We regularly test and review photo editing software, covering everything from free tools and mobile apps to the market-leader programs like Photoshop. All our photographers have their own preferred editing workflow, and this guide represents the best of the best as chosen by the experts behind our photo software reviews. We cover the full gamut, from the expensive professional stuff through budget options, including some programs that are completely free.

We’ve divided this into sections for ease of navigation. First are the best subscription-based image editing services, then best subscription-free software that’s a one-time purchase and download. After that come the best free photo-editing software choices, finishing off with the best photo editing app for mobile.

Scroll to the bottom of the article for helpful tips on how to choose the right photo editing software, or read on for our full list. There are more options in our guides dedicated to the best subscription-free photo editing software and the best free photo editing software.

The best photo editing software: our quick list

Here’s a quick-reference list of the image editing programs we’ve picked for our list, along with links to get the best prices…

Best subscription-based photo editing software:

• Best image editing software overall: Adobe Photoshop – buy now
• Best photo editing software for beginners: Adobe Lightroom – buy now
• Best photo editing software for Windows: Zoner Photo Studio X – buy now
• Best editing software for studio photography: CaptureOne Pro – buy now

Best subscription-free photo editing software:

• Best Photoshop alternative: Affinity Photo 2 – buy now
• Best RAW processor: DxO PhotoLab 7 – buy now
• Best AI image editor: Skylum Luminar NEO – buy now

Best free photo editing software:

• Best free Photoshop alternative: GIMP – visit site
• Best free RAW processor: RawTherapee – visit site

Best mobile image editing software:

• Best image editing app: Snapseed – Google Play / App Store

Read on to learn more about why we rate each of these image editing programs, with links to full reviews by our team of writers and photographers…

Best subscription-based photo editing software

Opinions are divided on the subscription model for software, but as more and more companies move in this direction, it’s something we can’t ignore. Many of the top-tier, professional standard programs are subscription or nothing. There are some pretty good deals for photographers which can soften the blow of monthly payments a little. Here are our picks of the best subscription services for photo editing.

Best image editing software overall: Adobe Photoshop

At a glance:

• Photo editing and graphics program
• Windows and Mac
• $9.99/£9.98 monthly with Lightroom (20GB storage), or $19.99/£19.97 monthly (1TB storage)
• adobe.com

Adobe Photoshop has been practically synonymous with photo editing for decades now, to the point where many people casually use ‘photoshopped’ as a generic term for an edited or retouched image. Amusingly, Adobe has a page on its website that instructs us to say ‘The image was enhanced using Adobe® Photoshop® software’ instead of ‘The image was photoshopped’. This seems unlikely to catch on. That to be “photoshopped” is a part of the common language is a sign of its pre-eminence and success.

Photoshop is indeed a superb piece of photo editing software. Whether you need to clone out distractions, rescue blown-out highlights, convert an image to monochrome, process RAW files (via the Camera Raw plugin) or perform any of the other myriad tasks that might befall a photo editor, Photoshop will be well equipped. We reviewed the most recent version of Adobe Photoshop, and its ability to clean up and declutter images has been made faster than ever thanks to new AI-powered object selection tools.

These days it is impossible to talk about Adobe software without talking about AI, as the firm is going all-in on it. Newer versions of Photoshop have come loaded with powerful generative AI tools such as Generative Fill and Generative Expand, which allow you to radically transform images with generative content. Those who just want to edit photos without all that may be dismayed that Adobe has, in fact, embraced it fully.

The full version of Photoshop is subscription-only, as it has been for a long time. The popular Photography bundle, where you get it together with Lightroom for $9.99/£9.98 per month, is at least decent value – though be warned that cancellation is a more complex affair than you might think. Adobe is infamous for its sneaky ‘cancellation fees’ that hit users who have the temerity to not want to give them money anymore.

Bear in mind that if you do want Photoshop without a subscription, you can get it in the slimmed-down Photoshop Elements package, which is a one-time purchase. See our beginner’s guide to Adobe Photoshop Elements for more.

Read our full Adobe Photoshop review

Best photo editing software for beginners: Adobe Lightroom

At a glance:

• Workflow, image management and editing program
• Windows and Mac
• $9.99/£9.98 monthly with Photoshop (20GB storage), or $19.99/£19.97 monthly (1TB storage)
• adobe.com

If you’re subscribed to Photoshop, chances are good that you’ve got Lightroom too, as the most cost-efficient subscription gives access to both. While Adobe’s Photoshop and Lightroom programs share many features, the key appeal of Lightroom lies in its extensive cataloguing and image-management features. These allow you to use keywording and rating to organise your images and single-out the keepers. If you’re regularly sifting through large numbers of files, it is an enormous timesaver.

Lightroom is also no slouch when it comes to photo editing. While Photoshop is the more powerful program with a more comprehensive suite of options, Lightroom is still excellent, and many photographers use Lightroom exclusively. Its image-repair and enhancement tools are precise and intuitive, and the highly fine-tunable masking function can be immensely useful. You can also easily copy your changes to multiple images for speedy batch-editing.

Read our guide to Lightroom vs Photoshop: which is right for you? And for more advice, check out our guide to the pros and cons of RAW vs JPEG.

Best photo editing software for Windows: Zoner Photo Studio X

At a glance:

• Raw converter, image editor and organiser
• Windows
• $59 per year / $5.99 per month, £63 per year
• zoner.com

This Windows-only software is designed to be the complete package when it comes to photo editing – so it’s also a raw processor, an image organiser and even a photobook designer. It offers plenty of Photoshop-like tools, including Layer adjustments, and the interface is well designed. The program includes plenty of camera and lens correction profiles too, with the option to upload more if needed. This latest version also runs much better than previous iterations of the software, with plenty of bug fixes and performance enhancements having been introduced.

ZPS X doesn’t have Adobe’s ultra-advanced features like Neural Filters, and its corrections aren’t as good as those you’d find in the likes of Photoshop or DxO PhotoLab. However, as a start-to-finish photo editing program, it does a very good job indeed, and is definitely a credible option for those looking for a solid Photoshop alternative.

Read our interview with photographer Kevin Bruseby on getting more from Zoner Photo Studio X.

Best editing software for studio photography: CaptureOne Pro

At a glance:

• Windows/MAc
• Powerful AI tools
• £299 one off or £14.92/month with subscription
• www.captureone.com

Its interface combines features similar to Lightroom catalogues for image storage, management and editing, but also offers the best features of Photoshop, like adjustment layers, masks, and advanced colour grading tools. You can also create so-called ‘Sessions’: standalone projects that are streamlined to include only the current photos you are working on, making it free of distractions. However, after finishing with a session there is an option to import it into your CaptureOne catalogue and apply further editing, too.

Providing an excellent RAW processing performance and comprehensive support for USB and wireless tethering (your shots are transported to your computer in real time, where you can apply edits while you shoot) it became a must have for many professional studio photographers. Even though it’s compatible with over 450 camera models, it only supports tethered capture for Canon, Sony, Nikon, Fuji, Leica, Sigma and Phase One/Mamiya.

There is an option to purchase the software with a one-off payment (£299) but with this you won’t get any regular software updates, or you can pay a monthly subscription fee, starting from £14.99.

Best subscription-free photo editing software

We get it – not everyone wants to be on the hook to a digital landlord for the rest of their photo-taking life. Less than $10/£10 a month for Photoshop and Lightroom may feel like a really good deal, but if you’re planning on using the software for years on end, those monthly fees mount up. You may be better off paying full-price up front for software that’s yours to own and keep.

For a more detailed round-up, check out our full guide to the best subscription-free photo editing software. Or read on to discover some of the best photo-editing software that’s available as a one-time purchase with no subscription required.

Best Photoshop alternative: Affinity Photo 2

At a glance:

• Photo editor and illustration program
• Windows, Mac and iPad
• $69.99 / £67.99. £159.99 one-off payment for all apps.
• affinity.serif.com

Affinity Photo 2 is probably the best Photoshop alternative for those who want a one-time purchase program for photo editing and other image work. Acquiring it forever is the same price as seven months of Photoshop and Lightroom on the Photography Bundle, and for that you get a sophisticated editor with non-destructive workflow, layer editing, masking controls, and plenty more of the kinds of features photographers expect.

The program isn’t the most immediately user-friendly for beginners; those new to image editing will undergo a bit of a learning curve at first. However, once used to the way the program wants you to think, and swapping between its different ‘Personas’ depending on the task you’re performing, it does get much easier. One thing we particularly appreciated in our review was getting our heads around the adjustment presets, which let you save and re-use your favourite adjustments – a real time-saver for batch-editing.

Read our full Affinity Photo 2 review.

Best RAW processor: DxO PhotoLab 8

At a glance:

• Raw workflow software
• Mac and Windows
• 30 days free trial
• Fully-featured Elite edition: $180/£165 ($109/£99 if upgrading)
• Pared-down Essential edition: $139/£129 but doesn’t have DeepPrime, LUTs, colour calibration or HSL
• dxo.com

This powerful software from DxO is especially potent for processing raw files. DxO’s de-noising technologies, DeepPRIME and DeepPRIME XD2S provide huge benefits in terms of rescuing detail in shots that are suffering from a significant amount of digital noise due to being shot at high ISOs. The process is fast and highly effective, able to turn shots you might have written off as irredeemable into something you can make prints from.

If you’re using an older camera that gets noisy very quickly when the ISO is turned up, PhotoLab could help to extend its lease of life. When we reviewed PhotoLab 8 we were hugely impressed – the newly added hue mask, and improved lens softness compensation along with a new version of DeepPRIME XD2S niose reduction feature works better than ever. The long awaited luminosity mask and also a compare tool similar to the one seen in Lightroom has been added too.

LUTs (Colour Lookup tables) are colour filters invaluable for video editors, DxO Photolab 8 includes 17 initial choices but it also supports third-party LUTs as well. This tool is used increasingly among photographers, as it helps speed up their workflow through automatic colour correction and colour grading.

Read more about the DxO PhotoLab 8

Best AI image editor: Skylum Luminar NEO

At a glance:

• Photo editing software with AI tools
• Mac and Windows (can also be used as a Photoshop/Lightroom plugin)
• Currently £59 one year, £99 one-off perpetual
• skylum.com

While Skylum Luminar does have a subscription model, it also offers the option of a one-time-only lifetime purchase of the software. This will ultimately save you money in the long-run, and there is a 30-day trial period in which you can get a refund if the software is not to your taste.

Skylum Luminar NEO is the latest iteration of a piece of software that’s been around for some time – originally, the developer was named Macphun, and made products exclusively for Apple operating systems. These days, Skylum Luminar NEO is a program aiming to fulfil the roles of both Photoshop and Lightroom, with a full suite of photo editing and photo organising tools. It’s stuffed with AI-powered tools like background removal and noise reduction, and also offers tons of presets for those who don’t mind letting the program make a few editing decisions for them.

Read our full Skylum Luminar NEO review.

Best free photo-editing software

If the monthly subscriptions and one-time costs are beyond your budget, fear not – there’s lots of excellent free software out there for editing photos. We have an entire guide dedicated to the best free photo editing software right now – but here are two of the applications we feel are the best.

Best free Photoshop alternative: GIMP

At a glance:

• Photo editing and graphics software
• Windows, Mac and Linux
• Free and open-source
• gimp.org

The GNU Image Manipulation Program, or GIMP as it apparently must be known, is a free and open-source image editor that you can download, install and run in barely the time it would take to read this paragraph – no credit card required. GIMP has always been free, and is maintained by a devoted team of enthusiasts. It offers a powerful photo editing suite to rival Photoshop or Affinity Photo, and there are tons of community-developed plugins that allow you to make it your own. It’s infamously tricky to get to grips with – though recent updates have made it a lot more user-friendly than it once was.

Best free RAW processor: RawTherapee

At a glance:

• Raw conversion software
• Windows, Mac and Linux
• Free
• rawtherapee.com

When you first boot up RawTherapee, you might be a little overwhelmed at the complexity of what you’re looking at. We’ve found that this free raw conversion software is not blessed with the most intuitive of interfaces, with tons of tool panels and a huge array of features. Geeks will be in heaven; normies might feel a little overwhelmed. However, if you do want to wade into the ins and outs of raw processing and don’t have cash to spend, the amount of power you get for free here is absolutely incredible. Bear in mind that updates for the software have slowed in recent years, with the last one coming in November 2022 – so if you have a newer camera, the software won’t have specific profiles for it.

Best mobile image editing software

Finally, we’re taking a quick look at the best apps for editing photos on the go. Most photographers likely snap plenty of pics on their phone as well as their camera, and there are plenty of apps out there to help you kick your smartphone photography game up a notch. We have a whole dedicated guide to the best photo apps for phones, including editing apps – but read on for our top recommendation.

Best image editing app: Snapseed

At a glance:

• Image editing app
• iOS and Android
• Free
• Google Play / App Store

We regard Snapseed as one of the top choices for photo editors on mobile – while there are plenty of competitors out there, truthfully you’re unlikely to go wrong with Snapseed. It’s great. A completely free, Google-made app, available for both iPhones and Android devices, Snapseed puts a powerful and intuitive editor in the palm of your hand.

