There are thousands of photo editing applications that you might already be familiar with such as Instagram, or Photoshop. Both are great for editing and applying filters to your pictures. However, there are several lesser-known apps that you might want to consider before trying a new app.

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Best Apps For Iphone Pictures
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The 10 Best Photo Editing Apps For iPhone (2022 Edition)
Posted by Kate WessonComments 164
What are the best photo editing apps for enhancing your iPhone photos? With so many apps to choose from, how do you know which ones to use? In this article, you’ll discover the 10 best photo editor apps for iPhone. And we’ll help you choose the right photo editing apps for your needs.
Best Photo Editing Apps
- Snapseed
Best For: Everyday photo editing
Huge range of editing tools, yet very easy to use
Exposure, color, and sharpening adjustments
Crop, rotate, straighten, and perspective correction
Selective adjustments and healing tool
Black & white, vintage, and texture filters
Portrait enhancement, lens blur, and vignette
Double exposure, frames, and text
Price: FREE
Best Photo Editing Apps
Snapseed is one of the most popular iPhone photo editing apps.
Why?
Because it’s easy to use, even though it offers a powerful collection of editing tools. It’s also completely free to download and use!
This photo editor app is suitable for both beginners and experienced iPhone photographers.
With Snapseed, you can easily improve exposure, color, and sharpness. And you can crop, rotate and straighten images.
Best Photo Editing Apps
Selective tools and brushes allow you to edit just certain parts of your image. And the healing tool is great for removing objects from your photos.
The Portrait tool is perfect for creating flawless portrait photos with smooth skin and sparkling eyes.
Best Photo Editing Apps
Snapseed also has preset filters for creating different moods in your photos.
Filters make it easy to convert your photos to black and white or create a vintage look with textures.
Best Photo Editing Apps
If you’re new to iPhone photography, Snapseed should be the first photo editor app you download. With this app, you’ll be able to create stunning edits that will dramatically improve your images.
Snapseed is available for FREE from the App Store. Unlike many other photo editing apps, there are no extra in-app purchases to pay for.
Learn how to use this amazing app in our Snapseed photo editing tutorial.
- VSCO
Best For: Creating beautiful edits with elegant filters
Elegant one-tap presets and effects that create the look of classic film
Adjustable filter strength
200+ filters to create different looks in your photos
Editing tools for tweaking exposure, color, and sharpness
Filters and editing tools can be used to edit videos
Price: FREE (subscription fee for the full collection of filters and editing tools)
Best Photo Editing Apps
VSCO (pronounced visco) is another fantastic photo editing app. In fact, it’s one of the best photo filter apps for iPhone.
The vast collection of presets and effects allow you to create the look of classic film in your iPhone photos. They’re perfect for adding a vintage feel to your images.
Best Photo Editing Apps
Unlike other apps where the filters can be overpowering, VSCO filters are subtle. Many of them have a soft, faded look for beautifully understated edits.
You can adjust the strength of the filters to suit your taste. And you can fine-tune color and exposure using the editing tools.
Best Photo Editing Apps
You can also use the same filters and editing tools to edit videos on your iPhone.
VSCO is FREE to download from the App Store. It comes with 10 free filters and a set of photo editing tools.
You can access the full range of over 200 filters, as well as additional editing tools, by paying for the VSCO X membership.
Best Photo Editing Apps
Learn how to use VSCO with our in-depth tutorials:
VSCO App Tutorial: How To Shoot & Edit Beautiful iPhone Photos
How To Use VSCO Filters To Create Beautiful iPhone Photos
- TouchRetouch
Best For: Removing unwanted objects from your photos
Quickly remove unwanted objects for a cleaner composition
Remove dust spots, wires, people, and other objects
Remove blemishes and smooth out wrinkles in portrait photos
Duplicate objects using the clone tool
Price: $3.99
Best Photo Editing Apps
Many photoshop apps have tools for removing objects from a photo. But this is the sole purpose of TouchRetouch. And it’s still one of the easiest and most effective apps for removing unwanted elements from your photos.
Simply use your finger to highlight the object you want to remove… then watch the object disappear! The app automatically replaces the selected object with pixels from the surrounding area.
The Blemish Remover tool is perfect for creating flawless portrait photos.
