouch

This iPhone and iPad app allows you to remove unwanted elements from photos. Just touch the object or person you don’t want in the image and watch them disappear. It has other retouching tools and tutorials so you can learn how to use it effectively.

Ephemeris

This application focuses on planning outdoors photography sessions. It allows you to see what the lighting conditions will be like at any specific location in the world.

Sun Surveyor

A good way of knowing the position of the sun in advance so you can plan your outdoor sessions. It will give you the sunrise and sunset hours, the “golden hour” period and other useful tools like shadow projections.

You may also like:

- Introduction to Minimalist Photograph Composition, a course by Emilio Chuliá Soler.
- Architectonic and Urban Photography, a course by Nicanor García.
- Photo Composition and Editing for Instagram, a course by Derio Ilari.