By comparing the photos on your friends' social profiles with those on your profile, you made a shocking discovery: the photos your friends post seem to be "perfect", while those you post always have a lot of flaws. How I understand you! It's not exactly the best to make these kinds of discoveries. However, there is a remedy for everything (or almost) and it is for this reason that I invite you not to lose heart and to read very carefully today's guide which, as you may have noticed, falls just like a bean!
In the next few lines I will explain how to best use some of them perfect photo app that you can use comfortably on Android and iOS / iPadOS to correct all the defects in your shots: from brightness problems to annoying red-eye effects, from faded colors to problems related to the sharpness of photos. All in a very intuitive way and at no cost. Yes, you read that right! Most of the solutions that I will recommend are 100% free, so you can try them without having to spend even 1 euro. In the second part of this post, then, I will also show you some solutions to use in the desktop environment.
How do you say? Not a photography or photo editing expert and you don't feel up to the task to complete today? But come on, don't be a coward! If you strictly follow my advice, you will be able to solve your IT problem today. Now I suggest you get comfortable and take a few minutes to read the next paragraphs and to try the apps listed below. I just have to wish you good reading and, above all, have fun!
Snapseed (Android / iOS / iPadOS)
Snapseed it's one of the best perfect photo app that you can install on your device. This free solution, made available by Google, offers a rather rich set of tools thanks to which you can easily adjust the exposure, color, brightness and contrast of your shots; not to mention the many filters that are able to "soften" the defects present even in the most unhappy shots. If you were looking for a free, easy to use and complete solution, you just found it!
After downloading SnapSeed on your Android or iOS / iPadOS device, start the app by tapping the button apri or by pressing on its icon located on the home screen and, to start editing and embellishing your shots, touch anywhere on the display. In the screen that appears, choose which photo you want to edit by pressing on its preview and get to work!
To start retouching the selected photo, tap on the item Instruments (below) and, depending on the type of enhancement you want to make to the image, select one of the available options: Calibra, to calibrate the colors, brightness and other parameters of the image; Sharpness / Details, to improve its sharpness; Cut out, to crop a portion of the photo; Wheel, to rotate or overturn it; Prospective, to change his perspective; White balance, to obtain a more faithful representation of colors, etc.
Do you want to mask some defects in the image by applying one of the filters included in Snapseed? In that case, press on the voice Effects (bottom left) and, in the screen that appears, select one of the many filters available. Try different ones, in order to choose the one that “fits” best to the image you are retouching.
I recommend, after making any changes to the photo you are editing, remember to tap on checkmark located at the bottom right to save your work. When the work is finished, press on the item Export and, in the menu that opens, tap on one of the available options: Share, to share the edited image with other users; Save, to create a copy of the “new” photo on your device; Export, to create a copy of your photo by changing its size, format and / or quality or Export as, to create a copy of the image in a selected folder.
Adobe Photoshop Express (Android / iOS / iPadOS)
Didn't the solution I mentioned in the previous paragraph particularly convince you? In that case I suggest you try Adobe Photoshop Express, a free app that should never be missing on the smartphone or tablet of those who want to make their shots "perfect". The operation of this application is quite simple and, in fact, 6 or 7 taps on the display of your device are enough to retouch photos and images. Seeing is believing!
If you have decided to try Adobe Photoshop Express on your Android and iOS / iPadoS device, start the app and press the item SUBSCRIBE to log in with your Adobe ID (or to create a new one) or, if you want to log in later, presses on the item Maybe later. Before choosing whether or not to skip this step, however, it is my duty to remind you that thanks to the Adobe ID you can access some advanced functions for free, such as tools for noise reduction, fog reduction, 20 additional filters and much more. still. It is up to you to choose whether to register or opt out of these features.
On the Adobe Photoshop Express home screen, press the option Gallery and, in the screen that appears, select the photo you want to “photoshoop”. At this point you will have access to the workspace containing all the tools you need to improve your photo. If you are not particularly familiar with photo editing, I suggest you press onmagic wand icon (located at the top) and, as if by “magic”, the Adobe Photoshop Express algorithm will significantly improve your shot by changing its exposure, brightness, contrast and so on.
If, on the other hand, you want to manually change each parameter, use the numerous instruments which are located at the bottom of the screen. Then tap onthree intertwined circles icon to apply a filter; on the symbol cuts to crop the image; onicon with the two adjustment bars to adjust sharpness, contrast, highlights, shadows and other image parameters; tap onicona dell'occhio to correct the red eye effect; presses onsquare icon to change the margins of the image, or press on thepatch icon to repair some defects in the photo.
When finished, tap the button Share (top right) and, in the drop-down menu that appears, select one of the available options: Save to gallery to save the edited image directly to your device's gallery, or choose an icon social networks to share your creation online.
VSCO (Android / iOS / iPadOS)
If you don't have much experience in photo editing, you are most likely looking for an app that isn't too difficult to use and doesn't have too many controls to "look after". Am I right? If so, the solution that could do for you is VSCO, a free application that includes a series of preset templates and filters thanks to which you can significantly improve your photos. It also offers granular controls over all image parameters, so once you master it, you can take advantage of its potential to edit your shots in detail in a "manual" way.
After downloading VSCO on your smartphone or on your Android or iOS / iPadOS tablet, start the app and press the button Register with your email address o Register with your phone number and register by following the instructions you receive on the screen. Next, tap on the del icon square, then symbol capacitor positive (+) lead located in the upper right corner and select the photo you want to retouch with VSCO by selecting its preview and then pressing on the item Import.
At this point, press onicon with adjustment bars (bottom left) to retouch it and choose one of the many preset templates to improve its appearance.