Best Photo Editing Apps
And the Line Removal tool makes it easy to remove electricity cables from your image.
Best Photo Editing Apps
It might take a few attempts to remove complex elements. But TouchRetouch makes it easy to start over if you’re not happy with the results.
TouchRetouch is available for $3.99 on the App Store.
Click here for the ultimate guide to removing objects from your photos with TouchRetouch.
Or click here to discover more of the best photo retouch apps!
- Carbon
Best For: Creating stunning black & white photos
58 one-tap black & white filters
Adjustable filter strength
Textures for creating vintage-style photos
Light leaks and bokeh effects
Subtle and artistic color effects
Editing tools for adjusting light and color
Price: FREE (in-app purchases for additional filters and tools)
Best Photo Editing Apps
Do you want to create beautiful black and white iPhone photos? Then Carbon is the perfect app for you.
With a single tap, you can turn a color photo into a stunning black and white image.
Best Photo Editing Apps
Carbon has 58 preset filters with different black and white effects. So you can always find a style to suit your photo.
The app has filters for creating unique vintage effects, such as grungy textures, grain, light leaks, and bokeh. You can also add different colors to your image – from subtle sepia tones to vibrant color effects.
Best Photo Editing Apps
In addition to the one-tap presets, Carbon has a set of editing tools for fine-tuning color and exposure. You can even create a painterly effect with the “Kuwahara” tool.
Best Photo Editing Apps
If you want to create gorgeous black and white photos, you can’t go wrong with Carbon. The tools are easy to use, and the results always look great.
Carbon is FREE to download from the App Store. But you’ll need to pay to access the full range of filters and effects.
- Adobe Lightroom
Best For: Precise fine-tuning of color and exposure
Powerful set of editing tools within a simple user interface
One-tap presets for quick edits
Selective adjustment tools for advanced editing
Healing tool for removing unwanted objects
Price: FREE (subscription fee for premium features)
Best Photo Editing Apps
Adobe Lightroom gives you a powerful, yet simple solution for editing your photos. It’s suitable for both beginners and advanced users.
The one-tap filter presets offer a quick and easy way to enhance your images. And the simple adjustment sliders let you tweak exposure, color, and detail.
Best Photo Editing Apps
But Lightroom offers much more than this. The advanced editing tools, including selective adjustments, give you ultimate control over your edits.
Best Photo Editing Apps
If you’re familiar with editing your photos on a computer using Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop, you’ll feel right at home with this app.
Adobe Lightroom is FREE to download from the App Store. But you’ll need to pay to access the premium features, such as selective adjustments, perspective correction, and the healing tool.
- Afterlight
Best For: All-purpose photo editing with additional creative options
Exposure, color, and sharpening adjustments
Advanced tools such as curves, selective color, gradients, and blend modes
Dust and light leak overlays
Preset filters by well-known mobile photographers
Double-exposure tool for blending images
Layers tool for adding text and artwork
Price: FREE (subscription fee for premium features)
Best Photo Editing Apps
Afterlight is easy to use despite its comprehensive set of editing tools.
The app offers typical editing tools such as color, exposure, sharpness, and crop tools.
But it also has advanced tools, such as curves and selective color. These allow you to fine-tune the colors and tones in your photos to get the very best out of your images.
Best Photo Editing Apps
The filters and overlays in Afterlight are great for enhancing or changing the mood in your photos. The app has over 130 filters created by well-known mobile photographers.
Best Photo Editing Apps
The customizable text and artwork offer a fun way to add graphics to your images. And the double-exposure tool lets you create unique combinations of blended images.
Best Photo Editing Apps
If you want to get more creative with photo editing, Afterlight is an excellent place to start.
Afterlight is FREE to download from the App Store. But you’ll need to pay a subscription fee to access the full range of editing tools and filters.
Click here to learn how to create unique iPhone photo edits with Afterlight.
- Mextures
Best For: Adding vintage textures and light leaks to photos
Grit, grain, grunge, and vintage film textures
Analog light leaks and beautiful gradients
Stack and blend effects using layers
Fine-tune images with editing tools and filters
Use and create preset “formulas”
Price: $1.99 (in-app purchases for additional effects)
Best Photo Editing Apps
Mextures is a fantastic app for applying textures to your iPhone photos. It also has a range of other effects including grain, light leaks, and gradients.
