By now, it's clear that creating great visual content is critical for marketers -- and that's especially truthful on social media.

As of 2017, Instagram has doubled its monthly active user base in the concluding 2 years, which means a lot more people are viewing and sharing photos in 2018. Plus, visual content is 40X more likely to get shared on social media than other types.

In other words, people like to exist shown, not told -- and in plow, they share.

For that reason, it's important for marketers to know how to create compelling photos for their business' social networks and blogs. And while it can exist worth putting the investment of time and money into photograph editing software on your computer, many of us are using our phones to take pictures and could stand to edit them without uploading them to a desktop. That's especially truthful when you're posting in existent time, like at an event. Download Now: The Marketer's Guide to Photoshop

Luckily, there are numerous keen cheap and gratis photograph editing apps out in that location for mobile devices -- some of them even cost just a few bucks. Just which apps are the all-time?

Check out our short listing of 12 apps below -- organized past apps that are compatible with both iOS and Android, apps offered but for the iPhone, and apps designed to edit face-focused photos.

Best Photograph Editing Apps for Android

one. Afterlight

$0.99 | iOS | Android | Windows

There was a time when I was a bit more former-school in my photo editing. I counted on Instagram tools lone, sometimes combining them with the "raise" feature on my phone'south Photos app. Then, I learned near Afterlight -- a somewhat rudimentary tool, just one that has all the features you demand to practise a basic photo edit.

From controlling the color tones, to adjusting exposure and brightness, to rotating and straightening a photo, it has everything you lot need for lighting or color fixes. It also contains 74 filters, including a Fusion feature that lets you mix tools, filters, and textures to create your own personal wait. Into frames? Afterlight has a whopping 128 to cull from, boasting a perfect pairing with Instagram.

My favorite tools, though, have to be the ones for Brightness and Shadows. Some pictures practise well with a decrease in shadows and increase in effulgence for cleaner, fresher look. Only flipping those around can besides create a more than mysterious, nighttime feel -- That's what I did with this photo of tree ornaments.

Afterlight_before.png Afterlight_after.png

2. VSCO Cam

Gratis | iOS | Android

Over the past few years, VSCO Cam has become a highly pop photo editing app for mobile. While information technology does boast a wider gear up of editing tools than most other editing apps, its main claim to fame is its filters.

These filters take a softer, more authentic look that resembles real film, compared to the over-saturated looks of many Instagram filters. Plus, it's peachy for when you demand to edit a photograph on the fly. Only upload the photo to VSCO Cam, slap on i of the great filters -- I used C1 below -- and phone call it a twenty-four hour period. (In that location are more filters available for purchase, too.)

Before picture of tropical scenery on VSCO photo editing app After picture of tropical scenery on VSCO photo editing app

3. Photoshop Express

Gratuitous | iOS | Android

Believe it or not, Adobe Photoshop isn't just for your reckoner. Adobe Photoshop Express puts most of what people dearest about Adobe'southward pop photograph editing program in their pockets -- lighting, colour, and sharpness options included.

Photoshop Express is especially useful for making photo collages -- something the app's developers likely highlighted for mobile users who want to share many photos at once on Facebook or Instagram. The app's "Decorate" setting even allows you to comment your photo with digital stickers before saving and posting directly on social media.

Although this photograph editor makes Photoshop's best features easily accessible, go on in mind it does carry the natural limitations of a mobile app. Specifically, you tin can only upload JPG files smaller than 16 megapixels (MP).

Nonetheless, what it does on a smaller platform is all the same super impressive. Yous should also try similar Adobe photo editing apps such as Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Capture.

Hither'due south how Photoshop Limited helps you choose dissimilar collage orientations for multiple photos:

The collage making setting on Adobe Photoshop Express mobile app

iv. Snapseed

Gratis | iOS | Android

Snapseed is another app that's great for basic image enhancements. It's got all the classic adjustment tools, such as tuning, cropping, and straightening. Plus, its sharpening tool is 1 of the best we've seen -- information technology really does enhance a photograph's detail, without making it look grainy, like many other photograph sharpening adjusters out there.

But what makes this tool particularly unique is its "Selective Adjust" tool. It allows you lot to pinpoint an area in a photo and adjust the brightness, contrast, and saturation of that single betoken. So if you want viewers to focus on a certain part of your photograph -- say, the buds in the center of a institute -- and so yous can make the buds more vivid.

Want more than help with Snapseed? Google, the maker of the app, created a dedicated support page with tips and instructions.

Snapseed_Tools.png Snapseed_Select Adjust.png

5. SKRWT

$0.99 | iOS | Android

E'er taken a picture of something straight-on -- a doorway, a building, your nutrient -- and plant the perspective was merely a little bit askew or tilted? The SKRWT app lets you accommodate the perspective of your photos to make the lines look clean and square.

