In the modern age of technology, it has become obvious that our mobile devices have become an essential part of our lives. They keep us connected to loved ones, help us stay on task, and can even inspire and relax us. Mobile apps have become a large part of this, offering a range of capabilities across all types of media.
It’s no wonder that these apps have also become an indispensable part of the photography community. Whether you’re a newbie who just wants to get the perfect selfies or you’re a seasoned pro looking for the next best thing, there are plenty of mobile apps for photographers that can help you bring your creativity to life.
From editing capabilities to photo filters, we’ve put together a list of the best photo apps to share with you today.
Best Apps For Photographers 2020
Smartphone photography isn’t just about capturing a moment on the go anymore. It’s everyday art and the ability to create wherever you go. It’s freedom from heavy gear. And, it can be a push to stretch your photography skills beyond the easy capture. As we photographers love to remind everyone, IT’S NOT ABOUT THE CAMERA!
…Except, yes, photography is a little easier with the right tools. And, editing is a whole lot more fun when you can manipulate your images to meet your true vision. So, while your first photography love might always be your big camera and computer, we think you’re creating pretty darn amazing mobile photography as well.
Here are 15 must-have smartphone photography apps for photographers. Because we all know that a photo isn’t about what we see, but how we see it.
Photography apps for taking pictures:
Smartphone cameras are pretty great, but sometimes you need a little something extra. We asked our Click Pros for their recommendations and they told us they loved these two mobile photography apps for getting the shot. Note: Some of the editing apps mentioned below also have camera capabilities.
- CAMERA+ 2
Create RAW files in manual mode ON YOUR PHONE. Yep, you can do that with Camera+ 2. Or, select one of the other creative modes, like portrait, slow shutter or macro for an improved phone camera experience. Camera+ 2 also offers powerful editing tools and creative filters.
Available for iOS for $3.99.
- MOMENT – PRO CAMERA
Shoot in RAW format with full manual controls AND a live histogram on your phone. And, as if that wasn’t everything, you can also shoot with a slow shutter speed or in burst mode. Oh, and you can use it for video too!
Available for iOS for $6.99.
Photo by Divya Wolf, taken with a Fujifilm X-T3, edited with Adobe Lightroom Mobile, Snapseed, and Mextures.
PRO TIP: GET A SELFIE APP!
Consider downloading the remote shutter app or live-view app for your camera and GET IN THE FRAME! Apps like Canon Camera Connect allow you to connect your smartphone to your DSLR for a better remote shutter experience. No more excuses for amateur selfies!
Check out these apps—
Fujifilm Camera Remote
Sony’s PlayMemories
Nikon’s Wireless Mobile Utility
Photo editing apps for photographers:
Editing is part of the artistic vision for mobile photography, just like it can be for any other photos you create. Choosing the right photo editing app can be key. Our Click Pros told us they love these apps for editing mobile photos. Let us know what apps you love!
- SNAPSEED
So many photographers love Snapseed, which was developed by Google, for its full range of pro editing options — like curves and white balance, for example — made simple. Plus, you can edit in RAW and save your edited photos at a high image quality. Oh, and it’s free.
Available on iOS and Android for free.
- VSCO
Using VSCO presets and filters can help you quickly give your photos a polished look. Or, use their creative tools for a DIY edit.
Available for iOS and Android. Free download with a yearly membership price of $19.99.
- ADOBE LIGHTROOM MOBILE
When you need (yep, need) the features and editing tools of Adobe Lightroom but you’re not at a computer, Lightroom Mobile will do the trick. We love being able to edit our mobile photography with the same love and precision as our camera photos. Also, the ability to shoot in RAW with the Lightroom camera is pretty awesome.
Available for iOS and Android. Free to download with in-app purchases starting at $4.99.
- DISTRESSED FX
If you love adding texture to your photos, check out Distressed FX. You can choose from a variety of overlays and textures to turn your phone pics into unique art.
Available on iOS for $0.99 with in-app purchases available.
- FILMBORN
This app from Mastin Labs allows you to emulate the actual look of film in your smartphone photography. Choose from films like Fujicolor, Ilford and Kodak, and use live-preview to create the look you want.
Available on iOS for $2.99 with in-app purchases available.
- LENS DISTORTIONS
Create more dramatic photos with artistic effects like lens flare and light rings. Or, change up the entire atmosphere in your scene by adding rain, snow or fog.
Available for iOS and Android. App download includes a free selection of effects, or get LD Unlimited for $2.99.
- MEXTURES
Mextures offers over 150 textures, such as “analog light leeks” and “dusty vintage film scans,” with adjustable opacity and a variety of blending modes. Plus, you can stack an unlimited number of layers to create exactly what you want.
