Technology

Must-Have Photo-Editing Apps For Instagram Addicts

Thanks to today’s narcissistic and photo-obsessed generation, there’s now a wide selection of photo-editing apps to choose from. In the past, people had to rely only on Adobe Photoshop (which wasn’t really user-friendly) and a few substandard photo-editing tools (think Jurassic-era MS Paint) to enhance their pictures. The recent rise to popularity of photo-sharing social networking app Instagram also increased the demand for more photo-editing apps. While Instagram has its own set of filters to choose from, the selection is still quite limited. It’s definitely not enough for IG addicts who want a wider variety of filters to enhance their photos (or selfies). For those who post approximately ten #selfies a day (not to mention those in collages), Valencia, Hefe, Rise, XPro, Nashville, and Sutro just won’t cut it. Here’s a list of great photo-editing apps to have on your mobile devices:

Pixlr Express

Whether you have a business phone, a smartphone, a laptop, or a tablet, Pixlr Express is one photo-editing app you shouldn’t go without. It boasts a collection of over 600 effects, borders, and layers, so you won’t run out of filters or layouts to choose from. Effects are divided into different categories: default, unicolor, vintage, creative, soft, subtle, and too old. Overlays, on the other hand, are categorized into default, smoke, space, tie-dye, vignette, light paint, neon, olga, paper, retro poster, fireworks, flame, grunge, leaking HD, leaks, bokeh, canvas, chem burn, and color correction. Yes, the list can go on and on! These are but the categories—imagine clicking all of them and being presented with over ten different effects and overlays in each one! On top of these, Pixlr Express also allows you to do the basics: crop, rotate, resize, denoise, sharpen, blur, whiten, and touch up your photos. The app is free and available for iPhone and Android users.

Aviary

For no-frills photo-editing, Aviary’s the way to go. The app has a one-tap auto enhance feature for quick fixes, so you don’t have to go through the process of adjusting the saturation and contrast yourself. It also comes with photo effects, frames, and stickers to give your photos a more personalized feel. If you want to add more effects to the selection, you can purchase additional effect packs from Aviary. Plus, the app also lets you create your own memes—perfect for expressing yourself in a fun and creative way. Aviary also offers basic photo-editing features like color splash, tilt-shift, color temperature, crop, straighten, rotate, and cosmetic tools. The app is free and available for download via Google Play and App Store.

PhotoGrid

Don’t want to spam your followers’ news feeds with individual shots of your selfies? Then put them in a collage! PhotoGrid lets you arrange your photos in a collage so that you won’t have to upload the pictures one by one on Instagram. This way, you can cram all your selfies, event shots, and couple pictures in just a single photo. PhotoGrid offers several layouts, backgrounds, and effects, as well as a “free collage” option for those who want to arrange the pictures by themselves. It also allows you to upload your collages to your social networking accounts. The app is free, so download it now on your iOS and Android device.

What other photo-editing apps do you use to enhance your Instagram photos? Feel free to share them in the comments section below.