Photography has evolved significantly over the years, and with the rise of smartphones with amazing cameras, it's easier than ever to capture stunning images without expensive equipment. As a photographer, you're likely looking for the best tools to help you create the perfect shot, and Android apps are no exception.
You may be familiar with some of the best Android apps in 2024. In this article, we explore even more options for photographers to help you enhance your photography skills and take your Android photos to the next level. So, let's dive in!
Pixtica: Camera and Editor
As a new Pixtica user, you have a free account with limited features. While the app is ad-free, even in its trial mode, you'll need to upgrade to unlock its features. The upgrade prices are affordable. There's a one-time purchase for $4.99 or an annual subscription for $2.99. This removes watermarks and unlocks more than 350 stickers, over 250 textures and backgrounds, over 70 filters, over 80 overlay effects, and more.
You don't have access to everything in trial mode, and sometimes the max resolution depends on your device. This app features a Magic Hours feature, which uses your location to display the blue and golden hours for the day, perfect for finding the best outdoor lighting. Also, you can enable the Shake Indicator to ensure steady videos.
In the gallery, you can use creative tools to apply filters and effects, decorate with stickers, create memes, make size adjustments, and enhance portraits. The portrait enhancing mode focuses on image backgrounds and does a commendable job of blurring and applying designs. Pixtica does a little bit of everything.
Picsart
PicsArt offers an extensive array of tools and features, enabling users to create visually captivating images easily. One of its most notable aspects is its impressive collection of filters, effects, and overlays. A few simple taps are all it takes to transform your photographs into striking pieces of art. PicsArt's AI-powered features truly set it apart from the competition. For instance, the "sky replacement" tool intelligently detects and replaces the sky in your photos, resulting in professional-quality edits with minimal effort.
The app also provides a comprehensive suite of drawing tools, complete with customizable brushes, layers, and blending modes, for those who prefer a hands-on approach to their edits. The cutout tool is another standout feature, enabling you to create and share custom stickers, adding a personal touch to your images. PicsArt also fosters a strong sense of community by encouraging users to share their creations and participate in daily challenges.
While the app is free to use with ads, a PicsArt Gold subscription unlocks additional features and removes ads for a monthly fee of $9 or an annual fee of $56. With its impressive range of photography and AI features, PicsArt AI Photo Editor is a must-have app for photographers looking to enhance their work.
PhotoScan by Google Photos
If you want to digitize your printed photos, this app will be your new best friend. This standalone app by Google Photos scans and saves physical photos using your mobile device's camera. It uses advanced image processing algorithms to find the edges of the photo. It makes corrections to improve the look of your photos by fixing perspective distortion and removing glares and shadows.
The app is easy to use. It's like other camera apps where you point and shoot. There are also options to disable the flash and glare removal features. Once a photo is scanned, it's saved to your device and your Google Photos library, where you can edit and adjust it as needed. The PhotoScan app allows you to rotate, adjust corners, delete, and share your images. However, photos that are deleted from the PhotoScan app still show in the Google Photos app, so be sure to delete them from there.
Open Camera
This ad-supported app can replace your default camera app. Although it may take a little digging to find things, it gives you many features you'll find in the best Android phones without paying flagship prices. All features may not be available on your device. They're dependent on the device's hardware.
You can adjust the camera mode (standard, DRO, HDR, panorama), camera resolution, exposure, white balance, and color effect. In addition, you can enable 11 types of grids and multiple types of each, including 3x3, 4x2, crosshair, golden, triangle, and diagonals. The auto-level feature automatically rotates your photos, so they're always level, but this mode slightly decreases the image resolution. Under Photo settings, you have access to features such as the ability to remove device EXIF metadata and select HDR tone-mapping algorithms.
Don't skip the app's settings, where you'll find many features that can be enabled and customized to make Open Camera even more functional. From audio control options to image quality and format options to numerous on-screen GUI controls, you'll want to take some time to review them all.
