7 Must Have Photo Editing Apps

MY MUST HAVE PHOTO EDITING APPS & HOW TO USE THEM

1st Must Have Photo Editing App

Lightroom

This is where the magic happens! You may or may not have heard people referring to their edits as presets- these are custom edits, like ‘filters’ that you can create on Lightroom, save, and reuse on all of your photos. I currently have 2 of my own presets that I use for all of my photos and then I slightly adjust the photo as needed after applying the preset.

I know that a lot of y’all have asked if I’m selling my presets, but at the moment I am not 🙁- sorry y’all! In the meantime, if you’re not familiar with Lightroom, the main tools I would recommend to mess around with to get a feel of the software are definitely LIGHT, COLOR MIXER, & Geometry.

In the Light section – mess with exposure, highlights, shadows, whites, & blacks. In the COLOR MIXER section- mess around with all of the colors under luminance, hue & saturation (orange, yellow, & green are big ones for me). Lastly, Geometry – this can be adjusted to make the angles different in the photo, as if you actually took the photo from a different height or slant, which can make you appear taller etc,. The Geometry tab can also get rid of the warped lens from your camera, which is probably making you feel ‘larger’ or shorter than you feel in the photo.

Lightroom CC is available in the desktop version as well as the app form on your phone, which makes photo editing & presets even more convenient when you’re on the go!

See below for before and after Lightroom effects.

2nd Must Have Photo Editing App

Facetune 2

Let me just start out by saying –> NO ONE IS PERFECT <– !! Some days, more than others, I don’t feel as photogenic during shoots, which can be tough because this is something I am CONSTANTLY doing for my job.. So depending on lighting, or maybe I just ate a tub of ice cream the night before, causing me to be bloated AF, or I got a huge zit on my face…Factune will be the savior of all of this & more!

Yes, I know everyone should love the body they are born with and blabla, which I do think it IS important especially for our mental well-being.. but, if you’re like me insecurities do EXIST and can take over at times, esp. when you’re in a funk and not looking your best that month. So I say, do whatever makes you happy — Just don’t go overboard 😊.

A few examples of what Facetune 2 can be used for—

• removing blemishes
• adjusting colors
• whitening teeth
• slim up something slightly that was taken in a not so flattering angle
• add grain
• make details stand out more
• smooth skin
• didn’t get your spray tan before you took photos? Facetune 2 has you covered 😉
• want to turn that ugly puke green sign black and white or a more subtle color, Facetune 2 allows you to select one specific thing in the photo and turn it into different tones colors etc.
• want to get rid of those pieces of trash on the ground ruining your shot? patch tool it is…

**below you can see before and after effects of Facetune2. I used patch tool to get rid of some scars/blemishes, I used the tone tool to add some tan on because I clearly was looking v pale, I used the smooth tool to make my skin have a more solid, smooth look to it & made some super slight adjustments with the color/tone of my hair!

3rd Must Have Photo Editing App

KUNI Cam

My roomie put me on to KUNI- this is where I apply that blurry/3rd effect to some of my photos + the vintage more sporadic grain/scratches to photos & date stamps as seen on the after photo (on the right).

KUNI also has some cool light effects and even rain/snow effects you can add to photos – lots of fun tools + filters to mess around with! KUNI is similar to HUJI in the sense that it does the same sort of effects to photos like light strokes to grain or color flashes, time stamps, vintage filters + more. But, KUNI is customizable – allowing you to come up with the effects you want to add to a particular photo, which is really great if you’re looking for something more specific for the photo!

**KUNI also allows you to add all of these edits + filters to VIDEO as well which is awesome!

See below for before and after KUNI effects.

4th Must Have Photo Editing App

HUJI Cam

This app is awesome for getting that vintage photo look as well! It’s almost like shooting with an old polaroid camera which makes it even more fun 😊. HUJI chooses which effect to add to the photo & after you snap a photo, HUJI then ‘develops’ it and selects random effects to apply to each photo.

HUJI tends to uniquely select & add things from light strokes to grain/scratches, color flashes & objects, time stamps, vintage filters + more.

See below for before and after HUJI effects.

5th & 6th Must Have Photo Editing Apps

Unfold & Storyluxe

Both of these apps are great for making quick and easy templates for a mobile flyer or just to spice up your Instagram stories or in feed posts with some unique boarders like polaroids etc. In UNFOLD, you are also able to add a variety of fonts/colors to the photo prior to downloading it as well.

So many cool templates within both of these apps to customize all of your photos!

See below for several Unfold and Storyluxe examples.

7th Must Have Photo Editing App

Over

Over is pretty much an app sort of like publisher with so many cute templates, graphics, fonts, backgrounds, layers etc. of all types. You can utilize all of these tools for free and create flyers, banners, invites, social media templates + pretty much anything you could think of!

See below for an example of creating a Lookbook using Over.

And that’s it! I hope this was helpful if you’ve been looking to find apps to you’re your photo edits easier or more unique. If you have any other questions, feel free to reach out 😊. Thanks for stopping by y’all!

– xx Lauren