Available on iOS for $1.99 with in-app add-ons available.
Photo by Melissa Bissel, taken with iPhone XS on Live Photo mode with the long exposure feature and edited using VSCO.
Photo by Celia Sloan, taken with iPhone 7 and edited with Snapseed.
Mobile photography planning apps:
Sometimes you need a little help planning before you even take the photo! Landscape photographers might want to know the location of the moon or Milky Way on a given date and family photographers can get help planning session times by checking when the sun will rise and set. Our Click Pros told us they loved these mobile photography apps for planning.
Photo by Jennifer Carr, taken with a Sony a7R III using the Photo Pills app.
Photo by Lucy Ketchum, taken with an iPhone X and edited with VSCO.
- SUN SURVEYOR
This handy sun and moon guide not only gives you details like golden hour and blue hour, but lets you see how the sun, moon or Milky Way will look using augmented reality. Plus, use features like a 3D compass and interactive map.
Available on iOS and Android for $9.99.
- PHOTOPILLS
Here’s a cool app for landscape and night-sky photos! PhotoPills allows you to see when and where the sun, moon or Milky Way will be in position at a location so you can imagine, plan and execute your photo using one app.
Available on iOS and Android for $9.99.
- SUN SEEKER
Light is everything in photography, so why wouldn’t you want to know EVERYTHING about the sun? On Sun Seeker, not only can you see sunrise and sunset times, you can view golden hour times and the sun’s hourly direction intervals. How cool is that?!
Available for iOS and Android for $9.99.
- TIDES NEAR ME
If you’re shooting at the beach or in a coastal location, it’s helpful to know the high and low tide times. Tides Near Me will give you that info and more for free!
Available for iOS and Android for free.
- THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S EPHEMERIS (TPE)
TPE lets landscape photographers see how light will hit the land in any location on any day and time. Features like augmented reality, night mode and sight lines are so handy for landscape photos. Plus, TPE has cool advanced features, like a light pollution overlay.
Available for iOS and Android for $9.99 with in-app purchases.
- LIGHTTRAC
LightTrac lets you see sunrise, sunset and twilight times for any location on any date. Plus, track the phases of the moon along with moonrise and moonset times for your location.
Available on iOS and Android for $8.99.
More mobile photography posts we think you’ll dig:
8 SIMPLE PROJECTS TO INSPIRE YOUR MOBILE PHOTOGRAPHY
WANT TO ROCK YOUR PHONE CAMERA LIKE A PRO? 10 MOBILE PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS YOU NEED
9 TINY PHOTOGRAPHY PRODUCTS SURE TO GIVE YOU BIG RESULTS
4 TIPS FOR FINALLY GETTING COMFORTABLE WITH STREET PHOTOGRAPHY
PROCESS LOVE: GET CREATIVE WITH YOUR IPHONE EDITS
best photography apps for android
Photography is a broad topic. Tons of people dabble in it as a hobby. However, it’s a perfectly good career when you can find your niche. Most photographers use DSLR cameras and high tech gear for the best possible shots. However, there are many more who lean on their smartphones as well. Phone cameras are good enough for a lot of stuff. Additionally, there are non-camera apps that help photographers as well. We’ll take a look at both varieties in this list. Here are the best photography apps for Android!
The best photography apps for Android
Adobe apps
Google Photos
HyperFocal Pro
Magic ViewFinder apps
Open Camera
ProCam X
Snapseed
TouchRetouch
VSCO
YouTube
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Adobe apps
Price: Free / Up to $52.99 per month
Adobe has a suite of desktop apps for creative types. They have a similar group of mobile apps for mobile photographers. Their wares include a fairly decent mobile version of Adobe Lightroom. Additionally, you can find a scanner app (for real photos), two Photoshop apps, and more. Lightroom is the most professional among them. The Photoshop apps are more for simple things like filters and stickers. However, even they have some basic stuff. The apps are free. You can expand functionality with Adobe’s Creative Cloud subscription.
See also: The best photo editor apps for Android
Google Photos
Price: Free / Varies
Google Photos screenshot 2020
Google Photos is an excellent app for photographers. It offers cloud storage for your photos. There is a caveat, though. It uploads them in Google’s high-quality resolution or, optionally, in max resolution as well depending on what you want. Thus, those who are very particular about stuff like that may not enjoy Photos. Otherwise, it’s a perfectly good cloud storage space. You can access it from your phone or computer. It has some other features as well. We don’t recommend it for photo editing or anything like that. Otherwise, we can’t find much wrong with it except Google removed the free part of the service in 2021, but storage plans are cheap.
