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

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

In other words, people similar to be shown, not told -- and in plough, they share.

For that reason, information technology'due south important for marketers to know how to create compelling photos for their business' social networks and blogs. And while it can be worth putting the investment of fourth dimension and money into photo 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 true when you lot're posting in real time, like at an upshot. Download Now: The Marketer's Guide to Photoshop

Luckily, there are numerous cracking cheap and free photo editing apps out there for mobile devices -- some of them even cost merely a few bucks. But which apps are the best?

Check out our short list of 12 apps beneath -- organized by apps that are compatible with both iOS and Android, apps offered just for the iPhone, and apps designed to edit face-focused photos.

Best Photo Editing Apps for Android

1. Afterlight

$0.99 | iOS | Android | Windows

In that location was a time when I was a chip more sometime-school in my photograph editing. I counted on Instagram tools lonely, sometimes combining them with the "raise" feature on my phone's Photos app. And so, I learned nigh Afterlight -- a somewhat rudimentary tool, simply one that has all the features you need to exercise a basic photo edit.

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

My favorite tools, though, have to exist the ones for Brightness and Shadows. Some pictures exercise well with a decrease in shadows and increase in brightness for cleaner, fresher wait. But flipping those around tin can too create a more mysterious, nighttime experience -- That's what I did with this photo of tree ornaments.

Afterlight_before.png Afterlight_after.png

2. VSCO Cam

Free | iOS | Android

Over the past few years, VSCO Cam has become a highly popular photo editing app for mobile. While it does boast a wider set of editing tools than most other editing apps, its chief claim to fame is its filters.

These filters take a softer, more authentic look that resembles real picture show, compared to the over-saturated looks of many Instagram filters. Plus, it's great for when you need to edit a photo on the wing. Simply upload the photo to VSCO Cam, slap on one of the great filters -- I used C1 below -- and call information technology a twenty-four hour period. (There are more filters available for purchase, as well.)

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

iii. Photoshop Express

Free | iOS | Android

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

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

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

Nonetheless, what it does on a smaller platform is still super impressive. You should besides endeavor like Adobe photo editing apps such every bit Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Capture.

Here's how Photoshop Limited helps you cull different collage orientations for multiple photos:

The collage making setting on Adobe Photoshop Express mobile app

4. Snapseed

Free | iOS | Android

Snapseed is some other app that's nifty for bones epitome enhancements. It's got all the classic adjustment tools, such as tuning, cropping, and straightening. Plus, its sharpening tool is i of the best we've seen -- it really does heighten a photograph's detail, without making it look grainy, like many other photo sharpening adjusters out there.

But what makes this tool peculiarly unique is its "Selective Conform" tool. It allows you lot to pinpoint an area in a photo and arrange the effulgence, dissimilarity, and saturation of that single point. And then if you lot desire viewers to focus on a sure part of your photo -- say, the buds in the center of a plant -- and so y'all can make the buds more brilliant.

Want more 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 pic of something direct-on -- a doorway, a building, your food -- and found the perspective was merely a little chip askew or tilted? The SKRWT app lets you lot accommodate the perspective of your photos to make the lines look clean and square.

Have a look at what I was able to do with a simple window shot.

Earlier:

Before picture on SKRWT photo editing app

Subsequently:

After picture on SKRWT photo editing app

At first, the "earlier" image doesn't expect that skewed, but seeing the "later" version really shows what a difference symmetry can make. If information technology bugs you to see a photo that'due south slightly at an angle, so this app is well worth the dollar.

vi. Live Collage

Free | iOS | Android

Collages made on Photoshop Express can be neat, whether it's to show a comparison (similar a earlier-and-after series), or to highlight multiple photos from the same event or theme. But our favorite photo collage app is Live Collage, mostly because of its wide variety of layouts. It contains several options for photograph organization, both archetype and fun, with interesting and colorful backgrounds. Plus, you can add together customized text in different fonts, colors, and sizes.

If you lot're strapped for fourth dimension, in that location are bones photo editing options within the app, too, making it a handy 1-finish shop.

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

vii. Instasize

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

If you find yourself switching dorsum and forth between different apps to crop, tweak, and use filters to your photos, Instasize offers a diversity of photograph-editing tools in 1 place. While cropping and resizing are the app's staff of life and butter, Instasize also offers a adept pick of boosted features: manipulating exposure and effulgence, tint and warmth, shadows and highlights, contrast, sharpness and saturation. There'south also a wide selection of photo filters to choose from.

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

Screen Shot 2020-01-24 at 9.51.12 AM

viii. Foodie

Free | iOS | Android

If you're anything like I am, your personal social media feeds are loaded with images of food. Information technology'due south no wonder that nutrient-specific apps are coming out of the woodwork to make photos look fifty-fifty more delectable.

Called out by Bustle for taking "food pictures to some next level gorgeous," Foodie uses more than than 30 filters and other editing features to turn what might otherwise be a humdrum snack into a visual banquet.

When I applied the CR2 filter to a photograph of chocolate candy, this was the result:

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

ix. Camera+

$ii.99 | iOS only

With the highest toll tag on the list, you lot have to wonder what makes Camera+ so special. When information technology was offset released, Lifehacker called it "The All-time Camera App for iPhone," with TIME writing, "If the iPhone's standard camera is like a digital point-and-shoot, the Photographic camera+ app is like a high-quality SLR lens."

While the app has many of the classic photo editing tools like color tints, retro effects, and crops, in that location are a few gems that get in unique. Get-go is its prototype stabilizer, which helps you lot capture the sharpest photos possible before you even take a picture. It likewise lets y'all zoom in up to 6X, which can really up the quality of your shot if y'all're trying to strop in on something far abroad.