As well as standard tools like cropping and rotating images, Snapseed also enables Curves adjustments, with a range of presets available to make things easier. It’s perfect both for those who want a streamlined, automated process, and for those who like to dive in deep and get granular with their adjustments. And – need we remind you – it’s free!

Read our guide to how to edit your photos in Snapseed.

How to choose the right photo editing software?

First of all consider your needs and make a list of what are the most essential features you want get from your editing software, this will help you narrow down your options. Obviously, the most suitable photo editing software for you depends on what kind of photography you are doing and whether you are a beginner enthusiast or a pro in editing.

Subscription or one-time purchase

Most of the providers offer either a one-time purchase or a monthly or yearly subscription. With purchasing a one-off license you own the program forever, and will pay less if you brake down your cost per month, as the longer you use them essentially the cheaper they get. Their downside however is that they usually don’t provide software updates and you can miss out on important bug fixes and new plug-ins. The subscription-based options on the other hand benefit from regular software updates but you pay a monthly or yearly fee and your access to the software stops when you stop paying the subscription.

System requirements

You will need sufficient horsepower to run the latest editing software, so if your computer is somewhat outdated this can be an issue. Check on the manufacturers website for the recommended RAM, Graphics card size and type, and operating system and monitor resolution. For example Photoshops’ system requirements state 16 GB as recommended however you can get away with the minimum 8GB, but speed and performance may be curbed.

Consider if you have enough hard disk space to run it. I am not talking about space to install the software, but having enough free hard disk space to run it.

Another important aspect is how often does the provider release software updates? These often include, shiny new features like Photoshops’ Generative AI, but can be other useful things like support for newly released cameras and lenses and lens profile corrections.

Cross Platform Licensing

If you use a Macbook or laptop on the go as well as a PC or iMac at home, you want to check if your chosen software offers what’s called cross platform licensing. This allows you to use the same software on your mac and pc without purchasing a new licence. Some subscriptions also let you download the same software to more than one device so you can pick up where you left off on another device.

Workflow and organisation

Would you like to edit as well as catalogue your images? Most software offer comprehensive cataloguing and rating features to help manage your image files. It is easy to shoot burst and fill up your hard drives so it is more and more important to be able to easily locate your files.

Features

All of the editors listed here will include the essential editing tools but depending on the style and genre you are shooting and editing your ideal editor will differ greatly. You might want built in filters or presets that can be easily applied for a quick fix, AI editing features, or generative fill.

Or maybe you want to work on different layers to composite multiple images together. If you edit your images one by one, practically any of the editors will suit you, however if your work require editing multiple images with similar changes like in event or wedding photography then you want to make sure batch editing is included in the features.

For macro or product photography a software thats capable of compiling focus stacked photos will be essential, however for someone who shoots wildlife effective noise reduction will be a life saver. It all depends on your own unique wants and needs.

Final take away

When you have one or more potential software on your list make sure to download their trial versions. It is a lot easier to make up your mind after you actually worked with them in real life. Choose three images and edit them in each program, this way you can compare the ease of use and features and get a good idea if you will be comfortable to use it on the long run.

Related reading:

• Get the vintage film look with digital photos
• How to edit photos – guide to Adobe Photoshop Elements
• Best software for black & white editing

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The post Best photo editing software in 2025 appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

This guide represents the best editing apps tested and used for photo editing by me and the rest of the AP review team. Throughout my career as a professional photographer and videographer, I’ve used plenty of smartphone apps to speed up my workflow and aid my shooting. On this list are the ones that have impressed me the most, and a few that come highly recommended by other team members.

There are lots of choices out there, both in terms of free and paid-for apps. We’ve also recommended a few supplementary apps that aren’t for editing exactly but can streamline your shooting workflow and augment your image-making in various ways. I’d recommend every app on this list without hesitation.

For some more tips on how to choose and what I think about these selections, scroll to the bottom of this page. Also, don’t forget to check out our detailed look at how a smartphone can help your photography, explaining everything you need to know about smartphone shooting.

Best photo editing apps for your smartphone: quick list

If you need to get right to the action, here is a quick rundown of our picks of the best editing apps on the market right now, along with links to download or buy them.

• Best for quick edits: Photoshop Express – try now
• Best for presets: VSCO – try now
• Best for Raw image editing: Photoshop Lightroom – try now
• Best for professional photographers: Snapseed – Google Play Store / Apple App Store
• Best for creative designs and styles: PicsArt – Google Play Store / Apple App Store
• Best for networking and growing your brand: Instagram – Google Play / Apple App Store
• Best for backing up your photos: Google Photos – Google Play / Apple App Store
• Best for fun edits and styles: Lensa – AI photo editor – Google Play / Apple App Store
• Best for built-in presets: Pixlr – Google Play / Apple App Store
• Best for the vintage film look: 1998 Cam – Google Play / Apple Store
• Highest rated: Photo Editor Pro (by InShot Inc) – Google Play / Apple App Store
• Best for Instax users: INSTAX UP! – Google Play / Apple App Store
• Best for colouring in black and white photos: Colorize – Google Play / Apple App Store

Read on to learn more about each of these apps, and why I rate them as the best photo-editing apps you can download for your phone…

Best photo editing apps for your smartphone

Here are the top apps I’d recommend you download for photo editing, with options for iOS and Android, as well as highlights and reasons why you’ll want the software, as well as what it’s good for.

Best for quick edits: Photoshop Express

At a glance:

• Free to download from www.adobe.com, but premium features require a Creative Cloud Subscription
• Available for both Android and iOS

With “Photoshop” in its name, it comes as no surprise that this photo editor has it all. Features include layer editing, core exposure and colour adjustments as well as healing. However, if you want to ramp up the editing then Photoshop Express has you covered with advanced technology such as Auto Object Selection, Face Contouring, and AI image generation.

That said, I liked all the advanced tech, but there are also more fun features too, with an emphasis on creating tools for social media use. From text and graphics to easy-to-use collage tools, so you can merge multiple images together.

There are also hundreds of effects and themes to choose from if you are looking for an express edit.

One further set of noteworthy features is Quick Actions, where complex jobs can be completed in one click. Jobs such as adding Denoise to a grainy image, Smoothing out skin or even adding digital make-up to our subject. Almost all of Photoshop’s power, compressed into a smartphone app – amazing!

Best for presets: VSCO

At a glance:

• Free to download basic version; Plus / Pro versions $2.50 / $5 per month
• Available for both Android and iOS
• Free and paid subscriptions available from vsco.co

VSCO has been around for a while now, but has somewhat come into its own more recently, quietly amassing one of the best Film Simulation libraries outside of Fujifilm. If you want to drench your images in Kodachrome cool or give them an ethereal monochrome infrared makeover, VSCO is one of the best ways to do it.

It’s favoured by AP’s deputy editor Geoff Harris, who described it as ‘one of the best photo-editing apps you’ve never heard of.’ While Geoff found the initial setup to be a little bit like hard work — with menus overly relying on skeuomorphic symbols rather than just explaining what’s what — once he got used to VSCO’s layout, he found he had a highly capable editor on his hands. The combination of well-made filters with extensive editing tools means you get the best of both worlds, with the ability to one-tap your images into retro style or spend extended time tweaking them just to your liking.

If you’re a frequent traveller who wants to give your shots a little more pop, VSCO is a brilliant choice, available for both Android and iOS, as well as even your computer if you want to use it through your browser. There is a caveat to that though — the free version is very basic indeed, acting basically as a trailer for the Plus and Pro versions, which come at a subscription cost. For what you get, we’d judge VSCO to be worth the outlay, but this is worth bearing in mind.

Read more: VSCO who? It’s one of the best photo-editing apps you’ve never heard of

Best for Raw image editing: Photoshop Lightroom

At a glance:

• Free to download from www.adobe.com, but premium features require a Creative Cloud Subscription
• Available for both Android and iOS

Photographers know what Lightroom can do and how it works, so the smartphone version will be instantly familiar to those who have used the software on a desktop. The combination of one-click Presets and easy-to-use sliders makes this a great editing app for photographers who need to quickly edit images on the go.

I dug a little deeper and was able to access more advanced features such as being able to quickly remove Chromatic Aberration or enable Lens Corrections. This is particularly useful if you want to correct the effect of wide-angle lenses.

Remember, you can edit RAWs as well as JPEGs and there are also plenty of sharing options available, such as the ability to choose the file type you export the image as (JPEG, TIFF, DNG) or the option of uploading straight onto your social media channels such as Facebook or Instagram.

Photoshop Lightroom is available for Android and iOS, you can also further edit your images in Photoshop Express.

Best for professional photographers: Snapseed

At a glance:

• Free: GooglePlay / Apple App Store

Whisper it quietly, but Snapseed (now owned by Google) has actually been around for over a decade. Think of it as a one-stop shop for editing your images because this app really does have it all.

Available for both Android and iOS, Snapseed tools range from basic exposure/colour adjustments to more advanced HDR and Mono conversion features. The Head Pose option offers a Liquify-style solution to change the direction of gazes in your portraits while the Selective options will allow for precise adjustments to both JPEG and RAW files.

Perspectives can be altered and distractions can be quickly banished with the Healing tool option. For those feeling more creative, Double Exposures can be created in seconds, and vignettes and borders can be accessed to add the final touches to your images.

With the latest update edited photos are saved in the gallery next to the original images, instead of a new folder. This makes locating your edits a little complicated.

Photos can be exported as new files or you can overwrite your original photo to save space on your smartphone. I think you’ll struggle to find a better free photo app, full stop.

Read our guide to editing photos in Snapseed, or have a look at how to edit black and white photos in Snapseed.

Best for creative designs and styles: PicsArt

At a glance:

• Free (with premium subscription): Google Play Store / Apple app store

While PicsArt the app has been around in some form or another for some time, it has more recently rebranded itself with a focus on AI. So in the marketing copy on the store pages, you can expect to see a lot of references to generating smart backgrounds, expanding images, and even generating new images from whole cloth. However, even if you’re completely uninterested in this stuff, PicsArt is a solid image editor for both Android and iOS.

Its interface puts all the usual tools at your fingertips, with cropping and clone tools as well as curve adjustments. There are also plenty of attractive special effects, including film-like filters for a retro look. Annoyingly, the Android version of the app disables screenshotting so it’s hard to demonstrate, but I found the picture styles to be pretty attractive, and it was generally easy to find one keeping with the tone of the image I was editing.

The app is free to use, though it will nag you to upgrade to a premium subscription, which unlocks most of the smart AI-powered features. PicsArt can also be used for video and is available for both Android and iOS.

Best for networking and growing your brand: Instagram

• Free: Google Play / Apple App Store

Yes, Instagram has lost its way a little over the years, and now there’s a shift on the platform towards Reels and adverts. That said, I simply can’t deny the ‘Grams’ power for getting your photos in front of a massive audience. The simple-to-use filter function does allow for a big change and very stylised effects, but obviously, there are more advanced features to correct exposure, enhance colours and ramp up contrast.

Detail can be improved via Structure and Sharpening sliders and finishing touches such as vignettes can be added. Of course, it’s worth remembering that Instagram is also a great app for inspiration too.

I particularly like the facility, when off to a landscape location, to view what other photographers have captured at the scene. Tap in #LocationName and you can explore compositional options before you even reach the place. Yes, this app is used by far too many for silly selfies, but at its heart, it’s a fantastic photography resource.

Best for backing up your photos: Google Photos

At a glance:

• Free: Google Play / Apple App Store (with in-app purchases)

It’s no surprise that Google Photos is a thoroughly comprehensive photo app. Essentially, you get 15GB of storage for free, more if you pay. I like to think of the app as a home for your photos as there are also a lot of options for storing and quickly finding your imagery.

That’s not to say that the app neglects the editing features. Photos can be quickly enhanced with a high degree of precision. Thanks to sliders that allow you to increase or decrease values such as Saturation, Exposure, Highlights and more. If you have a Google Pixel smartphone, you also benefit from a range of additional features, such as Magic Eraser, allowing the removal of unwanted objects from your photos.

There are additional ‘wizard’ style features such as Auto Enhance Lighting which work well and will save you a fair amount of time. Lastly, the app makes it very easy to complete the job and forward on edited images to contacts in your phone, which will appeal to those working in creative teams.

Google Photos often comes pre-installed to Android phones but it is also available to download from Google Play. For iPad and iOS users it can be downloaded from the Apple App Store.

Best for fun edits and styles: Lensa – AI photo editor

At a glance:

• Free: Google Play / Apple App Store (in-app purchases for some of the main features like Magic Avatars)

This photo editing app is available for iOS and Android, and is known for creating amazing looking avatars (profile pictures) which it calls “Magic Avatars“, and you’ll have probably seen them on social media. You can even make avatars for you, your dog or cat!

However, it can also be used for a number of other cool effects, and photo edits, including Magic Retouch – for portrait enhancement, with one touch. You can use it to separate your subject and background, as well as carry out all the other photo edits (like brightness, contrast, saturation) as expected.

