Every year smartphone vendors surprise us with an upgraded quality of mobile cameras. Hence, photography applications are now popular as never before. Everyone wants to make their photos look a little more professional and seeks for new tricks to do that.
Application stores like Google Play and Apple App Store offer tons of mobile software that can help novice photographers make take their art to the next level. Moreover, nowadays photography applications have become so powerful that many feel like they do not need to use traditional computer programs anymore.
To help you not to get lost among hundreds of applications, we’ve compiled a short list of mobile software to help you work on your photography skills.
Adobe Lightroom CC
You might have heard about Lightroom CC, which is a very popular photo editor. Well, Adobe Lightroom CC is basically its mobile version that brings the basic features of the desktop version to your smartphone. Users can adjust the settings of light, sharpness and color. In addition, there is a possibility to crop images and even add a variety of effects. But the best part is that Adobe Lightroom CC supports RAW files, which not every mobile photo software can do.
Even though Adobe Lightroom CC offers numerous very useful features, you can get a lot more with a monthly subscription. For 4.99$ / month you can unlock all features plus get a 100 GB to store all your photos. In addition, if you have friends or family members who want to use Adobe Lightroom CC, the app supports family sharing. In this case, up to six family members can use the app.
Adobe Lightroom CC is available in App Store and Google Play Market.
Adobe Lightroom CC
Snapseed
Initially, Snapseed was released back in 2011 and since then has had numerous updates, including a refreshed user interface. Nowadays, this is one of the most popular applications in both App Store and Google Play Market. Furthermore, Snapseed receives great reviews from various tech publication. For instance, PC Magazine rated Snapseed as one of the Top 100 Best Android Apps of 2015.
Despite the fact that Snapseed looks like a very simple app, it can boast an impressive number of tools. Users can adjust everything from sharpness to perspective settings and edit the photo in just a matter of seconds. In addition, developers offer a nice collection of filters for those who’d like to add a little more drama to their images.
Surprisingly, Snapseed does not contain any distracting ads or any in-app purchases. Users can enjoy all of the features completely for free.
Snapseed
Magic Hour
Most likely that any semi-professional photographer has somehow tried to catch a “golden hour”. This is period of time after the sunrise or right before the sunset. It is believed that during the “golden hour” the natural lighting is the best which allows making great photos.
Using Magic Hour app it is easy to find out when is the time to turn on your camera. Magic Hour will show you when the “golden hour” starts and how much time you have to take pictures. You can use the app anywhere in the world. Just turn on the geolocation service or simply choose the desired city and the app will calculate when the “golden hour” will occur. Moreover, if you are taking pictures on a daily basis, Magic Hour will notify you about an upcoming “golden hour”.
At the moment, Magic Hour is only available to iPhone users.
Magic Hour
VSCO
Our list of top photography applications would not be complete without VSCO. This app is more than just a photo editor, it is a social network with an extensive collection of tools. The Discover tab features weekly digest of works of other photographers that can be used as an inspiration.
VSCO also allows making photos directly from the app with a grid guide, flash and white balance settings. The editing mode offers a variety of filters, each of which has 12 levels of intensity. In addition, users can adjust contrast, brightness, sharpness, saturation, alignment and other traditional photo settings. VSCO supports a history of changes. The original photo is saved in the app’s cache, so you can go back to it in case of an unsuccessful editing try. The basic features are available for free, but you can purchase additional filters from the app’s library.
VSCO is available to both iPhone and Android users.
VSCO
Over
The application market is full of various software offering numerous filters and editing tools. Over is one of such apps, but instead of filters, it offers lots of cool fonts.
The process of adding text is simple and convenient. To fully express your creativity, the app also allows changing the color and the size of the font. In just a matter of seconds, a plain image can become a fun postcard, invitation or an album cover.
Despite the fact that Over cannot boast a great number of features, the app is still highly popular among users. The process of adding texts is fun and engaging on its own. To brighten up your day and get some inspiration, visit the app’s official Instagram account.
Even though Over is available to iPhone users only, it is a great app that can help, for instance, brighten your blog content.
Over
Afterlight
What can be better than a photo editing application made by a photographer himself? Afterlight was created by a professional photographer Simon Philippe and quickly became a must-have app on every smartphone.
The first thing to notice is a decent choice of editing tools. Users have an ability to adjust contrast, saturation, set the temperature level and so on. Afterlight also offers a set of unique filters that can easily turn any image into a work of art. But the most popular effect is probably the Dust textures set, ideal for creating a “dusty film” effect.
Not long ago, developers presented the second version of the app with a number of upgraded features. For instance, now users have a chance to create their own filters. In addition, Afterlight offers new advanced editing tools like tweaking specific color and using curves for a more precise editing.
Afterlight is available on both App Store and Google Play Market.
Afterlight
