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best photoshop apps best photoshop apps

BEST PHOTOSHOP APP

If you want a Photoshop app where experienced retouchers do the work for you,
try Fix The Photo Editor & Retouch. You can also get an edited photo for free. If
you prefer to edit your photos yourself, adjusting color and skin tone, download
Lightroom Mobile.

As an Instagram blogger who has tried many Photoshop apps, I know it’s hard to find one that can handle all your editing needs without using 5+ different apps.

From my experience, many apps are difficult to learn, especially for beginners. Understanding their complex features and tools can take a lot of time and effort, which can be overwhelming for those who want a quick and easy editing solution.

Here, I'll highlight easy-to-use options, practical features, and how each app can help you create beautiful visuals for your Instagram feed or personal photo collection.

Quick Overview

Before diving into the detailed description of each Photoshop app, let's take a look at the main features of each one.

Photoshop App Main Feature Main Drawback Free Version

Professional retouching services available 24/7

Requires active internet connection

✔️

Wide range of editing tools and presets

Cost may be a deterrent for some users

✔️

Many editing tools and filters

Confusing integration technique with social networks

✔️

Supports RAW, TIFF, and PNG files

Slow performance while editing RAW files

✔️

Comprehensive app with mode-based editing

The app's Content-Aware Clone feature issues

✔️

All-in-one AI-assisted editor

Aggressive advertising

✔️

50+ adjustable filters/effects

Many closed features unless you have a paid subscription

✔️

AI-powered enhancement for old photos

Limited editing tools

✔️

Many editing features and tools

Limited features in free version

✔️

1. Fix The Photo Editor & Retouch - (iOS /Android)

photoshop app fix the photo editor retouch

Compatibility: iOS, Android

Pricing: Free to download and FREE Trial

Pros
  • Clean and well-designed interface
  • Lots of services to choose
  • Retouchers are available 24/7
  • Edited by real retouchers online
Cons
  • Requires active internet connection

This Photoshop app is always available when I need to improve my pictures like a pro. A group of experienced and highly skilled editors offer their assistance in face and body retouching. They always follow my wishes, so I can ensure the result will meet my needs.

Upload an image to the app and mention your requirements. You will receive your edited photo in just a few minutes. Using this photo editing app for Android and iOS, you will find a vast selection of editing options such as object removal, skin smoothing, body shape enhancement, and more. You can ask for help at any time and day.

The team will quickly bring to life all your ideas and deliver flawless pictures. The photo retouchers do not use AI technologies and fix all the flaws manually. This approach contributes to a more natural look of your photos.

2. Lightroom Photo & Video Editor - (iOS /Android)

photoshop app lightroom photo video editor

Compatibility: iOS, Android

Pricing: Free to download, has a free version, pro - $4.99/mo.

Pros
  • Wide range of basic editing tools
  • Batch editing
  • Spot color correction
  • Support presets
Cons
  • Cost may be a deterrent for some users
  • Not for complex editing needs

As for the interesting features of Lightroom Mobile, I can name advanced batch editing, with the ability to apply free Lightroom mobile presets to the whole album of photos. You can also use the Healing Brush to achieve the perfect composition or remove all unnecessary objects.

One important thing to note is that Lightroom Mobile can work with uncompressed RAW files, unlike other programs like Snapseed, which only support JPEG files. This gives you more flexibility in adjusting your photos and retaining details in overexposed and underexposed areas.

I should also mention a built-in camera, which supports 2 modes, Auto and Pro. Auto mode is great for everyday shooting in daylight. In the professional mode of this Photoshop app, you have access to all the standard settings, including exposure, ISO, shutter speed, and filters, as well as automatic highlighting of overexposed areas in the image.

When it comes to downsides, although Lightroom Mobile is great for simple and basic editing, it might not be the best choice for people who need more advanced editing features. Unlike some other Photoshop apps I mentioned, Lightroom Photo & Video Editor doesn't have all the professional features like complicated layer editing, detailed retouching tools, and advanced compositing options.

3. Snapseed - (iOS /Android)

photoshop app snapseed

Compatibility: iOS, Android

Pricing: Free

Pros
  • Many auto tools
  • Perfect filters
  • Suitable for basic color correction
  • Ease-to-master UI
Cons
  • Confusing integration techniques with social networks
  • Lack of advanced tools

Snapseed is a powerful Photoshop app that has gained a huge and loyal following among users. One of its major advantages is the wide range of editing tools and filters it offers. With 29 different tools at your disposal, you can enhance your images in various ways. From adding frames to removing spots and blemishes with the Healing tool, Snapseed has got you covered.