When I was loading it for the first time, it recommended a free trial and purchasing the app. However, this can be skipped so that you can try the app for free. In use, the app is easy to use, with no account needed, and you simply import your favourite images to start editing. It can seem a little slow at times, but this may vary depending on your phone and internet speeds.

To use the main AI features like Magic Avatars will cost money, which is a real shame, as you can’t just try this feature out without payment.

For general editing, it does have some really useful features, like being able to adjust the exposure in the sky separately from the foreground. The foreground and background can also be adjusted separately for people and other subjects like pets. As mentioned the usual adjust saturation, sharpness and general editing options are available, but it’s the Effects and Art Styles that can really make your images stand out, with lots of different options available.

Best for built-in presets: Pixlr

• Free: Google Play / Apple App Store (with in-app purchases)

Available for iOS and Android, (and Windows), this free app is packed with easy-to-use features that can completely transform a photo and allow you to add a creative stamp on the frame. From the more conventional exposure and colour adjustments. Pixlr also offers a highly effective Autofix option, which does a great job of enhancing the image and even balancing the exposure of skies in landscape scenes.

There’s also a camera function that adds ‘Picture Style’ filters so I was able to get an idea of how my final image will look. The Collage feature showcases multiple images at the same time. One of the coolest features Pixlr offers however is the huge range of creative borders that can be added around the frame with just one click. From grungy looks to modern and clean borders – there is something for everyone.

Another advantage is that I didn’t have to create an account to use this app, after downloading it was ready to go.

Best for the vintage film look: 1998 Cam

At a glance:

• Free: Google Play / Apple Store (paid upgrade available)

1998 Cam is, as the title suggests, designed to give you the look of a camera from 1998. In 1998, disposable film cameras were popular, and with this app, you can re-create that retro, nostalgic look without the expense of having to use a film camera.

This app lets you edit your existing photos, or take new photos with it. You’ve got a variety of film choices including all the favourites from Kodak, Fujifilm and more. Plus you can add that all-important film grain, light leaks, and even the classic date stamp that you used to get with some 35mm film cameras. It works with still photos and video too.

If you are inspired to give your photos a vintage look, read our guide on how to get the film look.

Highest rated: Photo Editor Pro (by InShot Inc)

At a glance:

• Free: Google Play / Apple App Store (with adverts)

Now available for iOS too, not just for Android users, Photo Editor Pro has some of the best reviews on the Google Play store and is a great option if you’re looking to edit photos and create collages on your phone. It’s easy to use, with lots of great examples, and has the ability to correct skin blemishes, give images a warmer look, remove backgrounds, or even produce an AI cartoon version of your subject.

Cropping tools come with a number of presets for major social media sites, including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest, so you know you’ve got the right settings for each one.

You’ll find a whole range of cool filters, including RGB Glitch, and more. In fact there’s so much packed into this photo editing app that we’d be here all day if we went into every feature available. Needless to say, it’s really comprehensive and worthy of the high rating it has.

There is a range of templates available, great if you want to create something quickly, and the collages feature is so quick and easy to use. Some of the more advanced features, such as ToonTap, are actually adverts and take you to other software from the same company, but apart from this, it’s difficult to find anything to complain about.

Best for Instax users: INSTAX UP!

At a glance:

• Free: GooglePlay / Apple App Store

When Fujifilm announced the Instax Mini 12 instant camera earlier this year, they also released their smartphone app Instax Up!, which is available to download for both Android and iOS devices. The app has been designed for instant photographers who want to quickly digitally scan and store their photos. The time and place a photo was taken can be added, as well as tags that can be used to organise your collection of images.

There are several basic editing options available, and you can adjust the photo’s contrast, brightness, saturation, and colour temperature. There’s also an option to share photos through messaging apps or posting directly to social media like Instagram and Twitter.

Best for colouring in black and white photos: Colorize

At a glance:

• Free trial: GooglePlay / Apple App Store (paid upgrade available)

If you are curious how your old family photo album would look in full colour, this app transforms black and white and grayscale images into colourful photographs. Scan your B&W photo or upload one from your camera roll and with one tap the app automatically adds colour to your photo.

You can try out the app for free and colourize a few images but for unlimited use, you will need to upgrade to a paid plan that offers unlimited black and white colourization, unlimited saving and sharing also photo backup and access on other devices and online

Available via App Store for iOS and Google Store for Android.

Looking for the best photo editing software for your computer? Check this out

Other useful Photo apps for your phone:

Best for inspiration: 500px

At a glance:

• Free: Apple App Store

Smartphone photography apps don’t always need to help you capture or edit images. Sometimes their job is just to provide inspiration. In this area, apps don’t come better than 500px. 500px has been around for over a decade and is the go-to place to scout out locations, research different portrait lighting techniques or just to be surprised and inspired by all the amazing imagery on the app.

Dig a little deeper though and you’ll also discover that there are plenty of resources on there for photographers. Although some need to be paid for, others are free. For example, there are videos on ‘how to build a photo set on a budget’ or ‘how to shoot fine art at home’. You can also drill down further and refine your search by typing in keywords or you can take in one of the curated galleries from the 500px staff.

500px is available for iOS. The Android version is currently absent from the Google Play store, and it’s not entirely clear why.

Best for digitising old photos: Google PhotoScan

At a glance:

• Free: Google Play / Apple App Store

Available for both Android and iOS devices, this app is designed to make it possible to scan photos using your smartphone without the need for any additional software. The photo app will cleverly merge a number of photos, meaning that it can remove reflections and glare, for example when using the flash on your smartphone, or from other light sources.

If you need to quickly get a printed photo into digital form, then this is a great way of taking advantage of your smartphone and using free software. If you want to move up to higher-quality scans, then have a look at our guide to photographing film photos at home with a camera.

Best photography planning app: PhotoPills

At a glance:

• Price: £9.49 / $10.99, Google Play / Apple App Store

Paid-for apps need to offer a huge amount of value to compete with the free alternatives. But Photopills really does deserve a place on your home screen. A must-have app for landscape and astrophotographers, the comprehensive app will help you plan and shoot your shots and it works like this. A map feature lets you pinpoint a location with great accuracy. Then, it will display both the direction of light throughout the day and also the times of golden hours or moonlight.

That’s not all though, because there’s also an exposure calculator with a feature to factor in an ND filter (and change the strength of the filter) so you can capture balanced exposures. Add in a Depth Of Field table, Hyperfocal table, a Star Trail feature and an amazing Night Augmented Reality feature and you’ll soon realise why this is one of the most highly regarded apps out there. If you shoot any photos outdoors, you must download this app. Photo Pills is available for both Android and iOS.

Best for astrophotographers: SkyView Lite

At a glance:

• Free: GooglePlay / Apple App Store

Want to shoot some astrophotography but feeling a little lost? The free version of SkyView will help you find your bearings, as this clever app works with your phone’s camera and augmented reality technology to help you line up celestial targets that you can then choose to shoot with your phone or to swap in your DSLR and shoot with that instead.

Basically, this app takes all the guesswork out of astrophotography and I found the app to be hugely accurate. For a total investment of absolutely nothing, every photographer should be downloading this app; even if you only use it for the search function alongside using your camera, it’s an excellent piece of technology.

SkyView Lite is available to download for Android and iOS.

Best light meter app for iPhone: Light Mate

At a glance:

• Free: Apple App Store

Smartphone apps can even come in handy for those shooting film. Even though available for iOS only Light Mate is a highly useful app that can be downloaded completely free. With variables such as shutter speed, aperture and ISO, you can dial in your settings, point your phone at a subject and the camera will read the light levels and suggest the appropriate exposure information.

It works with both the front and back camera on your smartphone (assuming your device has both). It could save you a fair amount of money on over or underexposing frames on pricey film. The whole app only measures 6MB in size so is definitely one to keep on your phone just in case and that won’t eat up the storage on your device.

Best for calculating exposures with filters: Lee Filters – Stopper Exposure

• Free: GooglePlay / Apple App Store

If you use Lee Filters out in the field then this app is a must-have that will take all the guesswork out of using the brand’s filters. All you have to do is select between the Little Stopper (6-stops), Big Stopper (10-stops) and Super Stopper (15-stops). Then, dial in what would be the balanced shutter speed without an ND filter.

The app will immediately display the recalculated shutter to use once you’ve swapped in the ND filter so you don’t have to mess about with trial and error. Better still, once you’ve dialled in the settings, the app even has a timer function. So, if you are using the Bulb function on your camera, you simply start the timer and end the exposure once it’s finished – easy!

Lee Filters – Stopper Exposure is available for both Android and iOS

Other smartphone photography apps to try: ProCam X, Filca, VSCO Cam, and Prisma Art Effect Photo Editor.

How to choose the best editing apps for your phone

When you’re choosing an editing app for your phone, the main thing to establish is what exactly you’re going to be using it for. This might seem like an obvious question, but phone editors come in many different stripes. Some are looking for a way to make the images produced by their phone camera pop a bit more and generally look their best, while others may be looking more for something to complement their main computer editing setup — apps that will let you continue editing the same image seamlessly from desktop to mobile.

There are also plenty of users who don’t want anything too granular but are looking for ways to just add a bit of style to their images, whether that’s through a vintage film filter or a fun photo frame. For these users, easy sharing will also likely be a priority, so an app that connects seamlessly to social media profiles like Instagram is going to be highly valued.

Which photo editing app is right for me?

Depending on what you’re looking for, here are our quickfire recommendations for choosing the right photo editing app.

If you’re looking for deep, granular editing that’s similar to desktop editing software:

• Lightroom
• Snapseed
• Photoshop Express
• Photo Editor Pro

If you’re looking for fun filters and special effects to create images with a difference:

• Picsart
• Pixlr

If you’re looking for AI-powered tools to take the hassle out of editing:

• Lensa

If you want to give your images a vintage, filmic look:

• 1998 Cam

There are other apps with more specialist uses we’ve included on our list above, but these are the best ones to start with if you are looking for simple photo editing functionality.

Text by Matty Graham, with contributions from Joshua Waller, Hollie Latham Hucker and Jon Stapley.

Read our latest smartphone reviews, plus have a look at the best camera phones for photography.

Further reading:

• Using smartphones for street photography
• How to take amazing portraits on a smartphone
• How to take great macro photos on a smartphone
• How to edit black and white photos in Snapseed
• What is pixel binning? Smartphone sensor technology explained

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Geraint Radford explains Focus Stacking

Geraint is an Olympus ambassador with a love for macro photography. He hopes that his images may inspire others to care for insects. He regularly posts videos and tips on Instagram. Find him at @geraintradfordmacro

Macro photography lets us explore the magical world of tiny beasts, flora and fauna. I love to photograph live wild insects, yet discourage the use of any practices that could harm these tiny important beings.

When working close to our subjects, the depth of field reduces considerably. The smaller apertures needed to achieve extra depth of field can impact picture quality through diffraction and reduce the faster shutter speeds we need to maintain image sharpness.

What is focus stacking?

Focus stacking is a great solution to this problem. The technique entails shooting a sequence of images at different focusing distances, and using software to blend the sharp areas together into a single file with greater depth of field and better image quality.

By focus stacking, we can use wider apertures with lower ISO numbers to maintain a decent shutter speed. Sounds ideal, but there are a few caveats. For a successful stack, exposure must be consistent and neither we nor the subject can move. Photographing living beings means we won’t have the opportunity to shoot hundreds of frames. The keep rate can be low, but thankfully there are some things we can do to increase our chances of success.

Dawn and dusk are ideal shooting times as the cooler temperatures make creatures easier to approach and less likely to move. Stability is key to successful stacking. My camera has seven stops of in-camera stability, enabling me to shoot handheld. A ground-level tripod may be useful, while a centre column that tilts horizontally will stop the tripod legs from getting in your way.

Diffused flash will give us complete control of our lighting and help reduce camera shake, especially when shooting handheld. My flash and 30cm diffuser is mounted directly above my lens pointing downwards to achieve soft lighting and nice shadows. This also avoids the light shining directly into the eyes of my subjects.

Geraint’s focus stacking kit list

Macro lens

Macro lenses are my favourite invention! Being designed especially for close-up work, they will achieve 1:1 magnification. The longer the focal length, the further from our subject we can be and still achieve maximum magnification. I would recommend at least 90mm for insect photography.

Extension tubes

These work by increasing the distance between the lens and the camera sensor, so we can focus much closer. The downside is that working distance is reduced, and this in turn reduces the depth of field. Ambient light is also lessened, so a combination of artificial light and focus stacking will give great results.

Flash and diffuser

When shooting macro images handheld, a great flashgun with a speedy recycling time will be your best friend. Good diffusion will help with controlling the highlights created by the shiny exoskeletons of our bug buddies.

How to use focus stacking

The depth of field is very shallow in this image and we need more to show this beautiful creature in all its glory. With two sets of extension tubes attached to my 60mm (120mm equivalent) macro lens, an aperture of f/5.6 is the limit before diffraction sets in.

Focusing is achieved manually by composing the shot and then moving the camera towards the subject. Make small adjustments to ensure each image overlaps properly. Using the rule of thirds grid in our viewfinder helps visual alignment. Use them as crosshairs to make sure the focal point remains the same in each picture.

