Here are three apps that I rely on to get some quick editing done before I post any pictures onto my Instagram profile.
Snapseed
Snapseed is an excellent app to get some pro level editing done. It appeals to both beginner and pro photo editors. There are three features of Snapseed within the tools section of the app that I use on almost every photo, Retrolux, Drama and Curves.
Retrolux, as the name suggests, adds a retro look to the photos. I occasionaly like to add light leaks, scratches and like to tone down the satuartion levels to add a retro vibe to certain photos. I like adding this effect to photos of historical strauctures like castles and cathedrals as they help achieving a retro vibe.
Drama is another great tool to add some depth and structure to your photos. Specially if you’ve captured a building or a stone/brick wall. Basically a photo with a ton of texture in the background or the foreground. The Drama filter makes the picture of said structure or texture look well defined. In fact if its a cloudy day, this filter helps draw out the grey clouds in the sky which adds a lot of character to the photos.
And the Curves tool is great to help fix the exposure levels. If you have an under exposed photo, this tool helps to reduce the shadows and balances the highlights as well.
Pixlr
Pixlr is one app that I keep coming back to. I basically started editing using the Pixlr app way back in 2010. Within the ‘effect’ option of the app, my go to effects are ‘hagrid‘, ‘carl‘ and ‘piper‘.
Hagrid adds a ton of sharpness to photos and makes them look almost like paintings, which can be useful if you want to achieve that look with your photos. Carl adds an understated vintage look and it helps to bring out the sepia tones in most scenes. And Piper is a fun effect to play with if you can get the level of transparency down to maybe 30 to 40%. It helps add a new dimension to photos.
I love the versatile options of adding effects, overlays and frames to get some morphing done. I’m a fan of the colour splash tool on this app and have used it more than any other feature on the app. The colour splash tool adds a dash of colour in a particular section of the photo and leaves the rest of the photo in black and white.
And yes, Instagram also provides a slew of photo editing features. Instagram was key in popularising filters way back in the day. The ‘filter’ and ‘edit’ sections have a number of options to choose from. My go to filters have been ‘Mayfair‘ and ‘Sierra‘. They help to achieve the retro look that I like to go for with photos of historical buildings.
The ‘edit’ section has ‘structure‘ which is great feature to get some sharpness in your photos and make them pop. I use the ‘vignette‘ option if I’m feeling experimental. This option adds a black halo border or a white halo border to help bring your eyes to the centre of the photo.
These apps are excellent for adding flair to your photos and they’re free! Do make sure you try these and send make sure you share them with on Twitter or on Instagram.