7 Photo Apps You’ll Love

The basic process of taking pictures has come a long way. It’s safe to say, the majority of society doesn’t carry around a camera to take photos anymore. Instead, people use their phones for so much more than just phone calls—phones get us from point A to B with GPS functionalities, act as our personal assistant with the organizational apps available, and capture photographic memories that we’ll treasure forever.

When taking pictures, it’s important to be knowledgeable on the apps available to enhance your photos. The great thing about these apps is that they’re user-friendly—edited images can be shared directly to your social media channels or even sent to be printed. Parents can also use these photo apps while teaching children about nature or for taking snapshots for a school project. Here are the seven photo apps you’ll love:

1. Instagram (Free)

You don’t have to be a tech guru to have heard of Instagram. The app has the ability to turn just about every photo into something that’s customized and share-worthy. Instagram offers various filters and editing tools that make it easy to enhance images and turn them into true works of art. Use of the filters is so popular that the hashtag “no filter” has become a trending tagline because users want others to know when something is beautiful without the need of a filter. Instagram is a versatile app, and the best thing is that it’s completely free—it’s connected to Twitter and Facebook while standing as a separate social media platform as well.

2. Pixlr (Free)

Pixlr is a fantastic app that can work on your mobile device or even on your desktop. The app provides more than two million combinations of effects, overlays, and filters. Users can layer images, add text captions, and even produce a collage. There are also functionalities that offer an eraser to auto-fix, auto-contrast, and add labels for better navigation between effects.

3. Fotor (Free)

Fotor is the world’s first “focus” feature with its latest version Fotor 6.3.1. Utilizing the focus feature, users can use their phone to create pictures with greater depth and clarity. Select a focal point, adjust the emulator to your preference and create a high-definition finish. Fotor also allows users to edit, create a collage, and share images—you can also view snapped images from other users within the Fotor community.

4. Lifecake (Free)

Have you ever scrolled through the images of your children on your phone and wished you could organize them into a timeline? Someone heard your wish and came up with Lifecake. The app allows you to save and organize pictures of your children growing up—and the best part is that it’s free from the background noise of a social media channel. However, with Lifecake you can still share the images with your friends and family. The app allows you to quickly scroll to specific ages and compare your child’s growth with different dates. Lifecake is owned by a Canon company which means users can order a printed album anytime.

5. Camera MX (Free)

Camera MX is the perfect app for parents taking pictures of children who are always on the move. It has a “Live Shot” feature that saves the last seconds before you actually take the photo. The app captures the images to produce visibly sharper pictures—the ability to cut and trim images can also be done with ease. The platform is exclusive to Android users.

6. PicLab HD ($3.99)

Inspirational images have become more popular as social media has progressively grown into a massive communications outlet. PicLab HD allows users to create their own inspiring images with their own photos. The app has a long list of options for typography such as fonts, full control over size, positioning, opacity, rotation, and color. You can also layer illustrations, ornamentation, and other design elements on top of your image with the full layer-based editing. The lighting and film effects offered help to fine tune the brightness, contrast, exposure, saturation, and the blur level of your photos.

7. Sktchy (Free)

If you’re an artist or appreciate art, Sktchy is an app you’ll love. With this app, you can turn a portrait photo into a fantastic sketch. And you don’t have to be a talented artist to create a work of art. On the app’s website, Sktchy co-founder Jordan Melnick says, “Our community of artists is growing every day because Sktchy is a perfect place for them to find inspiration and share their art with the world, in part because of the neat way we layer portraits over the photos that inspired them.” This app requires iOS 8.1 or later, so is only compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.