Essential software

There is a good choice of dedicated focus-stacking software available, but Zerene Stacker and Helicon Focus are very popular. Adobe Photoshop does a good job for small image stacks and it’s a great starting point. For the image above, I blended eight images in Photoshop. The fine details and raindrops, which were obscured by the shallow of depth of field, are now magically revealed. On a side note, I was absolutely drenched getting this shot.

Barry Webb on using Focus stacking in slime mould macro photography

Barry Webb specialises in macro photography and is a regular contributor to Chalfonts and Gerrards Cross Camera Club. He gives presentations and leads practical workshops. Visit www.barrywebbimages.co.uk, @barrywebbimages.

Macro photography and, particularly, focus stacking enable you to see intricate details of tiny subjects. I have been taking macro images of insects, plants and fungi for many years, using a full-frame camera with a 90mm macro lens. I started focus stacking five years ago, using a manual-focus rail to allow fine incremental adjustments between shots.

Practically, the addition of a focus rail made my equipment heavier and more cumbersome. Focusing with a focus rail was time-consuming and made it difficult to manoeuvre into restricted positions.

After much deliberation, I decided to try using a Micro Four Thirds system with a 60mm macro lens. I was amazed at the difference it made. The compact and lightweight setup was a pleasure to use. Additionally, the increased magnification of the Micro Four Thirds sensor and fast, accurate, in-camera focus bracketing meant that I no longer needed to use a focus rail.

I now use this system exclusively for focus stacking. I also often use between one and three extension tubes and, on occasions, a Raynox close-up lens. This has allowed me to explore, and become fascinated by, the tiny, beautiful and most unlikely of subjects – slime moulds.

Barry’s focus stacking kit

Lens and extension tubes

The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 60mm f/2.8 Macro lens is very small and light yet extremely sharp. It has a useful focus selector that enables you to select true 1:1 with the flick of a switch. I also use the Kenko Auto Extension Tube Set DG for Micro Four Thirds lenses (10mm and 16mm). These tubes maintain TTL exposure with the 60mm Macro lens and they allow the lens to focus closer and provide more magnification.

Tripod

Focus-stacked images require a stable and manoeuvrable tripod that can get right down to ground level. I use the Gitzo Explorer GT 2531. The separate leg locking levers mean that each leg can be positioned independently, at any angle.

LED Hand lens

I use a Triplet Loupe Hand Lens 10x21mm that has built-in LEDs in a ring around the lens. It allows you to observe fine details in low-light conditions: vital for good composition.

Barry’s top tips for capturing slime moulds 

Composition

Once I have found my subject, I use a 10x loupe to help me work out the best composition. The camera is manually focused and the lens is set to 1:1 as a starting point. The tripod legs are adjusted to the optimum position and the tripod then physically moved until the point of nearest focus is located.

The number of shots and the size of the differential between shots will vary according to the depth of the subject and the number of extension tubes being used. Generally, for slime moulds, I take between 30 and 150 shots. An ISO of 100 or 200 is ideal, as is a relatively wide aperture, at the macro lens’s sweet spot.

Light

I prefer to work in natural light whenever possible. Soft light, cloudy conditions or hazy sunlight all give good results, while changing light causes problems during a focus bracket. In bright sunlight, it is usually necessary to shade the subject as direct sunlight causes specular highlights, particularly on wet or reflective surfaces. A small LED light with a diffuser can be useful as fill lighting when shooting subjects on the underside of logs or in areas of deep shade.

Movement

A reliable tripod and a shutter release are both essential for shooting multi-bracketed shots. The slightest movement at high magnification will ruin a stack. Wind is a real problem. Even someone walking nearby can cause ground movement. Small creatures such as springtails can pass through your frame unnoticed, which can complicate post processing.

Processing

I download the bracketed series to Lightroom, select them all and make basic adjustments to the exposure and white balance. The images are then exported to Zerene Stacker for stacking and retouching. The saved output image is then synchronised back into Lightroom, where I make any final adjustments. Occasionally, I import the image into Photoshop to repair any areas that could not be retouched successfully in Zerene Stacker.

Matt Doogue on close-up insect photography

Award-winning photographer Matt Doogue is a passionate conservationist, tour leader, public speaker, outreach teacher and mental health ambassador. Matt’s work has been published in most of the UK’s leading photographic titles, and has appeared on TV shows such as BBC’s Springwatch alongside Chris Packham. In his spare time, he regularly visits schools to educate children on the importance of our natural world. Visit www.mattsmacro.co.uk

Macro photography is a popular genre among photographers, and is one of the most rewarding. Subjects can be found anywhere from inside our own homes, gardens and of course, the great outdoors. Using a macro lens allows you access to a hidden world the human eye never sees, a world full of detail, colour and design. I have been a macro photographer for several years now and I’m still learning.

When photographing at high magnification with a macro lens, depth of field becomes very narrow, leaving much of the subject out of focus. We can increase our depth of field but this limits our light, so naturally we increase ISO but that just adds unnecessary noise. At high magnification, the increase of these two factors can actually leave your image looking less sharp due to the softening effects of diffraction. However, focus stacking resolves this. While it’s one of the more challenging techniques of macro photography to master, it can yield great results if done correctly.

Matt’s focus stacking kit list

Lens choice

My go-to lens is the Canon MPE 65mm, this allows me to achieve up to 5x magnification. I also use the Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro or the Sigma 180mm f/2.8 Macro. I use these when shooting larger subjects such as butterflies, dragonflies or even reptiles.

Flash system

I use the Canon MT24 EX dual flash coupled with the MPE 65mm. When shooting at high magnification, the flash really helps. It’s the perfect combination of kit for this type of shooting.

Matt’s top tips for handheld focus stacking

1. Focus stacking is simply the process of moving the point of focus over your subject in very small increments and taking a photo at each of those points. I set the desired magnification on my lens and turn off autofocus.
2. It’s essential you don’t change this while attempting a ‘stack’ and make sure you have consistent exposure settings that are correct for the scene. I shoot with everything in manual: aperture, shutter speed, ISO and flash power.
3. The sharpest point of most lenses, known as the sweet spot, is around f/8 to f/9, however when it comes to focus stacking, we can drop that to anywhere between f/2.8-f/5.6. This will give us a sharper final stacked image.
4. Setting a wider aperture will also allow more light into the lens, which enables us to lower the flash power for faster flash recycle times. This is crucial in order to maintain a quick firing rate.
5. The flash also increases valuable light levels within the scene and can help freeze any subject movement in the frame. You can stick to natural light, of course, but at high magnifications you will end up pushing the ISO so much that it adds unnecessary noise to your image.
6. Start at the front of your subject and work towards the back. Move forward very slightly to adjust the depth of field and as you watch the point of focus move over your subject, take a shot at each stage. The tiniest of movements is sufficient for this.
7. I shoot the majority of my ‘stacks’ handheld. The key is to stay as still as possible, which is easier said than done! If the subject moves or you move from side to side, stop and start a new stack.
8. While getting to grips with this technique, stick to small stacks. Start off with 2-5 images. Then, once you have mastered this you can go for bigger stacks.
9. Don’t be tempted to fire off a burst of shots. While you may get one or two more stacks, you will most likely end up taking shots at the same point of focus and this will leave your image diffracted once you stack those multiple frames together in software.
10. I prefer to use Photoshop, but you can use dedicated software such as Helicon Focus and Zerene Stacker. Loading your files into the selected software of choice will now create a stacked composite of your images. There are plenty of YouTube tutorials to guide you through this process.

Related reading:

• Top Macro Photography Tips
• Best photo editing software
• Top tips for insect photography
• More techniques for pin-sharp close-up / macro photographs

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This can be found within Google’s Photos app and lets you edit photos using the power of “the cloud”. But how does it work? Find out as we take a deeper look into this new photo editing technology.

Can I use Google Magic Editor on my phone?

Look for this icon in the Google Photos app – the colour of the icon changes. You’ll find it in the bottom left of the screen. But if you don’t have the right phone, then you won’t be able to use it.

Google Pixel Magic Editor Icon (found within Google Photos)

If you have an older Google Pixel phone, such as a Google Pixel Fold or Google Pixel 7 / 7 Pro, then unfortunately, you still won’t be able to access Magic Editor. And that’s even after updating Google Photos. This feature is currently found on the Pixel 8, the 8 Pro and the Google Pixel 9 series. However, as this is a software/cloud based feature, you can expect improvements over time.

How do I use Magic Editor?

Internet and cloud backup

To use the Magic Editor, you need to connect your phone to the internet. You also need to ensure that Google Photos is setup to backup your photos to the cloud. If you haven’t set this up, for example, or if your storage is full, then you won’t be able to use this feature. Try to select it, and the phone will helpfully tell you to backup your photos, but won’t let you backup just the one photo you want to edit (without going to a different bit to back it up).

Using Magic Editor to adjust the sky, and remove a sign.

On-screen instructions

These gripes aside, once you do have your photos backed up, you can use Magic Editor to edit and replace the sky, remove and move objects, as well as adjust other settings, based on the type of photo. Instructions on how to use Magic Editor appear on-screen, but quite quickly disappear, often before you’ve had time to read them.

Wait before editing

If you have taken a portrait photo, the Magic Editor will edit the photo for you, giving you a slightly different image. If you’ve just taken a photo and then want to edit it with Magic Editor, again, you’ll have to wait for it to be backed up first. Even with your phone connected to Wi-Fi, this can be a painfully long wait in comparison to simply editing a photo straight away.

Verdict

It’s a neat idea, but it’s a shame it doesn’t give more control, as the level of adjustment within the Magic Editor is rather limited. For example, you have to move and change the size of one thing in the photo at a time, then wait for it to be processed before you can edit another element in the photo. However, it’s likely that Google will update this over time, and we should see some improvements in the future, as Google will be looking at user feedback.

Google Pixel 8 – Magic Editor – Before (left), After (right) “Portrait” enhancement

You can also use Magic Eraser in the normal photo editing app. This is easier, quicker, and more fun, as you don’t have to use the somewhat awkward and slow Magic Editor. In addition, there are a much larger number of editing options within the normal photo editor.

Here are some more examples of photos we’ve edited with Magic Editor:

Google Pixel 8 – Magic Editor, before (left), after (right) – Lego figure enlarged, Instax Pal size reduced.

The results can often be subtle, for example, in the case of the portrait edit. For landscapes results can be quite pleasing, once you apply further editing in the normal editor. In the Lego example, the enlarged Lego figure has worked well. However, reducing the size of the Instax Pal hasn’t worked very well, even with a fairly basic background.

As Magic Editor is still new, and still being improved, results should improve in time. But for the time being, we think we’ll be sticking to the usual Photo Editor for our edits. Let us know what you think! Have you had good results from Magic Editor?

Related reading:

• Best camera phones for photography
• Best photo editing apps for phones
• Google Pixel 7 Pro review

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For all the camera editing apps for phones that now exist, serious photographers still need look no further than Snapseed (for iOS and Android). Its huge variety of tools and tricks remains as apt and useful today as ever. If you’re investing in one of the best smart phones for photography or shopping for a budget camera phone, Snapseed is the editing app for you.

Far beyond one-click filters and fakery, it’s a serious photo editor with striking creative effects and powerful editing tools. These range from the familiar edits like crop and rotate to more in-depth techniques like curves adjustment. Snapseed is also very straightforward and well designed for touch control. Better still, Snapseed is free, with no strings attached.

Note that, although it’s a Google app, it integrates perfectly well with Apple Photos (simply launch Snapseed and choose the photo to edit from your Library). You can apply a single effect or many, and save your favourite looks as preset effects to be used over and again.

Where to start with Snapseed

A deeper dig into Snapseed reveals amazing editing potential. Let’s begin with curves editing before considering other smart editing features. Curves adjustments are typically found in more advanced desktop photo editing apps; yet are actually very simple to use in Snapseed. Give them a try and you will soon have a feel for them.  For more in-depth tips, see my book Smart Phone, Smart Photo Editing, available from all good bookstores.

Curves: the basics

The Curves tool is used to adjust hue, brightness, contrast, highlights and shadows in your photos. Essentially, this is done by dragging blue dots, known as nodes, on a line: down to decrease, up to increase. This very precise way of editing enables much greater adjustment control than when using the contrast slider in the Tune image tool.

Curves will be familiar to anyone used to editing photos on a computer, but for the sake of smartphone users still learning the jargon, we’ll start from the basics.

Opening the tool, we see a straight diagonal line from bottom left to top right laid out in a square box: not a curve as the name suggests. This line, often referred to as the contrast curve, represents the range of brightness and shadow in images. Below it is the histogram graph, which tells us how the light information is distributed in the photo.

The core elements are:

• The existing node at the bottom left of the line represents the black point.
• The existing node at the top right represents the white point.
• The bottom half of the line represents the shadows.
• The middle section of the line represents the midtones.
• The top half of the line represents the highlights.

Nodes can be added to curves adjustments to change the shape of the curve; and the contrast and brightness of the photo.

Snapseed offers a selection of preset curves adjustments. Explore these to get an idea of what each does and when you might want to use it. Other nodes may be added by touching anywhere on the line to manipulate the presets further.

