Best Photography Apps of 2020
When it comes to smartphone photography apps, you can do so much more than basic retouching in 2020. Today's apps open up a world of possibilities, and often mimic the abilities of professional photo editing software.
Whether you're looking to remove an object from a photo, combine multiple images together or make precise edits to your pictures, there's sure to be an app on the App Store or Google Play that can help. Read more about our list of favourites below to get started.
Snapseed
Available on: iOS and Android
Price: Free
If you're looking for an app that can help you make precise changes to your photos, but you don't need to be that adventurous when it comes to your edits, then Snapseed will be great for you. Created by Google, and available on both iOS and Android for free, Snapseed has a host of useful features - and it even has the ability to edit RAW images.
As you'd expect, all the basics - like adjusting brightness and contrast, altering saturation levels and sharpening details - can easily be done in Snapseed. However, Snapseed's Selective tool helps you go one step further with those essential touch-ups, allowing you to edit specific areas of your photo, instead of the entire image. For example, you can darken backgrounds while brightening someone's eyes in the same photo with a few simple taps.
Snapseed is packed with other editing features too, including a healing brush, a lens blur tool, curves and white balance editors, and a number of filters and effects. You can also expand the image with Snapseed to make the canvas larger - the app can even seamlessly extend the background of your photo thanks to intelligent photo algorithms.
Photoshop Mix
Available on: iOS and Android
Price: Free
Experiment with layers, cut-out and combine photos and let your creativity flow with Photoshop Mix From experts Adobe, hotoshop Mix is a must if you're looking to make bigger adjustments to your pictures, and its straightforward interface means you certainly don't need to be an experienced editor to use the app.
The app is completely free, and available for both iOS and Android. Once you've installed Photoshop Mix, just open your first photo to start exploring its features. Thanks to the app's ability to use layers, you can combine multiple images to create unique effects, or even remove objects from one photo and seamlessly insert them into another.
You'll also have the option to retouch any flaws, make specific adjustments to select areas of your photo and add text. Filters can also be applied, but you'll have much more freedom than usual. You can choose to apply the filter to the entire image, or just a certain part of the photo - meaning it's possible to make the background black and white, while keeping the subject of your photo in colour with a few simple taps.
Afterlight
Available on: iOS and Android
Price: Free, with in-app purchases
With over 130 filters, more than 20 editing tools, around 60 unique textures and light overlays and a huge number of frames and borders available, you'll be able to create any look you desire with Afterlight. An amazing app that's perfect for adding effects with the touch of a button, Afterlight is one of the most diverse editing apps out there - and it's currently available on both the App Store and Google Play.
The app's more complex features, like Curves, Selective Colour and** Double Exposure**, really help the app stand out. Selective Colour, for example, can help you change the mood of a photo completely, and it's a great choice if you want to play around with the colour and aesthetic of your photo. There's even Colour Shift available, which can separate the RGB channels in your picture to help you produce a distorted, glitchy effect.
TouchRetouch
Available on: iOS and Android
Price: £1.99
If you've used professional editing software like Photoshop before, you might already be familiar with healing and cloning tools. The healing tool is typically used to remove any imperfections - like unwanted marks, scratches and blemishes - in photos without compromising the natural texture of the image, while the cloning tool can help you completely remove parts of an image by 'cutting it out' of the photo, and then replacing the gap with an existing background.
While it all seems quite complicated, apps like TouchRetouch make it possible to do directly on your smartphone. All you need to do is tap the area you want to remove or correct, and the app will begin analysing the photo and suggest the best way to fix it. For example, you might want to remove a passer-by out of your photo in front of a particular landmark, or delete an object getting in the way of your perfect landscape shot of the beach.
Can't wait to try out our top-rated apps for yourself? Why not upgrade the camera on your smartphone while you're at it, and find an amazing deal on the latest handsets with Mobiles.co.uk?