Take a await at what I was able to exercise with a simple window shot.

Earlier:

Before picture on SKRWT photo editing app

Afterwards:

After picture on SKRWT photo editing app

At beginning, the "before" paradigm doesn't look that skewed, but seeing the "subsequently" version really shows what a difference symmetry can make. If it bugs you to see a photograph that's slightly at an angle, then this app is well worth the dollar.

6. Live Collage

Complimentary | iOS | Android

Collages made on Photoshop Express can be smashing, whether it's to show a comparison (like a earlier-and-afterwards series), or to highlight multiple photos from the aforementioned event or theme. But our favorite photograph collage app is Live Collage, mostly because of its wide variety of layouts. Information technology contains several options for photo system, both classic and fun, with interesting and colorful backgrounds. Plus, you lot can add customized text in unlike fonts, colors, and sizes.

If y'all're strapped for time, in that location are basic photograph editing options within the app, likewise, making information technology a handy one-end shop.

Example collages on Live Collage photo editing app Sample photo collage made on Live Collage photo editing app

vii. Instasize

Free (Premium Available at $4.99/calendar month) | iOS | Android

If you find yourself switching back and forth between dissimilar apps to crop, tweak, and utilise filters to your photos, Instasize offers a variety of photo-editing tools in 1 place. While cropping and resizing are the app'due south bread and butter, Instasize as well offers a good selection of additional features: manipulating exposure and brightness, tint and warmth, shadows and highlights, contrast, sharpness and saturation. In that location's likewise a wide choice of photo filters to choose from.

The app besides serves up robust beauty editing tools, unique borders, a collage creator, and the ability to add text -- making it easy for anyone at whatever skill level to add a creative and professional person touch to their photos.

Screen Shot 2020-01-24 at 9.51.12 AM

8. Foodie

Gratis | iOS | Android

If you lot're anything like I am, your personal social media feeds are loaded with images of food. It'southward no wonder that food-specific apps are coming out of the woodwork to make photos look even more delectable.

Chosen out past Bustle for taking "food pictures to some next level gorgeous," Foodie uses more than than xxx filters and other editing features to turn what might otherwise be a humdrum snack into a visual feast.

When I applied the CR2 filter to a photo of chocolate candy, this was the effect:

M&Ms before being edited on Foodie photo editing app M&Ms after being edited on Foodie photo editing app

Best Photo Editing Apps for iPhone

9. Camera+

$2.99 | iOS only

With the highest price tag on the list, you accept to wonder what makes Camera+ so special. When information technology was starting time released, Lifehacker called it "The All-time Camera App for iPhone," with Fourth dimension writing, "If the iPhone'due south standard camera is like a digital signal-and-shoot, the Camera+ app is like a high-quality SLR lens."

While the app has many of the archetype photo editing tools similar color tints, retro effects, and crops, in that location are a few gems that brand it unique. First is its image stabilizer, which helps you capture the sharpest photos possible before you fifty-fifty take a picture. It also lets you zoom in up to 6X, which can really up the quality of your shot if you lot're trying to hone in on something far abroad.

Finally, its Clarity filter is what The Wall Street Journal's Kevin Sintumuang calls its "cloak-and-dagger sauce -- it adds pro-camera crispness to almost any shot." I'd have to agree -- merely check out how it enhanced this photo of my dog.

Before picture of black dog on Camera+1 photo editing app

Sharpened picture of black dog using Camera+ photo editing app

ten. Mextures

$0.99 | iOS simply

Mextures is one of the more advanced apps on this listing -- and its crown precious stone is layer-based editing. That allows users to stack different aligning layers on tiptop of each other, moving and editing them individually, allowing for nearly limitless inventiveness. You lot can as well utilise multiple filters, textures, and blending models to the same photo to create a really unique look. If yous discover an editing formula yous really like, you can salvage it to apply to other photos subsequently, or even share it with your friends.

Here'south what happened when I took a unproblematic photo of candlesticks on a white groundwork only and practical three enhancements -- Waterfront overlay, Bokeh Babe Overlay, and the Color Dodge blending mode.

Mextures_before.png Mextures_after.png

eleven. Enlight

$three.99 | iOS only

I'll just say how I feel: This app is incredible.

Winner of the Apple Design Laurels in 2017, Enlight will change the mode you see even the most ordinary motion-picture show the side by side time you open your iPhone photographic camera. Amidst its x different photo editing features, the app's Photo Mixer allows you to alloy multiple photos together -- or combine a photo with text -- for a super artistic issue.

According to Les Shu of Digital Trends, Enlight is "a powerful Photoshop-similar app, minus the steep learning curve."

Check out a stunning instance of what the app'south Photo Mixer can do below.

