Five photo editing apps that will really get you some 'likes'

Year after year, smartphone cameras witness vast improvements in image quality. With larger lenses and better image processing, cameras just continue to get better.

While this is great, it’s just not good enough. This is why we believe the best camera deserves the best photo editing apps. However, with so many apps readily available, it can be hard to choose just one. We’ve tried and tested several apps, and we’re excited to share our favourite ones with you.

Lightleap: beautiful skies

Ever wondered how the sky always looks so good in your favourite influencers’ pictures? Sadly, it’s not because they live in places with round-the-clock incredible weather. It’s because they probably use Lightleap.

This tool has everything you’d expect from a typical photo editing app. But where the app really excels is in its tools to edit skies and healing photos.

The simple features allow you to quite literally select between different categories of skies to edit onto your pictures. This includes realistic skies that mimic scenes such as sunrises, sunsets and storms. It also includes some fictional skies to give your photos a truly unique look. The app automatically detects the sky in your picture and replaces it with that of your liking.

Healing photos is just as easy. You can draw over a person or object to remove them from your picture. We tried the healing feature on several photos and the results are surprisingly good. It’s not perfect, especially when the background isn’t consistent, but it works better than most apps.

Lightleap is available to download for free on iPhone and Android. Some features such as sky editing require a premium subscription for $18.49/year.

Lightroom: advanced editing

Lightroom is possibly the most advanced photo editor on a smartphone. The app brings professional editing features such as raw editing, deep colour correction, and powerful presets. It also syncs your projects with the desktop Lightroom app so you can move between devices while working on the same photos.

Like any app with a large feature-set, there’s a learning curve to using Lightroom. Don’t worry though, the app has handy help sections that are accessible from every screen. Just look for the small question mark icon at the top for information relevant to the feature you’re using. This makes it much easier to get familiar with the app’s vast features and makes it accessible to beginners and professionals alike.

You can download Lightroom for free on iPhone and Android. A $4.49/month subscription is required to unlock extra editing features and cloud sync. Members of Adobe’s Cloud Creative kit get all premium features for free as part of their subscription.

Mojo: create engaging stories

Mojo makes it easy to create professional stories for social media. This is primarily useful for Instagram stories, although you can post them to other apps such as Snapchat and Facebook.

The app has hundreds of templates that make it quick to design your own fun stories, allowing you to add graphics and media to really get the custom look you want. Most of the app’s templates are animated to give your stories a professional touch.

Mojo is a free app to download on iPhone and Android. A $30/year pro subscription unlocks exclusive templates and provides further customisation including the ability to add your logo and fonts.

PicsArt: fun stickers

If you’re looking for a way to make your pictures truly pop with fun stickers, then PicsArt is for you. The app combines filters and stickers to help you add a unique effect to your pictures.

PicsArt also features user-created flows that you can ‘remix’ onto your images to achieve stunning results with little effort. You can also participate in challenges in the app to win a free premium subscription.

PicsArt also detects foreground objects such as people and intelligently applies stickers around them for a more professional look.

PicsArt is available for free on iPhone and Android. You can subscribe to PicsArt Gold for $9.99/month to unlock additional stickers and effects.

Prequel: uniquely animated filters

Prequel is a photo editor that adds fun animated filters and overlays to your pictures. It features flashy effects and pop-cultural references that can be added to your pictures with just one tap.

While Mojo is great for creating professional stories for Instagram, Prequel helps you create fun ones. The app’s effects are unique, featuring overlays that will make your stories truly stand out.

Prequel is available for free on iPhone and Android. A $4.99/week subscription to Prequel Gold unlocks more effects, filters and beauty tools.

What are your favourite photo editing apps?

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