Amazon Photos is another great option. It includes free, full-resolution storage for anyone with an Amazon Prime account. It doesn’t have the sorting, editing, or other features of Google Photos, but it works amazingly as a backup platform to store your photos. We definitely recommend it over Google Photos if you already have Amazon Prime since it doesn’t cost anything extra unless you upload video content too.
See also: Google Photos might not be backing up all your pics: Here’s how to check
HyperFocal Pro
Price: Free
HyperFocal Pro – best panasonic apps
HyperFocal Pro is a different style of photography app. It doesn’t take or edit pictures. It helps with calculations, mostly. You can keep track of things like your camera settings and shooting conditions. That includes depth of field, angle of view, the field of view, and hyperfocal distance. The UI is a little bland, but entirely functional. There isn’t a lot to complain about, really. This is an excellent app for DSLR photographers. Plus, it’s completely free with no ads or in-app purchases.
Magic ViewFinder apps
Price: Free / Up to $5.20
Magic ViewFinder apps are also useful photography apps. They let you scout locations and pre-shoot scenes without dragging all of your gear around. There is a variety of them from this developer. That includes ones that emulate Canon, Nikon, Lumix, Red, and others. You can find things like focal length and prepare your shots before going through the process of setting up all of your gear. The prices vary, but none of these apps cost more than a couple of dollars. They’re above average for photography apps. The developer also has an all-in-one viewfinder app for $4.80 that includes everything.
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See also: The best Nikon apps for Android for better photos
Open Camera
Price: Free
Open Camera screenshot 2020
Generally, you should use the stock camera app on your phone. They almost all come with manual modes, pro modes, and post processing designed specifically for your camera’s hardware. However, those who need a replacement could do a lot worse than Open Camera. It has a full manual mode along with auto-leveing, HDR, a panoramic mode, on-screen histogram, focus peaking, and even voice controls to take photos remotely. The image quality is quite good and the app is not only free, but also open source. It’s a great camera app replacement.
Read more:
The best DSLR apps for Android
The best Panasonic apps for Android
ProCam X
Price: Free / $4.99
ProCam X screenshot
ProCam X is an above average camera app with a lot of manual camera features. You have control over white balance, ISO, focus, shutter speed, and you can set custom video bitrates if you need to. Of course, your phone has to support those features for them to work. There is also a burst shooting mode, real time filters, color effects, and an intervalometer (an interval timer). The pro version has a reasonable price and people seem to like it.
Snapseed
Price: Free
best DSLR apps – Snapseed
Snapseed is probably the best free photo editor on Android. It comes with a variety of both simple and advanced tools. That includes support for RAW files, simple stuff like red eye removal, and tons of stuff between the two. It also has a fairly powerful auto enhancement capability. It works well sometimes, but it usually depends on the photo itself and the type of scene. There are also over a dozen filters for those who like simple stuff. Every mobile photographer should have this app. It’s completely free, after all.
See also: The best camera apps for Android
TouchRetouch
Price: $1.99
TouchRetouch is an interesting photo editor app. This doesn’t focus on basic stuff like contrast or red eyes. Instead, it lets you remove small imperfections from a photo. We’re talking about telephone wires, people, blemishes on a wall, and more. It works best on minor imperfections. The app doesn’t do well with major changes. However, this is a good way to remove the occasional issue and make photos look a little better. It runs for $1.99 with no additional in-app purchases. It’s definitely a unique photo editor. This one is also free if you use Google Play Pass.
VSCO
Price: Free / Up to $19.99 per year
VSCO is an all-in-one photography tool. It works as a camera app as well as a photo editor. It also has some tips, tricks, and various fun filters for use. The filters emulate various types of film. They’re pretty neat, but they are still filters at the end of the day. This one is a little harder to recommend than most. It doesn’t do anything the best, but it does several things extremely well. There is a subscription for $19.99 per year. It adds additional features, but it’s a little hard to justify with so many other tools out there. It might be up your alley, though.
See also: The best social media apps and other interesting options
YouTube
Price: Free / $12.99 per month
YouTube is an excellent spot for photographers. You can find a variety of tutorials, reviews, comparisons, and other such info on YouTube. Plus, it has a visual element and photography is a visual medium. That makes it a little better than stuff like books for things like tutorials. You can also find more video tutorails for stuff like Lightroom, Photoshop, Gimp, and other photo editor apps. You can even find reviews and commentary for cameras in case you’re shopping for another one. It’s a decent all around tool.
See also: Here are all the YouTube apps and what they do
If we missed any great photography apps, tell us about them in the comments! You can also click here to check out our latest Android app and game lists!
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