You can add wonderful mood and visual interest to your iPhone photos in Mextures. It’s easy to create unique edits by combining and blending different effects.
Best Photo Editing Apps
The app also has filters and editing tools for fine-tuning your image.
If you’re new to Mextures, you can start by using the wide range of preset “formulas” created by other photographers. You can even create and share your own formulas.
Best Photo Editing Apps
Mextures is available for $1.99 on the App Store. It comes with a wide range of effects, but you can purchase even more for a small fee.
Learn how to use Mextures to add wonderful textures to your iPhone photos.
- Lens Distortions
Best For: Adding sunlight, lens flares, rain, snow, and fog effects
Add beauty and drama to your shots with natural sunlight and lens flares
Create atmosphere and drama with rain, snow, or fog
Frame your subject or blur the edges with elegant glass textures
Layer several different overlays for unique effects
Adjust opacity, brightness, and color of each overlay
Price: FREE (in-app purchases for additional effects)
Best Photo Editing Apps
There are many apps that add light and weather effects to your photos. But Lens Distortions is one of the best.
Its high-quality overlays include sunlight, lens flares, rain, snow, and fog. There are also shimmer effects and glass elements to add sparkle or blur to your image.
Best Photo Editing Apps
For a unique look, you can layer up different effects on your image.
Sliders let you adjust the opacity, brightness, contrast, and color of each overlay. You can make the elements stand out for a bold look, or tone them down so they blend in.
Best Photo Editing Apps
Lens Distortions is available for FREE from the App Store. The app comes with a basic collection of overlays. More effects are available as in-app purchases… and they’re definitely worth it!
- Superimpose X
Best For: Creating unique digital art by combining and blending images
Combine two or more photos to create a composite image
Replace the background of a photo
Create stunning double-exposure and fantasy-style images
Blend textures onto an image for an arty look
Add filters, blur, shadows, and other creative effects
Variety of masking tools for selecting parts of an image
Price: $4.99
Best Photo Editing Apps
Superimpose X is the perfect app for combining several photos into a single composite image.
It has a good choice of masking tools for selecting different kinds of subject. You just use your finger to select the area you want to remove.
Best Photo Editing Apps
You can adjust the blend mode and opacity of each layer to control how the images blend together.
Best Photo Editing Apps
Superimpose X has a wide range of tools for editing each layer. You can use filters, shadows, gradients, light effects, and more.
Best Photo Editing Apps
With Superimpose X, the creative possibilities are endless. Your imagination is the only limit!
Superimpose X is available for $4.99 on the App Store.
Click here to discover how to use Superimpose X to blend multiple iPhone photos.
- Instagram
Best For: Enhancing your images right before you share them
Good selection of color and black & white filters
Exposure, color, and sharpening adjustments
Crop, rotate, straighten, and perspective correction
Vignette and tilt-shift effects
Give your photos a final polish before sharing them on Instagram
Price: FREE
Best Photo Editing Apps
Do you share your photos on Instagram? If so, you definitely shouldn’t overlook the editing tools in this app.
Instagram doesn’t have the same range of editing tools as apps like Snapseed. But if you only want to make basic adjustments, it may be all you need.
It has a good range of color and black and white filters for changing the look and feel of your image.
Best Photo Editing Apps
There’s also a handy set of editing tools. You can adjust exposure, color, and sharpness. There are options to crop, rotate, straighten, and correct perspective. And you can add a vignette or tilt-shift effect.
Best app for taking photos
- The Photographer’s Ephemeris
iOS and Android
$8.99
The Photographer’s Ephemeris (TPE) has been one of the most popular shoot planning apps out there for a long time, especially for Android users who don’t yet have access to Photopills. Pick a location anywhere in the world, drop a pin on the aerial map, and see how the sun and moon will move across the landscape on a given date. TPE is very useful for planning shoots in locations you’re not familiar with. Going on a big trip and hoping to maximize your shooting time? That’s what TPE is there for. Getting good landscape shots is often a combination of good planning and a little bit of luck. TPE makes the planning part easier.