PhotoRoom
Don't like the background in your photos? This app does an exceptional job of removing and replacing them with templates. A few honorable mentions are magazine covers, marketplaces (eBay, Etsy, Mercari, Amazon, and others), 70s portraits, podcast covers, modern art, Van Gogh, and social media (feed posts, stories, banners, cover images, and profile pictures).
Once you find a template you like, you can do some fine-tuning. For instance, if you don't like how your image is positioned, resize it and move it around. PhotoRoom also has a selection of images you can insert. However, many require a Pro subscription. You can even create and edit custom Instant backgrounds for your images to make them pop.
As you move things around, placement guides pop up to help, but you can turn these off in the settings. You can customize each graphic on a template by adding effects, adjusting the look and feel, changing the color, and more. Resizing and batch editing are only for Pro members. The monthly and yearly Pro subscriptions come with a seven-day free trial, so you can test the waters before diving in.
Snapseed
Created by Google, this app has a simple layout, is free of ads, and is user-friendly. After opening a JPG or RAW image, you can choose a filter or manually adjust almost every aspect of your photo. There are 28 tools available, each with numerous options for fine-tuning and tweaking your photos. You can undo mistakes, view your edit history, and adjust or remove changes individually.
The tutorials within the app explain advanced techniques and help you create stunning looks using a combination of filters and tools in just a few minutes. In Snapseed's settings, you can switch to the dark theme, choose the maximum image size for export and sharing, and select your preferred image format and quality.
When you finish editing your photo, share it using the Android share menu. You can also create a QR look code. Anyone who scans your code in the app can apply your Look to their photo. Plus, with the View Edits feature, they can see what was applied and adjust the photo. You can even save these Looks for reuse in the app.
Footej Camera - PRO HD Camera
Footej is steep at $29.99 per month after a three-day free trial, but you get an adjustable time-lapse, numerous advanced configuration options, and ad removal. Alternatively, you can use the free limited version with full-page ads, which allows you to use the HD camera features and burst mode.
Camera modes include time-lapse, slow motion, video, photo, burst, HDR, raw, and panorama. You can use six color effects, including incandescent, daylight, auto, and manual. If you enable the grid, there are five options: horizon, diagonal left/right, square, phi, and normal.
In Footej's settings, you'll find general, photo, video, and fingerprint gesture settings for more customization. A few options like high GIF quality, stabilization, and audio source options for videos are unavailable with the limited app version. Overall, Footej's modern's design and unique options make it a great choice if you're willing to pay.
Lightroom Photo & Video Editor
If you use Adobe Photoshop, you'll love using this ad-free app when you're on the go. You can edit photos, and there's a built-in camera with automatic and professional modes (HDR capture mode is only available on supported devices). Plus, with a monthly or yearly upgrade (after a seven-day free trial), you'll unlock premium features like the healing brush, RAW editing, masking, 150+ high-quality presets, video editing, cloud storage, and batch editing.
To get started, you'll need an Adobe account. You can add photos from your device or via the camera and organize them into albums. With a free account, you get a few basic features, like adjusting the exposure and applying filters and limited sharing options. With Adaptive Presets, you can enhance portraits with a single tap and easily undo and redo your edits from the top navigation. There are only a few options in preferences, such as the ability to add images from a specific folder on your device to the app and adjust the RAW photo import options (such as adding a copyright).
With a free account, you can apply a small selection of basic presets and use most of the tools. However, you can't use masking, healing, geometry, and recommended presets, similar to Snapseed's QR Look codes. You can explore the Lightroom community, find presets from other users to use and save, remix community photos, and share your own. Take a look. You'll be happy you did!
Photoshop Camera Photo Filters
Since Photoshop Camera is another Adobe-created app, you'll sign in with your account. Then, it takes you to the built-in camera, where the magic happens. Here, you can browse and test multiple free effects and filters (or lenses) in real time to see how they'll look before taking a picture. If you don't see one you like, the app features the Lens Library, where you can search for something that suits you. There are over a hundred to choose from, and new lenses are added weekly.