Photo Mixer function of Enlight photo editing app for iPhone

Best Confront Editing Apps

12. Facetune

$3.99 on iOS | $5.99 on Android

Never have a selfie you don't like again. Facetune is considered the acme photo app in more than 120 countries, allowing you to make upwardly for unflattering mobile photos with professional person-level corrections to numerous facial features.

The app offers eight different types of corrections and enhancements to a person'southward confront in a given photo -- including to the hair, eyes, pare, and smile. Taking a new professional headshot? I highly recommend you bear on it up in the Facetune app before adding the photo to your LinkedIn contour (not that I don't think yous're cute already).

Here'south merely one instance of a peel tone correction done with Facetune, making all the difference:

Skin tone correction using the Facetune photo editing app

13. Visage Makeup Editor

Free | iOS | Android

Disclaimer: There'southward absolutely aught wrong with under-eye circles. Nosotros all have them, and we sometimes article of clothing them like medals. (Nosotros do, however, accept event with and don't recommend a lack of sleep.)

That said, when it comes to sharing photos of ourselves on social media, vanity sometimes enters the picture. Sound familiar? In that location's an app for that.

We similar the Visage makeup editor, which instantly retouches photos and lets yous add together some special effects, like a "Pop Art Style" filter that tin make your selfie look slightly Warhol-esque. The app comes equipped with some interesting backgrounds, as well as lighting and color features, with more available for purchase.

The only drawback? The complimentary version is a fleck advertizement-heavy, and unless you lot upgrade to pro, your finished production will exist stuck with a branded hashtag at the bottom.

Visage_before.png Visage_after.jpg

GIMP

GIMP stands for "generic image manipulation program." It'due south bachelor for download on both Mac and PC and has an incredibly similar interface to Photoshop -- just slightly less intuitive. This is a great culling for someone who wants to do some detailed photo editing that involves layers, color manipulation, and other more advanced design strategies.

Here'southward a quick beginner's guide:

While Photoshop volition give yous the quickest, smoothest editing experience, GIMP will become the job done if you need to do a more intricate edit of a photo only don't have the resources for a subscription. This could exist great for beginner photographers, marketing or journalism students, or people in a office where they'll demand to do light editing without a software budget.

Photos from Apple

Apple tree'due south Photos app is free to those who take an Apple computer. In fact, its pre-downloaded on to all Apple computers.

This software'due south interface is really easy to understand, however it is very basic. While you can add together filters, crop, remove blemishes, whiten teeth, and use other basic tools that are common to most free photo editing apps, you won't be able to practise anything fancy.

If you're a nature, compages, or portrait lensman that simply wants to add an actress touch or refinement to your photos, this software will be more than suitable. Merely, if you want to do special effects or something out of the ordinary, you'll want to consider software that's more advanced, similar GIMP, or a paid Photoshop subscription.

Apple Photos Photo Editing InterfaceIf you accept Photos and want to apply it, but click into the app and printing File > Import to import your images. In one case they're in, double click on the photo to expand it. Then, click Edit in the peak right corner.

If yous but desire to practise a quick color correction, you can as well click the Raise wand side by side to the Edit push button.

Pixlr

For those who don't want to download a program, such as GIMP, you could also try Pixlr. This editing software has a very similar interface and editing toolset to GIMP. The key deviation? It'south all online.

Pixlr Interface

You don't even need a membership to kickoff editing your commencement photo. All you accept to practise is get to Pixlr'south website and click the CTA on its homepage that says "Use Pixlr Editor." Once you lot do that, yous'll be instructed to choose a photo or brand a canvas.

And so, yous'll be sent to the editing page. Again, it'due south very similar to GIMP. The tools are all pretty similar, just the interface is a little brighter and the icons are a little bigger. This might brand a detailed editing process a bit easier on the optics.

Fotor

Like Pixlr, Fotor is a slightly-more basic free online photograph editor. It includes many of the editing tools you'd demand for light editing. For those who don't know what image editing symbols look like, you might enjoy Fotor because they replace those with buttons that simply say want each characteristic does.

Here's a quick image of what the basic interface looks like. Users who want more features tin besides upgrade to a plan which is $iii.99 per month.

Fotor Photo Editing Interface

If you want to see the production in action, here's a tutorial the Fotor shows new users:

Now Comes the Fun Part

See how piece of cake information technology is to create and share visual content? Of course, mastering these apps will require a bit of practice, merely if you're unsure where to start, just look effectually you -- that's what nosotros did when we tried each of them.

Think about your marketing goals for this year. So, ask yourself what kind of photos volition help you accomplish them. From there, you can pick and choose the best apps from this list.

So start getting visual. We can't expect to see what yous create.

Want to acquire more than about video editing? Check out 10 Easy-to-Utilise Tools for Creating Animated Images and Videos.

Marketer's Guide to Photoshop

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Originally published Sep 3, 2019 7:00:00 AM, updated February 04 2020