photo editing apps // my favourites

One of my favourite apps of all time is Instagram - I'll probably go on it at least 10x a day (it's an issue, I already know). Although the in-app filters and tools are much better than they used to be, I still rely on other photo editing apps. So I thought, why not compile a post of all my favourite photo editing apps?  

VSCO Cam (free)

Before - original photo

After

VSCO Cam is my absolute favourite photo editing app. I use this app for every single photo that I edit - ALWAYS. Of all the apps I have tried, this one has the best pre-set filters for what i'm looking for. Some of my favourites are: M3, P5, and T1. Most of the time I choose T1 and turn it down to about +3/+4, then I go to 'tool' and manually edit it. I usually like to turn up the exposure a couple of notches, make the temperature a little more cold, lessen the contrast (maybe by 2), and turn down the saturation. The result is a more dull, vintage-y looking photo (as you can see illustrated above). 

Snapseed (free) 

Before 

After

Another really great app. I use it majorly for its 'tune image' function. There I am able to resurrect a really bad quality photo (usually one that is really dark and/or yellow). 

Afterlight ($0.99)

Afterlight - Film Borders ($0.99) + Light Leak 11 (filter from VSCO cam) (white borders from Squaready)

Afterlight - Dusty 02 (filter is from VSCO cam)(white borders from Squaready)

I used to be a huge fan of Afterlight. I use it less religiously now, but still quite frequently. Right now my top two reasons for using Afterlight is for its dusty effect (which adds a nice air-y subtlety) and the polaroid film borders (which are an in-app purchase). 

Squaready (free) 

This app is awesome if you don't feel like cropping your image into a square. I used to use this app for every single one of my photos, however recently i've been loving uploading my images as cropped squares (I really like how it makes my profile feed look!). 

Instagram (free) 

Like I said, I don't usually use Instagram's features (I usually upload my photo already edited and ready to go). However, since i've been enjoying the square composition for my photos lately, i've been dabbling into some of the features - and i'm quite impressed! I still don't use the filters, but I really like using the tools! I'll usually tamper with the brightness, saturation, warmth, and contrast for some last minute touch ups. The tool i'm most impressed with (and use the most) is the straightening tool. Lately i've been noticing the importance of horizon lines and how much better images look when straightened up so I highly recommend this tool (I love the small grid - it really helps with straightening things up)! 

Well, that's it folks! Those are some of my favourite photo editing apps and how I use them. I hope this was helpful. What are some of your favourite photo editing apps?

Best,

Δ Sandra Δ