9 Best Layering Photo Apps in 2024

By Tani Adams 3 days ago, Software Reviews

Layering photo apps allow you to work with layers and overlay photos on top of each other on iOS or Android devices. Layers are essential as they let users change separate parts out of your pictures with no impact on the others.

With these layer apps you can change the background and achieve the effect of double exposure.

Top 9 Helpful Layering Photo Apps

  1. Adobe Photoshop Mix - Image editing without distortion
  2. Pixlr - Supports image editing in Google Drive
  3. PhotoLayers - Works great for photomontages
  4. Multi-Layer Photo Editor - Allows background layer zooming
  5. PicsArt - A layering app with brushes
  6. Canva - Ready-made templates
  7. Snapseed - Works with photos in RAW
  8. Aviary - Supports multiple languages
  9. PhotoDirector - Great photo layering app for novices

Besides the work with layers, these layering apps offer the ability to adjust saturation, contrast, sharpness, photo blurring. Moreover, you can add text to photos, use different effects and overlays with the help of these editors.

1. Adobe Photoshop Mix – Our Choice

Image editing without distortion
  • Photoshop CC export option
  • User-friendly interface
  • Image editing without distortion
  • Fast sharing on social networks
  • None detected

Verdict: Adobe Photoshop Mix belongs to the list of free photo editing apps that lets you perform standard picture editing on your smartphones. This app for layering photos offers an opacity of up to five layers.

It allows you to crop and merge your photos, as well as improve them with the help of different filters and effects. The outcome can be saved in JPEG or PNG.

Besides, you can adjust colors and exposure, apply effects and replace the background. This layering photo app helps you cut out a part of the picture and blend it with other images, or integrate various frames.

Once you are finished with the picture, you may share it with followers on social networks or export to Photoshop CC for more sophisticated picture editing.

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  • adobe photoshop mix layering photo app interface

    2. Pixlr

    Supports image editing in Google Drive
    • Support for both layers and masks
    • Interface may be customized
    • Supports image editing in Google Drive
    • Cloud-compatible
    • With ads
    • Offers only standard filters

    Verdict: Pixlr is a cloud-based photo editor that offers you a wide range of both basic and advanced picture editing options. With this image layering app, you can create a picture, get it from the Internet or upload it from your collection. All the brushes and other tools are fully configurable.

    The "Effect" menu offers more than 100 filters and presets to take advantage of. It’s a convenient option for those who prefer different effects to be applied to their pictures. You’ll find sharp and vivid effects, as well as classy ones that diversify your images.

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    • pixlr layering photo app interface

      3. PhotoLayers

      Works great for photomontages
      • Automatic and manual tools
      • Combines up to 11 pictures
      • Features a color tone changer
      • Tools for smoothing
      • Disturbing ads

      Verdict: PhotoLayers is one of the best photos background apps that supports layers.

      This app that layers photos grants access to Automatic, Magic and Manual tool for all users. The Automatic tool erases the nearby pixels of the same colors.

      It comes in handy if you want to remove big solid color parts. The Magic tool defines the edges and is used to blur the edges of an element.

      The Manual tool is irreplaceable in terms of more accurate tweaks and corrections. Once you are done adjusting, you may soften uneven edges that are caused by backdrop replacement to get a nice-looking image. In addition, this photo overlapping app is capable of combining up to 11 pictures.

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      • photolayers layering photo app interface

        4. Multi-Layer Photo Editor

        Allows background layer zooming
        • User-friendly
        • Free premium options
        • Supports background layer zooming
        • Various basic tools
        • With ads
        • Applies watermarks to pictures
        multi layer layering photo app logo
        Multi-Layer Photo Editor

        Verdict: Multi-Layer is an app that layers photos and offers numerous features to edit and form pictures from several layers. It offers the selection tool (both manual and magic wand tool) for selective editing of brightness, contrast, saturation, hue and RGB color levels. Besides, you are free to apply various auto effects to your image and make them better by adding text, photo frames, stickers and overlays.

        This photo editor helps you perform any action, like edit each layer separately, impose layers, blend modes, remove background with transparency, use a magic wand to change eye color.