This AI photo editor also boasts a Perspective tool, allowing you to adjust the perspective of your images. This is a great feature for correcting any distortions or making creative adjustments. It's an advantage when it comes to fine-tuning your photos.

For me, one of the standout advantages of Snapseed is its user-friendly interface. The app is easy to use, with simple gestures and a clean, intuitive design. It is based on layers, which means you can make non-destructive edits and save your changes separately. This gives you the flexibility to re-adjust your edits at any time, which is a big plus.

I find Snapseed's integration with social networks a bit confusing. Although you can share edited photos directly to Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, the process isn't as simple as it is with other Photoshop apps.

4. Photoshop Express

photoshop app photoshop express

Compatibility: iOS, Android

Pricing: Free to download, has a free version, pro - $4.99/mo.

Pros
  • Supports RAW, TIFF and PNG files
  • Tight integration with Adobe desktop programs
  • Lots of customizable filters/effects
  • Nice variety of tools for basic editing
Cons
  • Slow performance while editing RAWs
  • Can be confusing for new users

Photoshop Express is a standard choice for mobile photographers. This Photoshop app supports RAW, TIFF and PNG file processing, as well as offers Cloud storage and tight integration with desktop programs of the Creative Cloud family.

Many customizable filters and effects (B&W, grainy, bright, contrast, matte, soft, etc.,). In addition, you will find all the standard tools for basic photo editing, such as cropping, automatic red-eye correction, teeth whitening, the Brush Tool for skin retouching, and more.

What I like about this app is its powerful Text Tool. As one of the best Photoshop apps, Photoshop Express offers more than 100 built-in fonts that can be customized by color, size, bold, or italics type, as well as add transparency effect, which resembles a watermark.

However, a disadvantage of Photoshop Express is how it handles RAW files. Since RAW files have a lot of uncompressed data, they need more processing power to edit than JPEG files. This can make the app slow or laggy when working with RAW files, especially on older or less powerful devices.

5. PhotoDirector

photoshop app photodirector

Compatibility: iOS, Android

Pricing: Free to download, has a free version, pro - $6.99/mo.

Pros
  • Comprehensive app
  • Mode-based editing
  • Reasonable price
  • Good selection of brushes, gradients, and masks
Cons
  • The app's Content-Aware Clone feature issues
  • Limited range of photo management features

First off, PhotoDirector is a powerful and feature-packed automatic photo editor. It offers full creative control over your photos and has a user-friendly interface, making it easy to navigate.

For me, one of the standout features of PhotoDirector is its mode-based editing. With six different modes, you can easily switch between tasks like organizing your photos, making adjustments, and editing with layers. Each mode has a tailored interface, allowing you to focus on specific functions and giving you more options for combining and applying effects.

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In terms of editing tools, it offers a range of features, from basic adjustments like red-eye removal and spot removal to more advanced filters and techniques. What's impressive is that the non-destructive adjustment tools can be applied to both RAW and JPEG images. You can even create your own presets to speed up your editing process.

As for downsides, PhotoDirector doesn't offer as many photo management features as other apps that focus solely on managing photos. For me, the Photoshop app doesn't have powerful organization tools like advanced tagging, sorting, and categorization options.

6. PicsArt

photoshop app picsart

Compatibility: iOS, Android

Pricing: Free to download, has a free version, pro - $12.99/mo.

Pros
  • All-in-one AI-assisted editor
  • Wide selection of aesthetic effects
  • Community feature
  • Variety of photo and graphic design tools
Cons
  • Aggressive advertising
  • Price tag

Being one of the best Photoshop apps, PicsArt offers a wide selection of aesthetic effects that can truly enhance any photo. Whether you're looking for filters, overlays, or unique effects, this app has got you covered.

Comparing PicsArt vs VSCO, you can that one of the biggest advantages of PicsArt is its variety of photo and graphic design tools. Many of these tools are not available on other image-editing apps, making it stand out from the crowd. The app's layout is simple, intuitive, and visually appealing, making it easy to navigate and use. It's surprising how complete and capable this free mobile photo editor and collage maker is.

Another great feature is the ability to create different formats, such as Instagram square, Facebook cover and story, YouTube thumbnails, Pinterest pins, and Twitter banners. This versatility allows you to tailor your creations to fit the specific requirements of each platform.

However, since I use the free version of this Photoshop app, one thing that bothers me, and many other users, is the app's aggressive advertising and constant pushing to buy premium features. Ads show up a lot in the app, and I often get asked to upgrade to the premium version to get more tools and content, which is really annoying.

7. VSCO

photoshop app vsco

Compatibility: iOS, Android

Pricing: Free to download, has a free version, pro - $7.99/mo.

