The cameras on modern smartphones are getting better with every iteration. Photography on smartphones is now a thing. Phones like Huawei P30 Pro, Galaxy S10 come equipped with top of the line technology. However, it does not mean that mid-range phones are far off. Mid-tier and even low-budget phones now sport dual-lens camera setups. They produce crisp and vibrant photos under the right conditions. In addition to the first photo, we can make the photos even better with dedicated Android Photo editing apps.
Since the processors, chipsets, and RAM are also bumped up inside phones in recent times, the photo editing tools for Android can handle even more complex processing and image processing. Therefore, creative users literally do not have to depend on laptops and PCs to produce good looking images for small projects. Note that the picture editing apps for Android are mainly used to post stuff on social media and Instagram stories. These are not meant to be professional-grade software. Surprisingly, these apps are way better than anyone would expect. You can have apps for both amateurs and professional editors.
Below is the list of best and free Android photo editing apps. This list contains both expert levels as well as amateur tools. Now what we mean by this is that some apps just provide built-in filters and some basic tools to “beautify” pictures. These are easy to use and do not take much time. It is good for editing a picture quickly. However, some expert-like tools offer a lot more variety of tools to not only enhance the picture but completely transform them.
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Best Android Photo Editing Apps in 2019
1: Snapseed
Talking about a perfect mix between a pro-level photo editor and a quick beautifying tool, Snapseed is the best option. This app is officially supported by Google therefore, we get to enjoy one of the best software experiences.
Snapseed offers some cool AI tools like head-turning, eye correction, and other picture-fixing tools. However, if someone does not want to get into the advanced stuff, then just use pre-built filters in the ‘looks’ section.
Snapseed Notable Features
- Support for RAW images
- 29+ tools and filters
- Save personal look templates and use later on different pictures
- Double Exposure
Snapseed is also featured in our list of Best and Free Essential Android Apps.
2: VSCO
One of the most common hashtags on Instagram is #VSCO. It is actually a photo editing and camera app. On top of this, the users of the VSCO app have to sign up. This is required to become a part of its thriving community. You will find the most creative and inspiring creators here. It is not only good for exploring, but we get a lot of new ideas as well.
If someone wants to light up their Instagram account with most creative pictures, whether personal or public account, then VSCO is a nice community to hang out and explore new ideas.
The only downside of this app is that not all the filters are available in free mode. You can still try those on pictures but they don’t save or publish to any social media.
Highlight features of VSCO
- Huge range of filters and tools
- Built-in Camera app with filters
- VSCO Community
3: Adobe Photoshop Fix
Adobe Photoshop is arguably the most popular photo editing tool in the world! It has gained all of its popularity thanks to the immense amount of flexibility added with new plugins. Moreover, the tools built-in in it can pretty much do anything. We can completely re-model or transform a face in Photoshop. Adobe Photoshop Fix is an Android App designed specifically with tools used in fixing photos. It does not contain filters or stuff like that.
You get access to tools like Liquify, healing, warp, and many more. All of these tools come in handy when someone has a near-perfect picture and only a few tweaks would make it one. Note that this app is not suitable for everybody. Some may find it a bit complex. However, those who know what they’re doing, are gonna love it.
Best Features of Adobe Photoshop Fix
- Re-touch and re-structure photos
- Liquify tool
- Heal and patch
- DeFocus. Add background blur with it
4: Photo Editor Pro by InShot
Fans of video editing are certainly familiar with InShot. It is one of the most popular Video Editing apps for Android. Photo Editor Pro by InShot it another great product. It follows the footsteps of its successful big brother. Photo Editor Pro provides ‘super’ easy to use yet effective tools to beautify the pictures.
There is a whole range of pre-built filters for pictures available. On top of that, we can add ‘glitch’ filters to make the photos stand out.
Top features of Photo Editor Pro
- More than 60 Filters for pictures
- Glitch Effect Filters
- Add Lens blur background
- Retouch the body, face, and other features
- Dedicated Collage Maker
- Instagram 1:1 picture builder and other ratios for Stories, FB, etc
5: PicsArt Photo Studio
PicsArt is a comprehensive photo studio for Android! It is not a tech-savvy piece of software yet it offers a ton of pro-level filters. Ranging from simple photo effects to re-structuring and healing photos, we have got everything.
