Top 8 Best Photo Editing Apps iPhone

It used to be the case, and perhaps it still is, that true photo editing requires an expensive camera to take shots and an expensive computer to modify them. These days however, the best photo editing apps are often on the mobile platform, with many of these apps offering a similar level of power when it comes to image modification to their desktop counterparts. The great thing about taking photos and creating short films with your iPhone is that there are lots of accessories out there to help you, with lenses and stands and the like. This means that you can snap away with your iPhone and then pull up the images in different apps in order to make changes, edit all kinds of small details and even improve your photos using filters. Of course, different photo editing apps offer different options, with some sticking to the superficial side of things such as the ability to remove red eye and basically improve your selfies before uploading them to social media. Others are a lot more impressive, but we’ll let the following tell you all about that.

8. SKRWT ($1.99)

Many of the apps on this list will be photo editing apps that offer more of a general array of tools, while some will be concerned with one specific function that you will I’m sure find useful. Firmly belonging to the latter category is the SKRWT app, which put simply was designed to help you avoid those distorted images that may occasionally arrive when taking snaps with your iPhone camera. Often, the wide angle lens of the iPhone will warp or bend images out of proportion, and the result can end up not looking natural whatsoever. With SKRWT, you won’t have to deal with this anymore! – Download from iTunes

7. Filterstorm Neue ($3.99)

Then there is Filterstorm Neue, which is another recent find for us here at Top 8 but one that is definitely worth a look, if you’re in the market for a simple photo editing app that runs along the like of something like Photoshop or Lightroom, but with less of the complicated features. One thing about even the best photo editing apps out there is that they can fall down when it comes to giving users control over things like brightness and contrast. Rather than full on digital control, this can be reduced to something more analogue. With Filterstorm Neue, the curves feature really allows you to fine tine things  like brightness and contrast so that each photo you edit will be a unique product of your creative mind. – Download from iTunes

6. AfterFocus ($0.99)

I tried with this list to eliminate those photo editing apps that focus (excuse the pun) on one specific feature or function, but in the end I just couldn’t manage it. As a keen photographer myself, there are those photo editing apps that I tend to spend most of my time with, but there are also those that offer a key feature or area of functionality that I rely on, and think many iPhone photographers should know of, too. One example of this is the AfterFocus app, which is an app that only does one thing but does it well, and is an app that I wouldn’t be able to do without. The app basically imitates the shallow depth of field effect that can only typically be managed with a DSLR camera. This means you can get the effect of a photo taken with an expensive piece of photographic equipment, but do so with your mobile device. – Download from iTunes

5. Superimpose ($0.99)

Another thing that photo editors on the iPhone might want to do is to superimpose specific images over one another, which is something that can be done fairly easily with a desktop computer and a program like Photoshop, but less so on a mobile device. Fortunately, we have apps like Superimpose that are designed with just such functions in mind. This app is available for 99 cents at the time of writing, though could prove very useful indeed. – Download from iTunes

4. Enlight ($3.99)

Enlight is one of the best photo editing apps out there right now, though I’ll admit to not having known about it until ver recently. The granular controls here are very advanced when compared to similar photo editing apps, yet are easy enough to work with. You can quickly apply filters, make specific adjustments and even take advantage of intuitive presets that are there to help you save time. There customizable filters are also great, meaning that Enlight is also an excellent choice for those who like to upload to social media, too. – Download from iTunes

3. Stackables (Free)

Again, one thing that sets apart the desktop image editing tools you will find such as Photoshop and the condensed, limited features of your average mobile photo editing app, is this idea of layers. Photoshop allows you to introdoce an infinite amount of layers, make changes in the form of these layers and then remove them as you wish. If there is one thing that really provides the editing power with Photoshop, it comes with these accessible layers. Many of the photo editing apps you will find on the iPhone have begun to adopt the same approach when it comes to layers, with Stackables existing as one of these. There are quite a few apps out there these days that allow you to experiment when it comes to layering different textures over one another, but Stackables is the best example that we could find and indeed is one of the best photo editing apps out there for the iOS platform. – Download from iTunes

2. Snapseed (Free)

If there’s one thing that sets Snapseed apart from similar photo editing apps for the iPhone, it’s speed. Unlike some image editing apps for mobile devices, Snapseed works with layers – which is perhaps some thing that likens it more to programs such as Photoshop. Snapseed allows you to adjust different parts of an image and then add more layers with more adjustments. You can adjust focus add filters and a lot more than that. I’ve argued with some who say it’s not quite as advanced as other photo editing apps on the iPhone, which may be the case, but there is a lot of depth here and the ease of use plus the intuitive use of filters sets it apart in my book. – Download from iTunes

1. VSCO (Free)

By far the best photo editing app we’ve come across on the iPhone is VSCO, which gets that balance right between advanced features and control, and the simplicity of doing it all in a few taps. The great thing about the VSCO app is that it can replace the stock Camera app on your device, and can then sync all the photos you have created or edited using the app across other devices so that you can touch up your photos in a matter of minutes, no matter what platform you are currently using. Those behind the VSCO app have a proven track record when it comes to creating unique presets that can be used with programs like Adobe Lightroom, and a lot of this power is condensed and transferred into their iOS app.  – Download from iTunes