Pros
  • 50+ adjustable filters/effects
  • Integrated community/social network
  • Advanced built-in camera
  • Simple slider-based editing
Cons
  • Many closed features unless you have a paid subscription
  • Crashes on older smartphones

VSCO offers a wide range of editing features, including exposure, contrast, crop/straightening, sharpening, saturation, shadows & highlights, grain, and even a premium HSL feature in VSCO X.

One of the advantages of VSCO for me is its simple user interface. It's easy to navigate, yet it offers powerful editing tools that can really take your photos to the next level. The Discover tab is a great feature that allows you to find inspiring photos from people you follow or those who have posted on your feed. You can also search for content using hashtags.

If you're new to photography, VSCO offers dozens of preset filters that you can use to enhance your photos. These filters are similar to Instagram's popular ones but with more sophisticated settings. However, if you prefer more control over your images, you can adjust settings like exposure and contrast.

Regarding disadvantages, VSCO provides a free version of its filter app, but a lot of its advanced features and presets are only accessible to users who have a paid subscription to VSCO X. This might be annoying for users who don't want to pay for extra features or who have limited budget.

8. Remini

photoshop app remini

Compatibility: iOS, Android

Pricing: Free to download, has a free version, pro - $9.99/week.

Pros
  • AI-powered enhancement
  • User-friendly
  • Quick results
  • Great for old photos
Cons
  • Pricey
  • Few editing tools

While Remini might not have all the advanced editing features like regular Photoshop apps, its AI-powered tools are great for improving photo quality effortlessly. I especially like how easy it is to use, even for beginners.

Unlike many other photo editing apps on the list Remini is good at fixing up old or low-quality photos. It can bring back faded colors, sharpen blurry parts, and reduce noise, making old memories look clear and vibrant again.

Moreover, even though it tweaks photos, Remini tries to keep them looking natural. It's good at enhancing details without making the pictures look fake.

But, compared to traditional Photoshop apps, Remini doesn't have all the editing tools like selection tools, layers, brushes, and healing tools.

9. Pixlr

photoshop app pixlr

Compatibility: iOS, Android

Pricing: Free to download, has a free version, pro - $1.99/mo.

Pros
  • Easy-to-use interface
  • Lots of editing features
  • Variety of text options
  • Includes selection tools
Cons
  • Some features only available in the paid version
  • May run slowly on older devices

Pixlr offers essential editing tools like crop, rotate, and resize, making it easy to make basic changes to photos. It also provides advanced features like layers, masks, blending modes, and filters for more complex edits and creative effects.

Unlike many other apps from my list, Pixlr includes various text and typography options. You can add text layers, customize fonts, styles, and effects, and blend text seamlessly into your images. This app to resize photos also has a range of brushes and drawing tools for painting, masking, and retouching, allowing you to adjust brush size, opacity, and hardness for detailed edits.

What I especially like about Pixlr is its selection tools, such as the lasso tool, magic wand tool, and quick selection tool, which allow precise selection and manipulation of specific areas in an image.

However, while this Photoshop app has a free version, some advanced features and content are only available with a paid subscription. Additionally, some users might experience performance issues or lag, especially on older devices or those with limited processing power.

How to Choose the Most Suitable Photoshop App for You

As an Instagram blogger, picking the right Photoshop app is important to keep your feed looking great. Here's how I choose:

Check the features. Look at what each app offers and how well it fits your needs. See if they have tools for editing like cropping, adjusting exposure, using filters, and fixing up photos. Also, think about if they have stuff for making graphics, like adding text, stickers, and layers if you want to make posts from scratch.

See if it works with Instagram. Make sure the app works smoothly with Instagram and other social media sites. Check if it lets you share directly to Instagram, saves photos in the right size for posts and stories, and works with Instagram's layouts and formats.

User interface. Choose an app with an easy-to-use interface. A confusing interface can make editing harder and more frustrating. Go for apps with simple menus, tools you can find easily, and layouts you can customize to make editing easier.

Speed and performance. The app must work fast, especially when you're editing and posting on Instagram. Pick a speedy app, that doesn't lag, and gives you smooth editing, even when you're working with big files or adding fancy effects.

See if there's a community or support. Look for Instagram photo editors with active communities or support groups where you can get tips and help from other users. It's also good to have customer support you can reach out to if you have problems with the app.

Try out different apps with their trials. Don't be afraid to test out a few Photoshop apps before you decide on one. Most apps have free versions or trial periods, so you can see what they're like before you commit. Experiment with different apps to find the one that works best for you.


Ann Young

Hi there, I'm Ann Young - a professional blogger, read more

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