As well as the presets, curves can be adjusted manually by tapping the circular icon at the bottom left. This reveals the different curve adjustments options: RGB, Red, Green, Blue, Luminance. The RGB curve is the default selection. Raising or lowering this curve brightens or darkens all the colours in an image simultaneously.

Choose to increase the lightness or darkness of each colour individually by using the Red, Green and Blue icon options:

• Raise the red curve above the diagonal median line to increase the red hues.
• Drag the red curve down below the diagonal median line to increase the cyan (blue/green) hues.
• Raise the green curve above the diagonal median to increase the green hues.
• Drag the green curve below the diagonal median line to increase the magenta (purple/pink) hues.
• Raise the blue curve above the diagonal median line to increase the blue hues.
• Drag the blue curve down below the diagonal median line to increase the yellow hues.
• Luminance affects the brightness of all the colours at the same time; RGB affects the black and white points individually for each of the colours. Raising the luminance curve increases the hues’ lightness.
• Dragging the luminance curve down increases the darkness of the hues.

In practice, you may not need of all of the above. You’re best to start by altering the Luminance curve alone and then experiment with the individual RGB channels as you gain experience, and use the list for reference.

Curves editing

1. Tap the eye icon on the bottom menu to hide the curve line and bottom menu ribbon, and see the effects on the image.
2. The curve is also known as an S curve, because when used correctly, the shape created looks like the letter S.
3. Avoid dragging the nodes to any extremes (such as straight lines, right angles, shelved or stepped patterns) and avoid touching the ceiling or floor of the curves box. To work best, a curve should be soft and rounded.

Vignettes

Vignettes darken the corners of an image to focus attention on the main subject. As with many effects in Snapseed, it’s easy to ‘overcook’ this. You can reduce or increase the strength of the different vignette effects by sliding your finger up and down to access various options, and then left or right to change the strength.

Interestingly, the Curves tool provides a more sophisticated method for creating a vignette than the Vignette tool itself. The latter is limited to a uniform circle, whereas our Curves tool protects the highlights in the image and produces the light and dark areas in any bespoke shape. This is well worth trying.

In this picture of a jackdaw, I wanted to use a vignette effect to increase the focus on the bird. I created a new RGB curves layer and placed a node on the RGB line just below the first intersection but snuggled into the corner. By dragging this node down, I increased the shadows in the image. Then I placed a node in the top intersection to hold the highlights in place and protect them in the image.

Finally, I masked in the layer in the edit stack, brushing the outside edge at 25. Then moving in towards the centre graduating the steps by 25 at a time, i.e. 50, 75, all the way to 100. This prevented it from being a hard effect and made it look more natural.

This very subtle change is all about creating mood and atmosphere using the lightest of touches.

Vignettes are very effective for enhancing composition and mood, and you can start with the basic vignette tool and move on to more advanced curve and masking techniques.

Composite images

Another handy tool is Double Exposure. My book, Smart Phone Smart Photo Editing, includes two edits using it. One shows how to overlay two different images of the same subject to create an image that is more than the sum of its parts. The second shows how to create a stylised image that will make the most of your new curves skills. Be sure to choose two images that sit well together, however. Image preparation is essential to clean them up and expand the backgrounds so they can be resized to overlay each other.

How to create a composite image in Snapseed

The original images I used here were in colour, so the first job was to convert them, one at a time, to black & white (use the Saturation slider within the Tune image tool, but check highlights, shadows and contrast – again, see my book for more). Once the first image was black and white, I opened the White Balance tool.

The Temperature and Tint were both turned up to +100 to make the image redder before I opened a curves layer and activated the red curve. I dragged this up to make it redder still, then selected hard contrast from the Curves presets to make sure I had strong shadows to work with when the images were blended. Finally, I flipped the image using the Rotate tool to put the subject’s head on the left of the frame. Then, I saved and exported it for later.

Now the second image. Once converted to black & white, I opened the curves layer again. This time I dragged the green curve up and the red down to remove the red and enhance the cyan, which created the turquoise colour.

After using the Expand tool to increase the frame, and the Healing tool to remove background anomalies caused by doing that, I saved and exported this second image, too. With the red image reopened, I tapped the Double Exposure icon on the bottom screen menu to open the turquoise image, creating an instant overlay ready for further editing.

The Swatch icon in the Double Exposure tool opens the blend method, which allows you to explore ways in which the two images are blended.

The Liquid Drop icon lets you raise or lower opacity so you can control the visibility of both images. You can also use your finger pinch to resize the second image, move it around the frame or change its orientation.

Note that you can reposition only the second image. The first will be static; so make sure you open them in the right order for the image you want to create.

Create your own Looks: Styles in Snapseed

Snapseed’s preset Looks (iOS) or Styles (Android) are ‘ready-made’ combinations of various edit stages that you can use to quickly alter the style of photos. However, you can save a huge amount of time by creating your own Looks/Styles; especially if editing multiple images from the same shoot and using the more sophisticated tools such as Curves. Creating your own Looks/Styles means you can rapidly apply the same edits to a whole set of images. This makes it easier to select the best of the bunch, and can also help establish your own style.

Once you’ve finished editing a photo, select the Looks/Style menu. Swipe through the presets until you reach the Add (+) icon at the end. Tap on this, give your new Look/Style a new name and then select Save. It is as easy as that! Then, next time you open a new photo you can go straight to the Looks/Style menu and select your own one without having to do the work!

You can manage your Looks/Style by simply clicking on the three small dots that are bottom left after the +. You can view them all, rename them, or delete any that you no longer use.

See more:

• How to edit black and white photos in Snapseed
• 10 ways smartphones can help your photography
• 11 best smartphone photography apps
• Best camera phones for photography
• Plus, read our smartphone reviews here

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Indeed, you may not even need to pay anything at all. There are some great photo editing programs out there that are absolutely free to download and keep. We’ve picked out a mix of the two in this guide, aiming to provide as many options as possible, based on the software our team has used, tested and enjoyed. We’ve included programs that offer a great deal of control, as well as some that are great for quick, simple edits. Scroll to the bottom of this guide for a quick explainer of how to choose photo editing software.

We also have a useful guide to the best software for black & white editing for the monochrome lovers among you. For now though, let’s take a look at how to pick the best photo-editing software – subscription-free!

So, let’s take a look at some of the best photo-editing software out there – with no subscription required. Here’s our quick list of the best photo editing programs available:

• Best Photoshop alternative: Affinity Photo 2 – buy now
• Best raw processor: DxO PhotoLab 8 Elite – buy now
• Best raw processor for noise reduction: DxO PureRAW 4 – buy now
• Best Lightroom alternative: Capture One 23 – buy now
• Best AI photo editor: Skylum Luminar Neo – check price
• Best browser-based photo editor: Photoshop on the web – use here
• Best smartphone photo editor: Pixlr Desktop app – download
• Best quick photo editor: Fotor – use here
• Most powerful free photo editor: GIMP – download

Read on for more details on each entry, including the opinions of our review team…

Best Photoshop alternative: Affinity Photo 2

affinity.serif.com, $69.99 / £67.99

Affinity Photo is the best Photoshop alternative. It’s based strongly on the Photoshop mould, which is no bad thing considering that Photoshop is still the gold standard in image-editing. Anybody who is familiar with Photoshop will feel at home in moments, so those ex-Adobe Creative Cloud subscribers who are looking for a subscription-free alternative can jump straight in. Also, if you prefer editing on a tablet, the iPad version of this software works really well – see how to master Affinity Photo 2 for iPad.

Features such as Layers, Adjustment Layers, Masks and Filters are all here. What’s more, some features arguably surpass their Photoshop forebears, such as the powerful Brush tool that gives you a preview of your strokes, or the dedicated Frequency Separation tool for retouching portraits, the HDR tone-mapping tools and the extensive array of non-destructive Live Filter effects.

Affinity Photo’s real strength is in more involved photo edits, like compositing, making cut-outs, adding effects or exposure blending – the sort of things that a while back could only have been done in Photoshop. It’s a professional-level all-in-one photo editor and design tool, just like Photoshop.

Read our Affinity Photo 2 review.

Best raw processor: DxO PhotoLab 8 Elite

dxo.com, $229 (Elite) / from £209 – upgrade from versions 6 & 7: $109 / £99. Free trial available

The latest version of one of the best Raw processors in the biz, DxO PhotoLab 8 is a one-time purchase that gives you a huge amount of control over your Raw files. Using DxO’s AI DeepPrime and DeepPrime XD tools, it offers a level of noise reduction and detail recovery that’s significantly ahead of its rivals. Drawing on DxO’s well-established expertise in the field, the neural network can deliver as much as a 2.5-stop advantage compared to conventional Raw converters.

DxO PhotoLab 8 Elite has just launched – watch out for our detailed review imminently. It features DeepPRIME XD2s; the new version of the company’s acclaimed raw-processing technology, and DxO claims it gives ‘unprecedented levels of noise reduction and detail extraction… photographers can use higher ISO settings with confidence, breathe new life into old shots, and enjoy previously unseen image quality from even the latest cameras.’

With the intuitive selective adjustment tools of PhotoLab 7, its generous range of LUTs for creating specific looks, advanced colour management and, of course, DxO’s enormous database of optical corrections for a huge range of lenses, this has a generous toolkit.

Also available (for extra cost) are the FilmPacks, which allow you to download profiles to emulate old film stocks and give your images an irresistibly retro look. The up-front cost is fairly significant, and probably only worth it if you habitually shoot in Raw, but DxO PhotoLab 8 Elite is impressive.

Best raw processor for noise reduction: DxO PureRAW 4

dxo.com, $119 / £109, $79 / £69 to upgrade from DxO PureRAW 3. 30-day free trial available

If you don’t need something as complex as DxO PhotoLab 8 Elite, then the cheaper DxO PureRAW 4 may be a better fit. A dedicated raw processor, DxO PureRAW 3 converts camera raw files into DNG raw files, while simultaneously applying DxO’s dedicated lens correction and noise reduction algorithms. The resulting 16-bit DNG raw files can be adjusted in all the exact same way the original files can, meaning that DxO PureRAW 3 can slot easily into any pre-existing workflow you may have established.

PureRAW 3 gains the same DeepPRIME XD processing algorithm that is otherwise reserved for the Elite edition of PhotoLab 7, at an upfront cost of almost $100/£100 less. This algorithm comes into its own when processing images shot at high ISOs, recovering unprecedented levels of detail – we tested it with an image shot at ISO 25,600, and DeepPRIME XD far outstripped the level of detail recovered by Adobe’s processing algorithm. In layman’s terms, our testing indicated that you could probably get away with using ISO settings two stops higher than you otherwise would if you commit to processing with PureRAW 4.

There is a trade-off naturally – processing times are significantly longer than other software, to the point where you’ll certainly want to cue up some batch-processing and then leave the program to its own devices (there is a new file queueing system to make this all a bit smoother). If you want a way to better process raw files but don’t want to have to learn a whole new system, PureRAW 3 is definitely worth adding to your workflow.

Best Lightroom alternative: Capture One 23

captureone.com, $299 / £299 

At £299 / $299 for a standalone licence this is the priciest option, but it’s also the closest to Lightroom that you’ll get without signing up for the monthly subscription. Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, it produces wonderful raw files.

You might think that a raw file would look the same no matter which editor it’s viewed in, but there can be marked changes in quality depending on the way the raw data is processed. Capture One gives you a level of detail and quality that often can’t be matched.

The workflow and tethering features are unsurpassed and it also offers advanced tonal tools that let you finesse your photos to a fine degree, with specialised tools for contrast and colour control, and layers-based local adjustments.

While the interface has recently been updated to make it more beginner-friendly, Capture One can still seem daunting. The learning curve and cost are steeper than most (for the cost of a licence you could get a Photoshop/Lightroom subscription for two and a half years).

But there’s a reason why many pros prefer Capture One. It’s a slick, high-end package that many consider the best you can buy both for its raw editing and workflow tools. The only cloud on the horizon for subscription-haters is that Capture One is pushing towards a subscription model. You can still get a ‘perpetual’ version, but this won’t get the regular free updates that the subscription version brings.

Best AI photo editor: Skylum Luminar Neo

skylum.com/luminar, $79 / £99

Originally one of the simplest photo editors, Luminar Neo has evolved into a much more sophisticated proposition. There’s still an emphasis on presets and beginner-friendly, one-click ‘looks’ that take seconds to apply. But with customisable panels, tons of tonal tools, selective edits and layer functionality, there’s still a good level of depth for those who want a finer degree of control over their images.

The reality-bending AI of Luminar has become the stuff of legend, starting with Skylum’s AI sky replacement (still arguably the best) and progressing to portrait enhancement, portrait bokeh, AI subject masking, sun rays, power line removal and more. The presets are useful to, though getting used to how they work can be a bit of an uphill climb, not as smooth as using one of the best Adobe Lightroom presets.

It’s all presented in a slick package with a gentle learning curve. If you want an editor that you can be up-and-running with in no time, but still has plenty of scope for those who want to explore further, then Luminar Neo is an excellent choice. Be aware, though, that Skylum is now pushing its subscription plans very hard, and while you can still get a ‘lifetime license’, it will not necessarily be the cheapest option. Luminar Neo is now part of an ecosystem of extensions and premium content, and unravelling the best deals from one week to the next can be a challenge.