Moreover, we get some unique artistic and lens blur filters. These include the likes of motion blur, radial blur, and many more. You can add background blur to the photos as well.
Standout features of PicsArt Photo Studio
- Collage Maker
- Tons of filters, backgrounds, and effects
- Stickers, cliparts, and sticker maker
- Lense Blur effects
6: Pixlr
Pixlr is a totally free-to-use photo editor for Android. None of the filters or effects available in-app are locked by a subscription. This itself is a big plus point for it. Moreover, you get a huge array of photo editing features like AutoFix, blur, smooth, red-eye correction, and more.
Either edit a single photo or create a collage with it. The photo editing tools for photos contain a huge collection of filters. You can change the intensity of each of these filters manually. Moreover, add stylish overlay effects like lens blur and more to give a more artistic look to photos.
Best Features of Pixlr
- Free to use
- Collage Maker
- Photo correction tools work flawlessly
- Huge collection of filters
- Background blur
- Color correction
7: Afterlight
Want elegant looking photos with lens light leak effects? Well, Afterlight, is probably one of the best photo editors on Android to do so. It is simple to use and pretty effective. Moreover, there is no hidden subscription fee to unlock all the filters. However, users are still forced to like the Facebook page to unlock some filters. Still, it is free to do.
The coolest feature of all is the Light Leak effect. Normally, apps contain one or two such effects. However, we get access to a whole list of lense light leak effects. There is also a slider at the bottom to adjust the intensity of these overlays.
Top Features of Afterlight
- Lense Light Leak Overlay effects
- Picture filters of various categories
- Photo fixing tools
- Built-in camera
- Overlay frames
8: Unfold
All the photo editor apps until now are all about adding filters and correcting the photos’ structures. While it is important and necessary, it is time we add another dimension. Unfold is a cool photo editing app that creates unique Polaroid-like pictures.
The good part is that we are not limited to just one of a few layouts. There are tons of customizable layouts with optional text overlays as well. Add headers and captions to these images. Overall, it is a great tool to create pictures as memories and post them on social media like Instagram and Facebook. It is even cool for Instagram stories.
Highlight Features of Unfold
- 115+ templates
- 5+ Fonts and text styles
- Customize text
- Add captions
9: Lens Distortions®
Speaking of artistic effects, how can we leave Lens Distortions out. At the time of writing, it is still in its beta phase. But oh boy, is it good. This app is dedicated to adding overlay effects in photos only. As clear by the title of the app itself, you can add several types of lens blur and light leak effects.
Moreover, choose from several variations to further enhance your experience. Additionally, download more packs for a huge number of options to choose from.
Key Features of Lens Distortions
- A minimalistic photo editing tool
- Add lens blur, lens flare, and leak effects
- Other effects like snow are also available
10: Adobe Photoshop Express
We’ve saved the best one for last. Adobe Photoshop Express is the closest to the desktop version in terms of features and usability. It offers a practically an unlimited number of options for editing photos, adding effects, texts, stickers, cliparts, overlays, and what not!
From fixing the pictures, re-structuring faces and bodies, and adding beautiful effects and overlays, it has got it all. If not the most powerful, Adobe Photoshop Express is one of the most powerful photo editors for Android.
Highlight Features of Adobe Photoshop Express
- Basic tools for re-structuring photos
- Text editors and styles
- Lens blue effects, overlays
- Background blur
- Red-eye correction
- Collage Maker
- Perspective Correction
Conclusion
We’ve managed to compile a list of some of the best photo editors for Android devices here. It contains both pro-level and amateur level tools. The low-effort tools are used by everyone to quickly edit photos and post them on personal social media or stories of Instagram, Snapchat, and more.
At end of the day, it all comes down to personal preference. Whether you’re the kind of person that likes to spend time and effort into making and editing photos or just would like a quick filter to fix the photos. Both kinds of tools are available. In addition to regular Android photo editors, we’ve added tools like Unfold and Lens Distortions to add more variety for creative people out there.
