Today smartphones come with their range of built-in digital cameras which have put photo lovers at an advantage. No longer do they have to carry their stand-alone point-and-shoot cameras and DSLRs ever time they feel the urge to capture an epic moment. Smartphones with their powerful functionality allow you to snap whenever you wish to. Moreover, you can twitch those pictures with mobile editing apps that allow you to dramatically enhance your images and even share them on social networks.
Check out these three powerful mobile photo editing apps that can create a masterpiece of your photographs.
Hipstamatic
This was one of the first photo apps to make it big in the market. I may have lost some steam with the advent and popularity of Instagram, but this is still one of the coolest photo apps out there. The makers behind Hipstamatic are constantly creating new "lenses" and "film" that can give you different looks. This app takes a little more work to get used to, but the results can be more rewarding and more art like. With all the lens and film combinations to choose from, you will definitely want to play around a while with them to get used to all the nuance. My personal favorite combination is the Tintype SnapPak that includes the Tinto 1884 lens and an antique black and white or color film. Very fun for portraits.
FX Photo Studio (Mac)
This is a very fun app to apply different filters and color shifts to your images. A great way to create some of the effects you might see on Instagram, but you don't have to share them with everyone. You can blend and customize each of the filters available to create your own look.
Instagram...of course
Instagram, the popular photo editing app, hit the iOS gadget market in 2010 taking the world by storm. Today it stands with the support of 90 million monthly active users, 40 million photos per day, 8500 likes per second and 1000 comments per second. What was previously reserved for iOS users has finally made its way to Google’s Android platform. Instagram is a mobile photo-sharing app that lets you share precious moments from your life with your family and friends with a few simple clicks.
The Instagram app allows users to add filters onto images they capture for stunning effects similar to clicks from low-end film cameras. Instagram is more than just an editing app; it is a social network with its set of followers who like and comment on pictures. Similar to Twitter, Instagram features photo updates. You can also share your terrific pictures on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Posterous, Foursquare or via e-mail.
It recently introduced new features such as news feed with larger images, a separate Instagram album in the phone, a new welcome screen, infinite scroll on user profiles and a Foursquare button on location pages that opens the Foursquare app detailing the venue.
Photoshop Express
Adobe Photoshop is no longer restricted to desktops and have made their departure with Photoshop Express app. Photoshop Express is a fun app to add charm to your photos on-the-go using your Smartphone or tablet. This free app is not at all heavy like its original version and is a quick photo editor that adds a sparkle to your photographs. Any editing can be carried out with a few simple moves.
You can apply a number of filters, effects and borders to your pictures and other editing tools such as autocorrect option, redeye removal, and a touch-up tool. Once your picture is ready, you can share it in social networking sites from within the application and even email it to your family and friends. It is easy to create backup of your memorable pictures on your online account at Photoshop.com using an internet connection. You can enable automatic syncing between your mobile device and your Photoshop.com Library so that pictures can be saved in an online backup space.
The Photoshop Express app is available for use on iOS as well as Android platforms. Although it has fewer tools than its online editor, the Express app has more than Instagram.
Snapseed
Snapseed was originally an iOS photo editing app but now has stepped onto the Android platform for free. Awarded the ‘App of the Year’ from Apple, Snapseed has powerful photo editing capabilities but does not compete with Instagram. Unlike Instagram, Snapseed does not have social sharing features and is more than readymade image filter application.
Snapseed provides creative and customized enhancements that let you spruce up your images the way you want them. With a simple, gesture-driven user experience, users can quickly learn their way around. It includes image correction tools such as controls of brightness, saturation, contrast and other aspects. The best feature is perhaps the selective adjustment by which you can edit a portion of the image you wish to.
Just like Instagram, you can apply black & white, vintage, drama or grunge effects but control them in a slightly better way. You can even apply basic borders to your images.
After you have enhanced your image, you can share it directly to your Google+ account or send it to other apps in your smartphone. Previously, Snapseed was available on the iOS platform for $4.99 but now it is available on both platforms for free.