Read our full Skylum Luminar NEO review

Best browser-based photo editor: Photoshop on the web (beta)

photoshop.adobe.com, free (requires Adobe account)

Photoshop on the web was introduced in Adobe’s October 2021 update, and has a number of editing options, replacing Photoshop Express (web). While it doesn’t include anywhere near the same number of tools as full-fat Photoshop, it packs in enough to get quick jobs done, and is pitched toward the kinds of tasks you might expect someone to want on a web-based editor, such as background removal.

We’d recommend having a look at the Photoshop on the web FAQ to find out more. After a two year period spent in beta, it is now launched and ready to use. You might be surprised by how easy it is to use to get simple (and not so simple) edits done. You will need to be using Google Chrome or the Microsoft Edge browser, though. Also, if you’re looking for more free resources from Adobe, check out our guide to the best free Adobe Lightroom presets.

Best smartphone photo editor: Pixlr Desktop app

pixlr.com/desktop, free

The impressive Pixlr app comes in two versions. There’s the beginner-friendly Pixlr X and the more advanced Pixlr E. Both apps are free, and the advanced version has support for layers. There are a range of good looking effects available, though a few features are restricted to the paid-for premium edition, such as one-click background removal and a larger font library for adding text. Pixlr is essentially a somewhat limited free app with paid-for plans to extend its capabilities.

The interface is pretty easy to use, with clear icons and a generally sensible layout. It’s a particularly good option if you want to integrate your photos into designs, such as leaflets or brochures. This is helped by the selection of cutting tools in Pixlr X, which allow you to easily cut different parts of images together.

If you’re wondering, how can I edit photos on my phone like a professional, Pixlr is one of several photo editing software also available to download on your smartphone. For more, check out our picks of the best photo editing apps for phones.

Best quick photo editor: Fotor

fotor.com, free

Another good option is Fotor, a beginner-friendly online photo editor that offers a useful array of tonal sliders, and even an HDR merge feature. It’s actually an online browser-based package, so while it may not be suitable for advanced users or those working with large, high-resolution files, it’s ideal for quick, fuss-free adjustments.

Fotor offers a few one-click adjustments that are designed to take the fuss out of portrait editing in particular. There’s a background remover, a skin-blemish tool, red-eye remover and more. The fact that it’s online and browser-based also makes it easy to access from anywhere, and any device. If you like, there are also Fotor apps for Android and iPhone, allowing you to continue your imaging edits on the go.

While the editor is free to use, something worth bearing in mind is that quite a few of the smart features are locked behind the premium edition. If all you want is to make simple adjustments to JPG files then the Basic version will be fine; otherwise, you’ll need to upgrade to Pro. The cheapest price you can get this version for is $39.99, billed annually

Most powerful free photo editor: GIMP

gimp.org, free

With features such as Layers, Masks, retouching tools and advanced brushes, the ‘GNU Image Manipulation Program’ can be used for all kinds of amazing edits and effects, and all for nothing. But GIMP is not just a free Photoshop alternative; it also represents the work of a wide community of generous coders and developers, who’ve honed it over the years from its beginnings as a simplistic image editor into the slick package available today, one that can hold its own against any of the other choices mentioned here.

It’s not the easiest image editor to grasp, but the same could be said of Photoshop and Affinity Photo. What’s more, there’s a vast array of presets, helpful tutorials and plug-ins out there that will help you get up and running. This is due to the fact that GIMP is open-source. This means that anyone with enough programming knowledge can customise the software and make their own add-ons. As such, there is a rich community of enthusiasts who are dedicated to making the program better. Feature-rich, customisable and completely free, GIMP is unique, and could be worth the time needed to learn how to use it.

Manufacturers’ Free Software

If you’ve recently bought a new camera, then have a look in the box to see whether software is included. In most cases, you’ll find the camera comes with free photo editing software, or at least some raw conversion software, in the box, or available for download. In fact, most new cameras will come without the software on a CD, as many computers don’t have a CD drive anymore, so here you’ll find links where you can download the software, as well as what each manufacturer recommends.

Why would I use the manufacturer’s software?

The manufacturer’s software is a good choice if you’ve got a brand-new camera, as other raw software may not support raw conversion for the latest models straight away, (or without an update), and some software will never be updated to include raw support for new models, for example if you’ve got an older (non-cloud) version of Adobe Photoshop.

You’ll also find support for camera specific colour profiles, or film simulations with Fujifilm cameras. For Canon users, it’s possible to add new lens profiles to your DSLR, to add-in optical corrections when needed, but for this you’ll needs Canon’s photo editing software.

Canon – DPP – Digital Photo Professional

Available from Canon’s website, Digital Photo Professional can be downloaded once you enter your Canon camera’s serial number. It works with all of Canon’s digital cameras, from the old Canon EOS 300D, right up to the latest models. The app supports remote shooting with a wide range of Canon’s DSLRs and mirrorless cameras.

• To use your Canon camera as a webcam, you’ll need Canon’s webcam software, called “EOS webcam utility” and a supported Canon EOS camera – you’ll find a list of supported cameras on Canon’s site.

Nikon – NX Studio

Nikon has updated all of it’s different photo editing packages, into one neat program, called NX Studio, and best of all it’s completely free. You don’t need to enter any camera information and it supports all Nikon cameras, from the Nikon D1 released in 1999, all the way up to the latest Nikon mirrorless cameras.

• To use your Nikon camera as a webcam, you’ll need the Nikon Webcam Utility, and there is a list of supported cameras on the download page.

Nikon users can also use Capture One Express (for Nikon).

Sony – Sony Imaging Edge

Sony has a range of software for it’s cameras, meaning you end up with a range of different programs on your computer, starting with Imaging Edge Desktop, which then lets you launch Remote (for remote tether shooting using live view, and webcam use), Viewer (for rating raw images and applying batch edits made with the Edit part), and Edit (for raw development of images). It’s also needed to merge multi-shot images taken on Sony cameras that support high-res multi-shot shooting.

• You can download it for free from Sony’s website.

Sony users can also use Capture One Express (for Sony).

Fujifilm – Pick your poison

Fujifilm users have the choice of several different programs, and we’d recommend trying the “Fujifilm X” software packages first.

• Capture One Express (for Fujifilm).
• Raw File Converter EX 3.0 (powered by SilkyPix)
• Fujifilm X Raw studio

There’s also Fujifilm X Acquire software to let you get images processed by your camera’s own raw processing engine, and there’s X Webcam to use your camera as a webcam, plus Pixel Shift Combiner for GFX cameras with high-res multi-shot mode.

All of these are available for download from Fujifilm’s website.

Olympus / OM System – OM Workspace

Olympus, now OM Digital Solutions, offers free image editing software, called OM Workspace (previously Olympus Workspace), available for Mac and Windows machines, you’ll need to enter the serial number from your camera before you can download it.

It also gives access to Olympus’ Art Filters, in-camera raw processing (with supported models), and advanced raw editing, with options to adjust Clarity and more. You can also update your camera and lens firmware using this program.

• Olympus offers webcam software, “OM-D Webcam” letting you use supported cameras as a webcam, the software is currently in beta status, and available here.

Olympus Workspare is available for download from the Olympus website.

Panasonic – Photo Editing Software

Panasonic offers PhotofunStudio, a raw editing package, there’s also a separate tether package called “Lumix Tether” available here.

• Panasonic’s webcam software, Lumix Webcam Software is currently in (Beta) status, and lets you use supported cameras as a webcam. It can be downloaded here.

Panasonic PhotofunStudio is available for download from Panasonic’s website.

Pentax / Ricoh Raw Software

Pentax and Ricoh cameras can capture AdobeDNG raw files, so you can use any raw editing software, and it will be able to open the DNG raw files. However, if you shoot .PEF raw files with Pentax DSLRs, then you might want to use the manufacturer’s software. Pentax provides “Digital Camera Utility” in the box, or on the camera’s memory on the K-3 III. You can also download the update from the Ricoh website.

How to choose the best photo-editing software

Before you make your choice, it’s worth considering what you really need out of your photo editor.

If your priority is for raw processing and basic tonal enhancements, then you may not necessarily need an editor with more advanced functions such as layers and selections. In fact, you might be able to get by with the free software bundled with your camera, and we’ve included a run-down of these programs at the bottom of this guide, to give you an idea of what your options are. This software is typically tuned to match your camera’s characteristics and lenses, and can offer surprising depth and control. If you are relatively inexperienced with photo editing, you may want to look at some of the tips in our beginner’s guide to Photoshop Elements, as these will likely also help you get to grips with these manufacturer-made programs.

However, if you want to add custom effects, blend exposures, or create HDRs and panoramas, then you’ll certainly need a more involved photo editor. This might be a paid-for option like Skylum’s Luminar or Affinity Photo, a free browser-based app like Fotor, or an open-source package like GIMP. We’ve included all these in our guide, along with plenty more.

It might also be that you have specific image-editing goals in mind, such as monochrome conversion. We have a dedicated guide to how to convert images to black and white in Lightroom, and many of the same principles can be applied to other programs.

Article by: Rod Lawton and AP Staff.

Related reading:

• How to use Photoshop Actions for a faster workflow
• DxO vs Lightroom – which is best for noise reduction?
• Lightroom Classic vs Lightroom CC – which is best?
• 12 best photo apps and photography apps for phones

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The post Best Photoshop alternatives – no-subscription photo editing software appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

Snapseed is a good example but there are lots of other apps to consider, some of which you don’t seem to hear so much about these days. VSCO, which stands for Visual Supply Company, is a good example.

VSCO came to prominence about 10 years ago for bringing out a range of convincing analogue-film simulations for editing images from digital cameras.

The company’s thunder was somewhat stolen by Mastin Labs – every wedding photographer, including me, seemed to be using its fantastic Kodak Portra film simulations at one point – and this was then exacerbated when VSCO started charging for the fully featured app.

VSCO who?

Nowadays, I hardly hear VSCO mentioned by smartphone photographers, which is a shame as it’s still a really good app for adding a particular look to your images without spending hours in front of the computer.

The company seems to have changed its pricing plans again, and while there is a free version, it’s very limited. To get the most out of VSCO you need the Plus or Pro version, which cost a paltry $2.50 and $5.00 a month respectively. As I hope to show, it’s money well spent, despite a few quirks.

VSCO – dodgy interface, but worth the effort

Charging for advanced features is fairly common with editing apps these days, so if VSCO has lagged behind other apps, it’s only got itself to blame. With the best will in the world, the VSCO app interface is often more of a hinderance than a help.

The designers have tried to do an Instagram but they simply aren’t as accomplished, resorting to sometimes esoteric icons – ‘hey, you customers are so cool and visually literate you don’t need to be told, right?’ – rather than clearly labelling what each tool does, as with Snapseed.

They also seem more interested in getting people to share images on the VSCO community rather than making it easy for people to edit them in the first place, and trying to retrieve images already in the VSCO system for further editing can be a puzzle until you figure it out.

So now we’ve got these gripes out of the way why bother with VSCO at all when Snapseed is free? Well, it’s worth persevering with, and you can get very good results once you get the hang of it.

VSCO – step by step guide

The app is available for iOS and Android, or can also be used on your computer via the company’s website. Once the app is installed and an account set up, you click the big + button to add images from your phone’s photo library to VSCO’s, working in a similar way to Snapseed.

To edit the image you then click on the slider button (two white lines against a black background, in case you were wondering).

Depending on your plan, you then see a large choice of film simulations, but they are not particularly well-labelled. The impressive Kodak Kodachrome simulation, for example is labelled ‘KC 25.’

Once you have found a film simulation you like – and you get an instant preview – you can then edit the Strength, Character and Warmth as required, or access a wider range of general editing tools. All the usual suspects are here, including Exposure, Contrast, Sharpen, Saturation, plus the ability to add text or a vignette.

The menu isn’t as comprehensive as Snapseed’s, but it’s still got all the essential tools. You can then save the image to VSCO and post on the VSCO community (which it is very keen for you to do), or share on social media or via email etc, in the usual way.

Despite what you may have read online, the original image on your phone is unaffected as a version is imported into VSCO before you begin editing. That said, there isn’t a history function so you can’t undo edits; if you have gone too far you have to start again from scratch.

If you are interested in film simulations, but don’t have access to the excellent ones built into Fujifilm cameras, then VSCO is a good second-best. While some of the more extreme film simulations are a bit off the wall, most are quite tasteful and authentic, and you have a lot of options to tweak the final look as required.

VSCO is also able to import and edit raw (DNG) files from iPhone or Android handset.

VSCO – fantastic for infrared

Another big attraction of VSCO is its superb infrared emulations, particular the colour ones. Infrared might not be to everyone’s taste, but the emulations work well (especially in images with a dramatic sky or lots of foliage) and there are five colour options, plus one black and white. You can tell immediately whether it’s going to work or not on a chosen image.

Using VSCO is way quicker than messing around with Photoshop colour channels to get the infrared look, and, of course, a lot cheaper than getting a camera converted.