If you want to manually change certain parameters, tap onicon with adjustment bars and select one of the available options: Exposure, to change the exposure of the shot; Contrast, to change its contrast, and so on.
To apply a correction to the photo by changing its exposure, contrast, etc., swipe the cursor white placed on the slider that appeared in the center of the screen and, as soon as you have achieved the desired result, tap on checkmark to save the changes made. When finished, tap on the item Save (above) and choose whether to share the edited image with the VSCO community and / or on the main social networks: Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc.
Prism (Android / iOS / iPadOS)
Have you tried all the apps that I have recommended so far but none of them have managed to retouch your photos properly? In this case it is very likely that the defects in your images are so important that it is impossible to "soften" them by changing the exposure, temperature, contrast or brightness. In any case, fear not, all is not lost! If you find yourself in this situation, you can try to “save the unsavable” using Prisma, a powerful photo editing app that, thanks to the help of some online filters, is able to transform even the least successful shots into real “artistic masterpieces”.
Before explaining how it works, I want to tell you two things: it needs an active Internet connection to work and access to all filters. It is free to use, but access to all filters and the ability to download edited photos in HD are functions reserved for those who have subscribed to the Premium subscription, which starts at € 7,99 / month.
After downloading Prisma on your Android or iOS / iPadOS device, start it, press on Next twice and then tap on (X) located at the top right, to close the screen that promotes the subscription to the full version of the app.
Grant it, then, all the necessary permissions to work at its best, press on white dot at the bottom center to take the photo to be edited at the moment or press on the item Gallery to upload one of the photos already saved in Gallery.
At this point, all you have to do is choose one of the many filters made available by Prisma - Mailbox, WATO, Curly Hair, disc, Comic, etc. - wait for it to be applied to your image and adjust its intensity by moving your finger to the right (to increase its effectiveness) or to the left (to decrease its intensity).
Let me give you some advice: try many filters and choose the one that best enhances your shot. After deciding which filter is right for your photo, tap the share button and choose the save or share option you prefer.
Afterlight (Android/iOS/iPadOS)
All the solutions listed in the previous paragraphs have the same common denominator: they are free. This is not the case with Afterlight, an application that is free, very easy to use and available for both Android and iOS / iPadOS.
After you have installed and started Afterlight on your smartphone or tablet, if you use the version for Android, fai tap sull'icona della camera, if you want to take a photo to edit at the moment, or on the symbol of postcard, to select an image from the Gallery. If you use the variant for iOS / iPadOS of the app, on the other hand, presses on the symbol of camera at the bottom right to take a photo to retouch later, or tap on thepreview of one of the shots saved in the camera roll of the device. To confirm your choice, then, click on the wording Use (on Android) or Use (your iOS / iPadOS).
Now, in the screen that opened, tap on the symbol of adjustment bars, to act on the main parameters of the image; presses the icon of colorful circle (your Android) or colored triangle (on iOS / iPadOS) to apply filters, etc.
When the job is done, come on Android, tap the button Done located at the top right, select the dimensions in which you want to export the output image (Small, Medium o Max) and choose one of the saving or sharing options among those made available by the app. Up iOS / iPadOSinstead, select the item Next which is located at the top right and then choose the save / share option you like best.
More apps for perfect photos
Le perfect photo app of which I told you in the previous lines are among the best you can install on your smartphone or tablet! Of course, though, there are a myriad of other solutions you can use that are just as good. In the next paragraphs I will point out some that you can use on your smartphone / tablet but also on your PC.
- Pixlr (Android / iOS / iPadOS) - if you want to edit photos from mobile, this free solution might be for you. Pixlr, in fact, offers a particularly rich set of tools that allows you to correct the defects in your shots and, as if this were not enough, also to create magnificent photographic collages.
- Adobe Photoshop Lightroom (Android / iOS) - this is one of the best apps to improve the quality of your shots. Adobe Photoshop Lightroom allows you to process and share high quality images directly from your smartphone or tablet and has various interesting features including the function that allows you to take photos in the DNG format and the ability to import, edit and synchronize photos in the RAW format. (This feature is available for free only for a limited trial period, you must then proceed to subscribe to the Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan). Some functions, such as those that allow you to take photos in RAW or HDR format, are only available for some recent generation devices (Galaxy S8, S8 +, Google Pixel, Google Pixel XL, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPad Pro 9.7 ″, etc.).
- Pixelmator (iOS / macOS) - if you are looking for a solution to use on both mobile and desktop, this is the app you were looking for. Pixelmator, in fact, is an excellent resource for those who love doing photo editing from their iPhone and iPad (through the intuitive multi-touch gestures) or from their Mac (using the advanced controls that allow you to make more marked corrections). The version for iOS devices of Pixelmator can be purchased for € 5,99, while the version for macOS can be purchased for € 32,99.
- Adobe Photoshop (Windows / macOS) - when it comes to photo editing we cannot fail to mention this program, used in particular by professionals in the sector. The advanced controls and countless tools included in Photoshop make it one of the best photo editing software out there, if not the best of them all! To download Photoshop, however, you need to subscribe to a monthly subscription of 12,19 euros per month. If you decide to download this program, read my guide in which I explain how to use Photoshop: you will find it very useful.
- GIMP (Windows / macOS / Linux) - if you need to make changes a little more mild, I recommend that you opt for this free solution that provides users with various tools to edit photos. GIMP is not comparable to Photoshop in terms of functionality (even if it is the one that comes closest to it in the free field), but it is one of the best free editing solutions on the market. If you decide to download and use this program, feel free to read the guide where I explain how to use GIMP.
