One of the biggest social media platforms, Instagram, is used by almost everyone who has a smart phone or tablet device. It’s fun to be creative with photos you capture and edit, and then share them with the world on Instagram!
There is, of course, no shortage of camera app replacements to choose from on the app market, but here at Row.co.uk, we have looked into what we believe are the top 5 free photo editing apps for your Android & iOS devices.
To show the comparison we have chosen a photo to edit on each app:
1. VSCO Cam
The VSCO Cam app offers a wide range of filters; you get some free with the app, and if you want more there is a whole market of them to choose from. As you can see, we've tested this app by using one of our images.
There is a dialogue you can use to edit many settings such as brightness, contrast, shadows, highlights, sharpening and many more! You can then share the photo to your photo library or straight to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and many more platforms.
Our Rating: 5 Stars
2. Camera+
The Camera+ app was very interesting to use, it offers a wide range of editing tools which vary from pre-set scenes that complete the edit for you or alternatively if you want to do it yourself, you can use their “lab” feature. This has a large list of dialogues which can take some getting used to. There is, of course, a lot of filters but it seems they are a big much unless you want it to be quite funky and out-there. However, it does give the option to tone them down and add others from their multiple filter feature.
You can then save the image to your photo library or, just like VSCO Cam, share your editing skills to multiple social media platforms.
Our Rating: 4 Stars
3. Darkroom Photo Editor
The Darkroom editor is a very simple, easy to use app. If you have tried VSCO cam you will find that there are a lot of similar aspects which doesn't make this app very unique, but if you don’t want anything too complicated then this is very ideal. Some work may need to be done on this app, as when changing the settings it doesn't give you a 0-100% dialogue, so you don’t really know how much you are changing the brightness or any other toning tools.
You must also be careful when saving the photo as it will ask if you would like to “modify”; if you select yes, then it will overwrite your original un-edited photo.
Our Rating: 3 Stars
4. Snapseed
The Snapseed app is developed by Google. It is designed differently to other editors, as the way you use the tools is set out in quite a unique way. It takes a bit of getting used to.
The toning options are great and if you want to change the exposure of the image it does it well. You can also detail the structure and sharpness of the photo which can make it look like it wasn't even taken on a mobile or tablet device. There are only 12 filters available on Snapseed and unless you like unique grunge textures on photos, they can ruin the photos slightly. I imagine the app will improve as the developers produce new filters, so it’s definitely worth taking a look at.
You can save the image to your photo library but there is not option to share to other social platforms, as this is a Google product.
Our Rating: 3 Stars
5. Polarr Photo Editor
The Polarr app is very different to others; the interface is designed so that you hold your device in landscape instead of the usual portrait as you would for most apps. It takes a lot of getting used to at first as it is quite complicated and the tools are quite messy. You can change all details of the photo, just like you can on any other photo editing app, and also use one of their many filters available. The difference with this app is that you can create your own filter which you can use again when you want to edit another photo, so it keeps all of the settings. This includes what you used to change the brightness, contract etc.
You can save the image to your photo library and again to the social platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Our Rating: 3 Stars
*The information in this blog is designed to provide helpful information on the subjects discussed. Please seek a professional for expert advice as we can not be held responsible for any damages or negative consequences upon following this information.