If colour infrared is just a bit too weird, the VSCO black and white infrared simulation also works well for eye-catching monochrome effects.

In addition to Infrared, there is also a wide range of other editing presets from the tasteful (for example, E7, Essence) to the eye-burningly mad (D2, Distortia). Again, the labelling system leaves a lot to be desired, but you will soon find your favourites.

A very basic free version of VSCO is available so why not give it go – we’d be interested to hear what you think so do share your VSCO-edited shots with us. See the social media links below.

The post VSCO who? It’s one of the best photo-editing apps you’ve never heard of appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

Photo editing software lets you adjust colours, exposure and composition, and remove any blemishes. Adobe Photoshop Elements has recently been updated to version 2024, with a redesigned interface and a clutch of new features. These include one-click sky or background selection, stylized text tools and one-click colour and tone adjustments. Other photo editing programs are available, but the same basic principles apply to all of them.

There are a few photo editing packages that come with Windows and Mac computers, but these are quite basic, and it’s likely that you’ll soon reach the limitations of these.

From there, though, it’s quite a jump to Adobe Photoshop, which is the industry standard for photo editing. Photoshop can be quite daunting for beginners and also costs around $10 / £10 a month as part of Adobe’s Creative Cloud subscription based Photography Plan. You have to commit to this a year at a time, and if you cancel the subscription you’re no longer able to use Photoshop – so you could be looking at paying $10 / £10 per month for the rest of your photo editing life!

But there is an alternative if you want a similar set of tools without paying an ongoing subscription. Adobe Photoshop Elements is available for a single one-off payment and offers many of the same tools and editing processes as Adobe Photoshop, but is much more beginner-friendly.

Photoshop Elements has enough features for editing images to serve most people, and is one of the best photo editing software packages for beginners. Our screenshots are from the latest Photoshop Elements 2024. Elements is updated every year, but the fundamentals don’t change very much, and everything in this tutorial can be achieved in Photoshop Elements 2022 and 2023.

How much does Adobe Photoshop Elements cost?

You can try Photoshop Elements for free for 30 days, without paying. If you do want to buy it, then you’ll find its price is $99.99 / £86.56 as a one-off payment. We’d recommend you use trial versions of any software before shelling out for it, just to make sure it suits you! Photoshop Elements is also sold with Adobe Premiere Elements, a program designed for entry-level video editing, and you can save money if you buy them both together as a bundle.

Things you’ll want a photo editing package to do:

• Crop and resize images
• Adjust colour
• Adjust brightness and contrast
• Remove unwanted objects from an image
• Convert images to black and white
• Adjust orientation
• Create artistic effects and changes

There are also a range of free photo editing tools out there, but we are using Adobe Photoshop Elements as our starting guide, as the tools and controls on offer are fairly universal, and you should be able to find very similar features in other photo editing packages.

An an example, the hand selection tool is used in almost every photo editing package available. The zoom, crop, and text tools are all universal tools that you’ll find in alternatives, too.

There are three different ways of using Photoshop Elements, using the Quick, Guided, and Advanced tabs at the top, and this makes it really user-friendly for the beginner.  Once you’ve got Photoshop Elements installed and gone into the “Photo Editor”, you’ll want to start by using the program in the Quick mode.

Photoshop Elements Quick mode

The vertical tools panel, left side

These are the main tools you’ll be using to adjust or crop images. Hover the mouse pointer over the controls and a text label pops up that describes what each tool does.

There are also keyboard shortcuts you can use if you want to quickly switch between them when editing an image. Here are the tools, and the keyboard shortcuts in brackets – simply press the key on your keyboard for the tool you want to switch to. You can press it again and it will toggle between the different options if the tool has more than one function.

10 tools you need to know in Photoshop Elements

Here’s a quick overview of what each of these tools do. Once you’ve got these worked out, you’ll be ready to change and adjust your image.

1. Zoom tool – this lets you zoom into the image for a better view, as well as zoom out (you’ll also find a zoom slide control in the top right)
2. Hand tool (H) – to move around the image if you’ve zoomed in
3. Quick selection tool (A) – For selecting something in the image. Once selected it, you can use the move tool to move this (if needed), or select something in the image to adjust only the selected area.
4. Eye tool (Y) – This is designed to correct “red-eye” in photos, but also offers a pet-eye option, as well as opening closed eyes! Depending on the photo you use, you may get mixed results.
5. Whiten teeth (F) – This one needs no explanation. Simply draw over the area in the image where you want to whiten teeth.
6. Straighten tool (P) – To use this you draw a line along an edge in the image, and the program will automatically straighten the photo for you
7. Horizontal text tool (T) – This lets you create text, and once you’ve selected it, will find a variety of options at the bottom.
8. Spot healing brush tool (J) – This is great for removing anything unwant in your image – try the “Content aware” option and Photoshop Elements will automatically work out what needs to fill the content you are removing
9. Crop tool (C) – This lets you crop the image, as well as set the aspect ratio, for example you could set it to 5:5 if you want a square image
10. Move tool (V) – This lets you move selected in the image, or any other objects you’ve created, such as text.

Adjustments sidebar, right

On the right you’ll find quick adjustments you can make. With Photoshop Elements you can see the changes apply to your image in real time as you select the different options available. If you don’t like the changes, simply click the “Undo” button at the top.

Don’t forget to check out the “Create” menu right at the top, where there are a range of different tools available, including the ability to create a Slideshow, Collage, Prints, Cards, Photo books, Calendars and more.

Bottom toolbar, left

You’ll find an undo and redo button at the bottom left. This is also where the different options are found when using the tools from the top left corner.

Bottom toolbar, right

Bottom right you’ll find more options, including fx/effects, textures, and frames.

Don’t forget to save your changes… and keep the original image untouched

We’d recommend saving the edited image as a new file, so that you always have your original image to go back to if need be. For example, you might not like the changes you’ve made, or might want to try something completely different. Keep the original image untouched, and you can always start again. You’ll find all the options for opening and saving images in the File menu at the top.

Photoshop Elements Guided mode

After you’ve got to grips with the basics, why not have a look at the Guided mode? You might find it quicker to try some of these guided features, as the software teaches you how to get the results you want, for example with object removal, or creating a vintage effect.

The idea of the Guided mode is that it offers a range of different photo editing effects that you can achieve, but walks you through each step so that you can see what the software is doing, change settings or options to suit your taste and learn key tools so that you can achieve the same effects yourself later on.

The Guided mode shows how a series of steps can produce a much more sophisticated result than a single tool or adjustment. This is how professionals and experts approach photo editing.

Photoshop Elements Advanced mode

Once you’ve got to grips with the Basic mode, or if you want to jump right in, then have a look at the Advanced mode, which has a similar layout of controls as the full Adobe Photoshop program. To find out what each of the tools do, simply hover over them and you’ll see pop-up text letting you know.

The Advanced mode is where you will spend much of your time once you’ve mastered the basics. It’s perfect for photographers who know exactly what they want to do with a photo and are familiar with the tools they will need. It makes Photoshop Elements useful even for more advanced photographers.

You’ll also find a range of Photoshop Elements tutorials on Adobe’s website.

Some helpful Photoshop Elements links:

• Master the essential tools in Photoshop Elements
• Get terrific colour and tones in Photoshop Elements and working with raw

An introduction to Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop is available only as part of the Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan, and it does have advantages for more serious photographers. It tends to get the latest features first, and if you’re serious about photo editing, then Photoshop is well worth learning. It’s one of the most popular photo editing packages, so there are lots of online tutorials on how to use and get the most out of it. See our Adobe Photoshop review.

Adobe Photoshop vs Photoshop Elements – what’s the difference?

Adobe Photoshop is the flagship image editing package from Adobe, and not only gives photo editors and retouchers a complete toolkit, but also offers specific workspaces for 3D, Graphic and Web, Motion, Painting and Photography. It has a vast array of tools, which in itself can be a daunting prospect to learn; to get used to the software and controls, as well as how to make your desired changes.

In comparison, Photoshop Elements is designed to be quick and easy, for both beginners and the more advanced photographer, and includes a range of tools that help you produce content for print, such as photobooks, calendars and cards. Of course you can do the same with Photoshop, but would need to work out how it’s all going to be laid out yourself. Some people will prefer the precise control over every step, whereas others will prefer the simplicity of Elements.

For the more advanced photographer and editor, Adobe Photoshop provides a complete range of tools that mean you can expand beyond photography and into graphic design, illustration, motion, or more.

There’s also the difference in how you buy and pay for Photoshop vs Elements. Photoshop is part of the Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan which costs around $10 / £10 per month (renewed annually) and you’ll always get the latest version when it comes out. Whereas Photoshop Elements is subscription-free, meaning you pay for it once, and it’s yours forever, but if you want the latest version, you’ll need to buy it again. I’d usually update it every year.

More on Adobe Photoshop:

• How to use Photoshop’s new background blur tool
• How to replace skies in Photoshop
• Major Adobe Photoshop updates announced

You’ll also find versions of Adobe Photoshop available on your smartphone or iPad so you can start editing on the move.

An introduction to Adobe Photoshop Lightroom

The Adobe Photography Plan includes more than just Photoshop. It also includes Adobe Photoshop Lightroom; an advanced image management and editing program that can be used on its own or alongside Photoshop. Lightroom uses a library (catalogue) in order to keep a record of all your changes. This can be particularly useful if you’re editing a large number of images and want to apply the same changes to all of your images or reverse your changes later via its ‘non-destructive’ editing tools – your original photos always remain unaltered. Lightroom comes in a ‘Lightroom Classic’ desktop based version, or as a cloud-based ‘Lightroom’ version that uses cloud storage to make your photo library available anywhere.

• What is Lightroom and how to use it
• Adobe Photoshop vs Lightroom
• Adobe Lightroom Classic vs Lightroom CC

To discover free alternatives, and find out what else is available, have a look at our guide to subscription-free photo editing software.

For an extensive guide to Photoshop and Lightroom, see the AP Improve Your Photography “Photoshop and Lightroom” book. or read the photo editing section.

This article is part of the AP Improve Your Photography Series in partnership with MPB. This series is designed to take you from the beginnings of photography to the next level, to introduce different shooting skills and styles, and teach you how to grow as a photographer, so you can enjoy producing amazing photography and video, whether that’s making money or simply mastering your art form. Read more articles in this series.

Find the latest Improve Your Photography articles here.

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What feelings do old film photos, or from your own past evoke? In a word: nostalgia. Why? Not least is the tinge of sentiment inherent in the old look, especially in pictures of loved ones. The 35mm film camera they were likely taken with also has something to do with it, as several factors of these made film photography look very different to digital photography.

We’ve included guides on how to use Photoshop, Lightroom, DxO FilmPack 6 or a smartphone to create film-style photos. 

What makes a film photograph so unique?

Film colour is often muted in comparison to today’s cameras, with certain brands or types of film producing yellow tones. Then there is added grain from the film itself, as well as often lower dynamic range.

Using a 35mm film, film cameras generally have natural background blur, so depending on your current camera, you may need to add background blur to an image to achieve that effect.

Unless taken on an SLR with an expensive lens and a perfect focus technique, photos were generally softer than we’re used to seeing today. Even with perfect technique, photos were rarely as sharp as they are now, owing to the way that film records photos. 

Why our obsession with sharpness?

In comparison, modern cameras, smartphones, and lenses, seem engineered for sharpness. Those of us who used cheap film cameras and early digital cameras perhaps share in this modern obsession. Photographers using modern digital cameras now seem to focus on several factors. Firstly, sharpness – how sharp is your lens? Have you spent hours studying MTF charts? And if not, why not?

Second, maximum colour and high colour saturation (especially on smartphones). Third, minimum noise or no noise at all – thanks to camera reviewers, myself included, for obsessing over this for the past 20+ years. Finally, there’s maximum dynamic range, to the point where photographs no longer even look realistic, thanks to automatic dynamic range optimisation.

So how do we make our digital photos look like the film photographs of yesterday? Well, we undo all these things (and more), and then there’s one final step, which we’ll reveal at the end of the article. Some of you may just guess what that final step is… 

How to get the film look with digital cameras

For the best results, take your photo in a similar style to how you would have taken film photographs. Shoot raw, because this produces an image file that has not yet been processed, so we can tailor the look of the image to our taste.

We’re looking to remove some of the sharpness (if your camera generally produces very sharp images), reduce or adjust the colour saturation, leave some noise in there (and add some more), adjust the background (if needed), and reduce the dynamic range captured – sacrilege, I know! 

There are a number of different ways we can do this, using Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop, and for those who want the quickest and easiest route, there’s also DxO FilmPack 6, designed specifically to recreate the film look. If you’re using a smartphone, we’ll go over an app designed specially to give you the film style of photo.

This guide is about recreating the film look with colour photographs. See this one to recreate the black and white film look.

How to get the film look using Adobe Camera Raw and Photoshop

1. Reduce sharpening 

Open the raw file into ACR and click on the Detail tab. Leave the Manual Noise Reduction settings at default and reduce Sharpening. Reduce Texture, Clarity, Dehaze to taste and turn up the warmth/temperature if needed or select a warmer white balance such as cloudy or shade.