Graphic of smartphone showing Google Earth app
- Google Earth
iOS and Android
Free
Good old Google Earth. If you’ve spent any time near a computer in the last decade or so you’ve probably played with Google Earth, but did you also know you can also use it on your phone? Google Earth is an incredibly useful tool for scouting out locations from afar. It allows you to easily see buildings, geological features, and other areas that might be of interest to you in planning a shoot. Google Earth uses a very simple interface that you’re probably already familiar with. There’s not much of a learning curve here. Just download the app, start getting the lay of the land, and get ready to shoot away.
Graphic of smartphone showing Scene Scout app
- Scene Scout
iOS and Android
Free
If you’ve ever gone scouting for locations and come home unable to remember what you just saw, Scene Scout is here to help. This useful scouting app allows you to collect details and photos from your scouting sessions, save them on your phone, and share them through social media. This not only makes it easy to remember and keep track of what you saw but also to share your ideas with friends, clients, and collaborators.
Graphic of smartphone showing Pocket Light Meter app
- Pocket Light Meter
iOS and Android
Free
Light meters are useful for helping film photographers calculate exposure. Sure, you can carry around a separate light meter all the time but what if you could use your phone (which you already have on you) instead? The Pocket Light Meter app does just that. This useful little app measures the light in the room using your phone’s camera and allows you to adjust ISO, aperture, and shutter speed to see how it will affect exposure in your image, helping you to get your settings dialed in just right. And it’s surprisingly accurate.
Graphic of smartphone showing VSCO app
- VSCO
iOS and Android
Free
There are many mobile editing tools out there but VSCO might be one of the most popular due to the large number of filters it has, the easy user interface, and the fact that it can also be used as a tool for sharing. Use the free VSCO filters or purchase additional ones for a small price. VSCO lets you adjust things like exposure, contrast, and white balance within the app. With a lot of different filter options to chose from, this app has something for everyone who likes to edit on their phone.
Graphic of smartphone showing Facetune app
- Facetune
iOS and Android
$3.99
When it comes to retouching photos on your mobile device, Facetune is one of the best options out there. This app lets you do things like remove blemishes, whiten teeth, reshape faces, and correct red eyes right on your phone. For a mobile option, it’s incredibly powerful. It does have a steep learning curve which is to be expected from an app this powerful but getting the hang of it is well worth the effort. This app is useful for photos taken with your phone but also for ones transferred to your phone through wireless devices.
Graphic of smartphone showing Lightroom Mobile app
- Lightroom Mobile
iOS and Android
Free
Lightroom is probably the most popular editing software around and the mobile app is a powerful tool for photographers who like to edit photos in the field. While other editing apps are handy for making adjustments to JPEGs, Lightroom Mobile ups the ante with raw file editing. Keep in mind that raw files are significantly larger than JPEGs so they will take longer to transfer from your camera and take up more space on your phone but for photographers who like to edit raws on the go, this app is invaluable.
Graphic of smartphone showing Instagram app
- Instagram
iOS and Android
Free
Unless you’ve been living under a rock you’ve surely heard of Instagram, the wildly popular photo sharing app that was purchased by Facebook to the tune of $300 million. When it first hit the scene it was mostly used by people taking photos on their phones, applying sometimes cheesy filters to them, and sharing them with the world. Not anymore. These days Instagram has become one of the primary ways for photographers to get their work noticed, book paying gigs, and find inspiration. If you thought that Instagram was just for taking pictures of your coffee, think again.
Graphic of smartphone showing Flickr app
- Flickr
iOS and Android
Free
Flickr was one of the first big photo sharing communities on the internet and, while it has a lot of competition today, it still has a big following. The Flickr app makes it easy to upload photos directly from your phone as well as to see what other people are doing. If you’re looking to get your work seen or get inspired by other photographers, Flickr is a great way to do it.
Graphic of smartphone showing Cluster app
- Cluster
iOS and Android
Free
If you’ve ever wanted to share photos with your family and close friends without the pictures being seen by everyone you’re connected to on Facebook, Cluster is a great option. This app allows you to invite people to private groups where you can share, comment on, and “favorite” photos. It’s a great way to share photos and interact with the important people in your life while still maintaining some sense of privacy.
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