Once you take a picture with the camera, you can edit it in real time. You can switch to a different lens and automatically or manually adjust it by changing the clarity, vibrancy, exposure, contrast, saturation, and more. In addition, you can resize, rotate, flip, and crop.
You can even work with images you have. If the app recognizes what's in the photo, it recommends the best lens based on the objects in your photo. Similarly, when using the camera, you can adjust the image before saving or sharing it. If fun and creativity are what you're looking for, you're sure to find that in the Photoshop Camera app.
500px – Photo Sharing & Photography Community
500px is a popular community for photographers and shutterbugs who love browsing and sharing photos. Once you create an account, you'll start a non-renewing 14-day trial membership that lets you enjoy the full app experience. You can see statistics about your work, upload as many photos as you want, access liked photos, view photos offline, and more. After the trial period, you're downgraded to the free version unless you pay for one of the app's two plans.
You can view what's popular, browse community uploads, explore curated galleries, and access a ton of free and premium resources like articles, videos, workshops, and webinars. You can also participate in photography challenges where you compete to win trips, gear, and cash prizes.
You can take a picture from your camera or add files that are on your device. Photos can be licensed, allowing you to earn passive income from them if you want to go that route. An offline viewing feature lets you view photos without using your data. However, when 500px reaches 25% of your device's capacity, it deletes older photos to make space for new ones. If a community is what you want, this app is for you.
Sun Surveyor (Sun & Moon)
This app requires a one-time fee of $7.99. However, it's useful for photographers looking for the ideal lighting and ambiance for their outdoor photos. Sun Surveyor (Sun & Moon) provides information about the sun and moon, such as their location in the sky, the times of sunrise and sunset, and the moon's phases. The app is useful for planning photography sessions, as this allows you to get the most out of your shots by ensuring the lighting is just right. It can also determine the best time to view a solar eclipse and help you learn about celestial bodies.
Sun Surveyor (Sun & Moon) uses your device's GPS and other sensors to provide accurate and location-specific information, and you have some control over how frequently these are used. Some handy features in the app for accessing augmented reality views of the sky include a 3D compass, local map, live view, ephemeris, and street view. You can also set alerts for important events.
The app has a slight learning curve because of the extensive features and the large amount of information provided. However, once you've discovered everything it offers, you'll wonder how you got by without it.
ProCam X
If you're looking to level up your photography game, ProCam X is the app for you. This powerful app gives you complete control over your Android device's camera, allowing you to capture stunning images that rival those taken with a DSLR. ProCam X's intuitive interface puts all the essential camera controls at your fingertips, including manual exposure, focus, and ISO settings.
The app also offers focus peaking and live histograms, ensuring your shots are perfectly composed and exposed. One of the standout features of ProCam X is its support for RAW file capture, meaning you can preserve all the details and dynamic range of your images, giving you greater flexibility during post-processing. In addition to its manual controls, ProCam X includes a variety of shooting modes, such as burst, timed, and bracketed exposures. The app has a built-in intervalometer, making it easy to create stunning time-lapse videos.
ProCam X is available for a one-time purchase of $5, granting you access to all its features without subscription fees or in-app purchases. With its powerful tools and user-friendly interface, ProCam X is an essential addition to any photographer's app arsenal.
Amazing photos are within reach
These amazing Android apps have taken mobile photography up a notch. Whether you're a pro photographer or just starting, the features of these apps are sure to give you amazing results. With high-quality photo capture and cool editing tools, they offer the perfect mix of functionality and ease of use, making it super easy to create awesome images no matter where you are.
Once you start using these apps, you won't want to go back to your old ways. They'll give you tons of creative options and inspire you to see how far you can go. And if you want to take your mobile photography even further, use augmented reality (AR) apps to enhance your photos with virtual elements. They're a fun and creative way to add a new dimension to your mobile photography.
So what are you waiting for? Grab your Android device and start exploring the amazing world of mobile photography with these top-notch apps!