2. Add more blur

For more control over reducing sharpness, duplicate the layer and go to Surface Blur (Filters > Blur > Surface Blur). To give a subtle blur, we went with 2 pixels, threshold 20. To add a little bit of sharpness back into the image you can adjust the opacity (we went with 75pc). 

3. Adjust colour saturation 

Click on the Adjustments Presets – if you have a portrait image, as we have, then try out the Portrait – Sunshine preset. This will add more warmth to the image. With our example we reduced the opacity of the Adjustment Preset layer to tone down the effect. 

4. Reduce dynamic range

Increase the black levels, as well as the white levels, to compress the dynamic range. If you’re working on a portrait you may want to adjust the mid-level to keep the image brighter. Don’t worry if it looks too bright, as adding a vignette will help with increasing the film look. You can also adjust the curves to add a little bit more contrast.

5. Add vignette

Simply go to Filter > Lens Correction and then on the custom tab, adjust the vignette to -50 or higher (or to your own preferences) and then your image will have a vignette. If you want to adjust this further, you can apply this to a duplicated layer. 

6. Blur the background

Use the subject selection tool to select your subject and then invert it (Select > Inverse), and now you should have the background highlighted. Then go to Blur > Lens Blur. You can adjust the level of blur as needed, but on the default settings you should get a good level of blur. 

7. Add noise

Create a new fill layer at 50% grey and set to Overlay. Go to Filters > Noise > Add Noise, select Gaussian, and Monochromatic, adjust amount settings till you get the effect you want; about 5% is a good amount. Select Filter > Blur > Gaussian to make the grain rougher; we set ours to 0.5-1 pixels.

8. More grain

The higher the resolution of your image, the larger you’ll need to make the noise. Therefore, it’s best to add the noise at the final step. If you’re trying to show the image online, then resizing the image to a smaller size, and then adding noise will give your image a more noticeable grain.

How to get the film look using Adobe Lightroom (Classic)

1. Adjust white balance

Once you’ve imported your image and made some adjustments to the exposure and dynamic range as needed, you can add a little warmth to the image by adjusting the white balance. 

2. Adjustments

We’ve also reduced the contrast, texture, clarity and dehaze, and made sure to turn the sharpening off. Check to make sure luminance noise reduction remains off. You can add a vignette here.

3. Pick a preset

Scroll through the presets on the left, and you’ll find a range of Retro / Vintage and Creative effects available. We went with Creative Turquoise and Red as this gave us a pleasing, but vintage-looking image. 

4. Add some grain

Scroll down further and you’ll find grain options. We went for heavy, but medium might be good, depending on how strong you want the grain to appear. 

5. Add a vignette

Heavy vignette was added to increase the film look further, and this can be increased if needed. For this image we didn’t need to adjust the background blur, because it was already blurred.

6. Reduce the overall contrast

We used the masking tool to select the subject/background, to tone down the brightness, saturation, and detail in the background, by adjusting the sharpness and texture sliders, and this has resulted in an image with lower contrast. 

Get the film look using DxO FilmPack 6

If you’ve got access to DxO FilmPack 7 (a trial is available for download), you can try different film styles and looks.

We’ve taken the image that we edited in Adobe Photoshop and loaded it into DxO FilmPack 6. Selecting Kodak Kodachrome 200 gives us an image with a toned-down colour palette, and DxO FilmPack does an excellent job of adding larger film grain to the image.

There are options to add split toning, adjust the vignette, and add light leak effects (unfortunately the orange light leak typically found on the first photo in the film is missing, but similar effects are available), as well as add the film roll effect, or other borders to the image. 

This makes it quick and easy to get the film look without having to go through the steps in Photoshop, and DxO FilmPack 6 is also able to make film noise appear at the right size for your images, whatever resolution those images may be. 

After:

How to get the film look with a smartphone

With smartphone camera apps, you’ll normally be able to find a portrait mode that will automatically blur the background of any portraits you take. This is a great start to getting a more film-like look from your photographs. 

You’ll also find different filters and effects in most social media platforms, such as Instagram. However, if you want to go straight to playing with different film looks, then the app 1998 Cam is designed specifically for you. Like DxO FilmPack 6, it’s got a whole range of film simulations which give an immediate look of film. 

You can shoot with the app or edit existing photos. Once you’ve selected your preferred film, you can edit additional settings, such as vignette and grain. You can even imprint the date much like you would have found on some film cameras with date stamps.

The app is free but does contain adverts. For some of the additional film simulations you’ll need to purchase the full version, which is priced at just 89p. It’s available for both iOS and Android devices.

Print your pictures

The final step to make your digitally edited photo feel like a film photo… is to print it out on 6x4in or 7x5in photo paper!

If you have your own photo printer, then there is nothing stopping you. If you don’t, then you get to experience the joy of going somewhere to get your prints. Just as when you were shooting film! Luckily, these days photo printing services are available at most supermarkets, Boots chemists, and similar stores.

Cheat sheet: Buy a filter

Don’t want to spend ages editing photos? Want to get a more film-like look with your digital camera? Simply buy a Black Diffusion ¼, or Black Myst filter for your lens, and this will take off some of the sharpness, as well as add some extra glow to bright objects in your image. Although be warned, any effects added to your image using a filter are difficult, or impossible, to fix later.

Read more about lens filters and how to use them properly.

Read more about editing 

• Editing photos in Adobe Photoshop
• Best Adobe Lightroom presets
• The best photo editing software in 2024
• Best vintage digital cameras to buy

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Whether working in Lightroom Classic or Lightroom (for Desktop, Mobile or Web) there are a huge variety of Presets to download and explore. Some of the higher-priced offerings from bigger studios work hard to keep on top of new features (i.e., Lightroom’s latest AI-assisted updates). But dig deep and you’ll find that there are plenty of free options available from photographers who are simply keen to share.

We found some of the best free Lightroom presets to get you started.

How do you get presets on Lightroom?

How to install your presets on Lightroom Classic

1. In the Presets Panel click on the ‘+’ and choose ‘Import Presets’
2. Locate your Preset and click ‘Import’.
3. You can tidy up and arrange your Presets at any time using the ‘Manage Presets’ option.

How to install your presets on Lightroom

There are two ways you can import Presets into Lightroom for Desktop.

• File>Import Profiles & Presets OR
• In the Presets panel, click the fly-out menu and select ‘Import Presets’.

Presets are commonly saved as a .xmp file. These files are easy to share with others and allow non-destructive editing. You may also find many older Presets with the extension .lrtemplate. These Presets can be used in both Lightroom Classic and Lightroom.

If you’re importing Presets directly into Lightroom for Mobile this may be a DNG file type. But you can make use of your .xmp and .lrtemplate files too (though it’s much easier to do this via Lightroom for Desktop and the Presets will be ready to use when you launch Lightroom Mobile).

Tip: how to save Lightroom for Mobile Presets into Lightroom Classic

Managing to use your .xmp and .lrtemplate files in Lightroom (for Desktop and Mobile) is an intuitive process. But what if you have a great Preset in Lightroom and you really want to be able to make use of this in Lightroom Classic? The good news is this is possible, though it takes a bit of effort.

Here’s how you do it…

1. In Lightroom Classic make sure you’re in Library Mode.
2. You can Sync one catalog from Mobile to Classic at any one time. To do this click on the Cloud icon in the top bar and ‘start syncing’.
3. If you have applied a Preset to a synced image in Lightroom Mobile, it will now show in Lightroom Classic. You will see tweaked sliders in the Develop panel and it should show as a slider under your Navigator window. You can now turn this into a .xmp Preset by clicking on the + in the Presets panel and choosing ‘Create Preset’. You will have to assign it a name. You’ll now be able to apply this Preset to any other image in Lightroom Classic, regardless of it being in this Synced collection. It will save in ‘User Presets’.

Where can I find free Lightroom presets?

Now you know how to utilise Presets for both Adobe Lightroom Classic and Adobe Lightroom and get them working in either application, here are some ideas for where to look for some freebies…

Best Free Lightroom Presets from Adobe Creative Cloud

Your first port of call for finding good quality, free Presets should be Adobe itself. Head to the Creative Cloud site and check out the free assets that are regularly uploaded. The back catalogue of these freebies is there to be explored. They are beautifully presented, make it easy to view before and after examples, and come with well-written backstories and biographies of the photographers who have contributed.

For those interested in learning more about improving their image editing they also provide fantastic slideshow-like step-by-step, showing how the photographer processed their image and created the Preset. If you download these Presets they will open in Lightroom for Desktop and you’ll be able to watch a full edit before saving them.

You can return the favour by uploading your own edits. Other photographers will be able to see your original, all the edits you made and the final image. They can also save your editing settings as a Preset.

Remember the tip above to utilise your Creative Cloud-sourced Presets in Lightroom Classic.

Architectural Photography Presets by Kohki Yamaguchi

Eight Lightroom plug-ins by Kohki Yamaguchi to personalise your urban photographs, with technique hints and tips to get the most out of them.

Faroesian Blues by Luke Stackpoole

Luke Stackpoole used to be an accountant based in London. Today, he is a Lightroom ambassador and an adventure photographer working for brands that include American Express, Aston Martin and The North Face. Check out his preset here.

Cinematic cityscape by Piyatat Primtongtrakul

Add drama to your urban scenes with Piyatat Primtongtrakul’s free preset which exploits colour grading to give a cinematic mood. A dramatic low camera viewpoint helps this bold composition too.

Yesteryear Preset By Megan Loeks

There’s only one offering here from Lightroom Ambassador, Megan Loeks but it offers up a lovely, rich and painterly look that works well on deep colours with dark shadows.

Flower Photography Presets by Thais Varela

There are two downloads available for free use; one for enhancing details with studio lighting with confident colour mixes, and the other a more general colour booster for naturally lit floral shots.

Midday sun shoot Preset by Pei Ketron

You know the best time to shoot for flattering portraits but sometimes the timing’s unavoidable, or you’ve shot in the spur of the moment. These Presets have a specific purpose – to even out shadows and highlights created by the harsh sunlight. These have been created for mobile phone images, but it’s worth trying as a quick fix on any squint-heavy image.

Best Free Lightroom Presets on other websites include:

Greater than Gatsby

There are 12 free Presets for you to download here and with a few clicks you’re provided with both .lrtemplate and .xmp files. There’s a wide range of Presets suiting various styles of photography, including dedicated ones for portraits and weddings. We found ‘Watercolor Film’ and ‘Darkroom Film’ particularly pleasant on sunny landscapes.

Tramp in Trip

Dedicated Presets for Lightroom Classic and Lightroom Mobile. There are some interesting styles available, and we particularly appreciated the cool, blue effects of the ‘London Presets’ for stylised building shots and landscapes with a city coolness.

Helene In Between

There are only three .lrtemplate Presets available from Helene but they have such a fantastic quality to them – classy and not over-styled. Simply called ‘Free1’, ‘Free2’ and ‘Free3’, we suggest you rename these with something more memorable. Chances are you’ll come back to them often. ‘Free 3’ is our favourite as it turns mundane blues into dreamy, film-like turquoise. We found these worked better with landscapes and buildings.

No Man Before

You need to subscribe to No Man Before’s newsletter before you’re given a download link to access these four .xmp Presets. The results are quite understated but take bright, warm photos up a notch. We found these worked better on brighter, sunnier landscapes. Less great for dingy Dorset beach scenes. Well, they are travel Presets after all!

Weedit.Photos

A professional photo editing service for wedding and portrait photographers, Weedit.Photos also have a generous number of free .lrtemplate Lightroom Presets files available for download. There’s a real mix of handy sets covering a wide range of subjects from Interior/Exterior real estate to clubbing and food. Each set contains a few options and they’ve done a great job at explaining what each Preset does and the kind of images they recommend them being used on. No newsletter subscription is required.

How to get the best results from your free Lightroom Presets

With all these free Lightroom Presets available, it’s very tempting to download as many as possible. However, a crowded Preset panel won’t help you speed up your workflow, especially if you spend so much time trying to find ‘The One’.

Make use of the ‘Manage Presets’ option to keep your collections tidy. In Lightroom Classic you can also right-click on a Preset you love and ‘Add to Favourites’ to save you from trawling through lists every time you want to use it.

Remember, Presets aren’t a one-click fix to achieving a perfect image. When you hover over a Preset to see a preview keep an eye out for how it affects the tone of your image. Does it suit the ambience of your photo? Is it adding atmosphere? Are you losing too many details? What is it doing to skin tones? Accept you’ll have a little bit of work to do to achieve a desirable look. It’s always a good idea to tweak with your Exposure and White Balance as a first step if things don’t quite look right.

Check to see whether the developer has given any tips on how to work with their Presets. The Creative Cloud free assets are excellent for this if you’re a newcomer to editing.

If you find you’ve tweaked a Preset’s settings too much you can always treat it as a primer and save your edits as your own Preset. Delete or hide the originals to keep your Lightroom workspace uncluttered.

Recommended articles:

• How to convert images to black and white in Lightroom
• Best Adobe Lightroom presets
• AI-powered tools for Photoshop and Lightroom
• Lightroom tips: Landscape photography editing

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