        Ready-made photos may be shared and saved in PNG format (with support for transparency), and as a single picture. The app includes a File Explorer to upload and save photos on the spot – either locally or in the local network.

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        • multi layer layering photo app interface

          5. PicsArt

          A layering app with brushes
          • Offers different effects
          • Multiple layers and brushes support
          • Convenient interface
          • Integrates with social networks
          • Not enough filters
          • Without feathering feature
          picsart layering photo app logo
          PicsArt

          Verdict: As one of the best photo editors for Android, PicsArt knows how to insert a picture into another picture on iPhone or Android smartphones, as well as create unique pictures by combining graphics and photographic images.

          This picture editor pleases users with support for brushes and layers. Its camera lets you apply effects in real time. These options affect the camera’s performance.

          So, if you have a mid-level device, I’d recommend uploading already taken photos from your gallery and applying effects to them.

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          • picsart layering photo app interface

            6. Canva

            Presence of ready-made templates
            • Useful tools for web design
            • Straightforward UI
            • Easy to post on social networks
            • Presence of ready-made templates
            • Without the cropping tool in the standard version
            • Complicated navigation to find a photo

            Verdict: In case you need to eliminate flaws from your photo and make it look ideal, the best assistant is Canva. This is a fine app to put a picture on top of another with a full pack of instruments to quickly improve your photos. You will get free filters, icons and stickers to make your photos more creative.

            You may save your creations to both your smartphone and private account to view them from the PC. Besides, the ready-made pictures can be shared on social media from this layering photo app directly or printed out at once.

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            • canva layering photo app interface

              7. Snapseed

              Works with photos in RAW format
              • Variety of helpful tools
              • Cancelation option
              • RAW support
              • Free of charge
              • Lags a bit when downloading pictures
              • Certain interface gaps

              Verdict: Snapseed is another nice app to layer photos free of charge. It works great for editing selfies and day-to-day photographs. Besides, it is suitable for a deeper picture editing directly from your smartphone. Snapseed is notable for the support of RAW files.

              Besides processing layers, the app offers color correction, cropping, sharpening, etc. There are plenty of artistic tools, such as retro filters (Vintage), pseudo-HDR (Drama), aging (Grunge) and frames (Frames).

              You need to choose the necessary tool and apply it by touching the screen. An essential option of this Android photo editor with layers is a selective tweaking of separate picture parts (Selective adjust).

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              • snapseed layering photo app interface

                8. Aviary

                Supports multiple languages
                • Intuitive
                • Various tools
                • Supports multiple languages
                • Tool for creating memes
                • Without undo and redo features
                • Paid filters
                aviary layering photo app logo
                Aviary

                Verdict: Aviary is an intuitive photo editor that is praised for its ease of use. Though you cannot perform deep photomontages in it, like in other layering apps, it still works great for applying stickers and effects.

                Aviary lets you upload photos from the gallery or take them in-app. You can work with layers in just a few clicks. Besides, Aviary boasts top-grade color correction and a vast variety of tools.

                With its help, you can reduce the red-eye effect, edit brightness, shadows and contrast, as well as remove the background, cut out and add different graphic elements.

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                • aviary layering photo app interface

                  9. PhotoDirector

                  Great photo layering app for novices
                  • Many built-in effects
                  • Intuitive interface
                  • Basic tools
                  • Drawing toolset
                  • Limited free version
                  • Lags a bit
                  photodirector layering photo app logo
                  PhotoDirector

                  Verdict: PhotoDirector – is a Photoshop app that includes all the basic tools for photo editing: cropping, rotating, transforming, aligning, mirroring, blurring, adding frames, drawing tools.

                  Unlike other analogs, this app works with layers. Its specialized tools allow you to instantly remove objects from photos, create color transitions, cut out objects, remove background, and insert the image into pre-prepared mockups.

                  Besides, this is a great app to put a picture on top of another with the help of special modes, such as multiplication and overlay. PhotoDirector is capable of creating collages, so it is often called one of the best photo collage apps.

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                  • photodirector layering photo app interface
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