Finally, its Clarity filter is what The Wall Street Journal'southward Kevin Sintumuang calls its "secret sauce -- it adds pro-camera crispness to almost any shot." I'd have to concord -- simply 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

10. Mextures

$0.99 | iOS but

Mextures is i of the more than advanced apps on this list -- and its crown jewel is layer-based editing. That allows users to stack different adjustment layers on top of each other, moving and editing them individually, allowing for nearly limitless creativity. Y'all tin can also utilize multiple filters, textures, and blending models to the same photo to create a really unique look. If yous detect an editing formula yous really like, yous can relieve it to apply to other photos later, or even share it with your friends.

Here'due south what happened when I took a simple photo of candlesticks on a white background only and applied three enhancements -- Waterfront overlay, Bokeh Baby Overlay, and the Colour Dodge blending mode.

Mextures_before.png Mextures_after.png

11. Enlight

$3.99 | iOS only

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

Winner of the Apple tree Design Award in 2017, Enlight will change the mode you see even the virtually ordinary picture the adjacent time you open your iPhone photographic camera. Among its 10 dissimilar photo editing features, the app's Photo Mixer allows you to blend multiple photos together -- or combine a photograph with text -- for a super creative result.

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

Cheque out a stunning example of what the app's Photograph Mixer tin can do below.

Photo Mixer function of Enlight photo editing app for iPhone

Best Face Editing Apps

12. Facetune

$3.99 on iOS | $5.99 on Android

Never take a selfie you don't like over again. Facetune is considered the top photograph app in more than 120 countries, allowing you to make up for unflattering mobile photos with professional-level corrections to numerous facial features.

The app offers eight different types of corrections and enhancements to a person's face in a given photo -- including to the hair, eyes, skin, and smile. Taking a new professional headshot? I highly recommend y'all bear upon information technology up in the Facetune app before adding the photo to your LinkedIn profile (not that I don't call back you're beautiful already).

Here'southward but one example of a skin tone correction washed with Facetune, making all the departure:

Skin tone correction using the Facetune photo editing app

13. Visage Makeup Editor

Free | iOS | Android

Disclaimer: In that location'southward absolutely cipher wrong with under-eye circles. Nosotros all take them, and we sometimes wear them like medals. (We do, however, accept consequence with and don't recommend a lack of slumber.)

That said, when information technology comes to sharing photos of ourselves on social media, vanity sometimes enters the picture. Sound familiar? There'due south an app for that.

We like the Visage makeup editor, which instantly retouches photos and lets you add some special effects, like a "Pop Art Mode" filter that tin brand your selfie look slightly Warhol-esque. The app comes equipped with some interesting backgrounds, too every bit lighting and colour features, with more available for purchase.

The but drawback? The complimentary version is a bit ad-heavy, and unless you upgrade to pro, your finished product will be stuck with a branded hashtag at the bottom.

Visage_before.png Visage_after.jpg

GIMP

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

Here's a quick beginner's guide:

While Photoshop will requite you the quickest, smoothest editing experience, GIMP volition get the task done if yous demand to do a more intricate edit of a photo but don't have the resource for a subscription. This could exist great for beginner photographers, marketing or journalism students, or people in a role where they'll demand to do light editing without a software budget.

Photos from Apple tree

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

This software'due south interface is actually easy to sympathize, notwithstanding information technology is very basic. While you tin add filters, crop, remove blemishes, whiten teeth, and use other bones tools that are common to near complimentary photo editing apps, you won't exist able to do anything fancy.

If you're a nature, architecture, or portrait photographer that just wants to add an extra touch or refinement to your photos, this software will exist more than than suitable. Merely, if y'all desire to do special effects or something out of the ordinary, you'll desire to consider software that's more than advanced, like GIMP, or a paid Photoshop subscription.

Apple Photos Photo Editing InterfaceIf yous take Photos and want to use it, simply click into the app and press File > Import to import your images. Once they're in, double click on the photo to expand it. Then, click Edit in the top right corner.

If you just desire to practice a quick color correction, you can also click the Enhance wand next to the Edit button.

Pixlr

For those who don't want to download a plan, such as GIMP, you could also try Pixlr. This editing software has a very like interface and editing toolset to GIMP. The cardinal difference? It's all online.

Pixlr Interface

You don't even need a membership to commencement editing your first photograph. All you accept to practice is become to Pixlr's website and click the CTA on its homepage that says "Use Pixlr Editor." Once you practice that, you'll be instructed to cull a photo or make a canvass.

Then, yous'll be sent to the editing folio. Again, it's very similar to GIMP. The tools are all pretty like, but the interface is a little brighter and the icons are a little bigger. This might make a detailed editing process a fleck easier on the optics.

Fotor

Similar Pixlr, Fotor is a slightly-more bones free online photo editor. It includes many of the editing tools yous'd need for light editing. For those who don't know what image editing symbols look like, you might relish Fotor considering they supersede those with buttons that simply say want each feature does.

Here's a quick prototype of what the bones interface looks like. Users who want more features tin too upgrade to a plan which is $3.99 per calendar month.

Fotor Photo Editing Interface

If y'all want to meet the product in action, here'southward a tutorial the Fotor shows new users:

Now Comes the Fun Part

See how like shooting fish in a barrel information technology is to create and share visual content? Of course, mastering these apps volition require a fleck of practise, but if you lot're unsure where to kickoff, but look effectually you lot -- that's what we did when we tried each of them.

Remember nearly your marketing goals for this twelvemonth. So, inquire yourself what kind of photos volition help you accomplish them. From at that place, you can pick and choose the all-time apps from this listing.

Then start getting visual. Nosotros tin can't wait to see what yous create.

Want to learn more about video editing? Bank check out 10 Like shooting fish in a barrel-to-Utilise Tools for Creating Blithe 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