These mobile photo editing apps are simple, easy to use, and user-friendly. Most importantly, these apps have distinct features that are suitable for beginners in photography, helping to enhance their interest in the art. Say goodbye to basic edits like skin smoothing, whitening, and leg elongation, and step into the realm of gradually improving your photographic eye.
Image sourced from the JianShu App
Since most photo editing software has various functions, this article will only introduce features suitable for beginners in photography, focusing on their unique functions while not covering the general features that most editing software has.
Let’s start with the first photo editing software
- Camera 360
This software focuses on filters and scene camera functions, with various creative filters that stand out among photo editing apps. Additionally, it now includes member-exclusive filters that are even more stunning.
① First, let’s introduce its filter function
Open the software
Camera 360 launch screen
Open a photo from the album module
Software homepage
Click the middle button to start editing
Open the editing interface
Open the leftmost special effects filter function
Editing interface
Camera 360 offers a wide variety of filter effects, which are continuously updated. I won’t introduce them all here but will demonstrate the powerful effects of its filters using a photo I took. Of course, different photos must be paired with appropriate scene filters to present the most authentic and eye-catching images. This varies by work, and you will need to cultivate your photographic eye over time!
Below is a sunny afternoon in January when I suddenly saw a beautiful sunset in the west. I recorded this charming sunset from my balcony using my phone. However, after taking the photo, I felt that the image did not truly capture the stunning sunset I saw with my eyes. Therefore, I used the special effects filter - Diagonal Alley from Camera 360. You can clearly see that the clear blue sky and white clouds were preserved, and the sunset glow around the sun was just right, restoring the sunny and serene sunset.
Note: The degree of the filter must be adjusted appropriately from 0 to 100 based on the actual situation; it cannot be universally applied at full strength, as this can make the photo look too artificial.
Select filter
Finally, save the photo, and a sunset masterpiece is born!
Final effect
② Scene Camera Function
Open the Camera 360 homepage, click on the left "My" option, and select Scene Camera to open it.
Select Scene Camera interface
There are at least 15 scene templates, which are continuously updated to satisfy your different scene fantasies. First, click the rightmost button below to choose a scene you like. I chose a bottle as the scene and clicked below to take a photo of the flowers on the table. You can see that the small red flower is highlighted as the subject placed in the bottle, while the surrounding flowers are blurred as the background. You can also click the album button below to select a photo from your album to use as the image inside the bottle.
Finally, you can click the scissors button below to choose a suitable filter.
Image sourced from the JianShu App
Finally, click the checkmark to save, and the scene photo is complete.
Image sourced from the JianShu App
- Nine Grid Cutter
This software can cut a photo into nine pieces, and it only has this one function, making it simple and easy to use.
Software interface
Open a photo from the album, and you will see that the software automatically divides the photo into nine parts. You can choose from circular, square, or even animal head shapes for cutting, and at the bottom, you can select a filter you like.
Editing interface
Then click the save button in the upper right corner to complete the process.
Final effect
Below is the image saved in the album cut into nine pieces and the final effect image. By placing the photos in the order indicated below in your social media, they will form a complete nine-grid cut image, which you can then share to achieve a perfect display.
Nine images in the gallery
- Prisma
This software claims to be the first artificial intelligence software in history. It uses neural networks and AI combined with certain algorithms to process photos into styles like medieval oil paintings, ukiyo-e, retro art, or Picasso style. The downside is that processing photos can be slow, but it does elevate the quality of the images.
First, open the software. You can directly take a photo to edit or click GALLERY below to select a photo from your gallery.
Launch screen
Import a photo from the gallery, crop it into a square, and click NEXT to continue.
Import photo
This software has 41 styles of artistic filters. The photo here was taken in Wuzhen when a small boat happened to pass by, and I captured it. It was lucky that I used the rule of thirds for composition, so I chose the first classical style, swiped left and right, and finally set the filter intensity to 100%, which is more suitable for a retro and antique artistic style.
Select artistic filter
Finally, save the image, and here is the effect.
Image sourced from the JianShu App
Lastly, here’s a before-and-after comparison of a poor photo transformed into a masterpiece using Prisma.
Original Image
Image sourced from the JianShu App
Processed effect image, doesn’t it have a comic-like effect?
Processed photo
- Tiny Planet
Some app markets also call it tiny planet. It can be downloaded from various app markets and supports both iOS and Android systems. This software has a low update frequency and a simple interface. From the software name, you can guess that it is designed to process photos into a spherical, cool spatial effect, which is its only unique feature. The prerequisite for using this software is that the photo should have prominent edges or many lines for better processing results.
Software interface
After opening, select different resolutions; here, I chose the maximum resolution.
Select resolution
Choose a cropping ratio to select the part you want to highlight. It is recommended to choose elements with many lines; here, I defaulted to 2:1, then clicked the checkmark to continue editing.
Select cropping ratio
There are three different settings below; you can try them one by one according to your needs to find a style that suits you. Here, I chose the third style, Advance, to set the keys of the Hello Kitty keyboard to look like petals, and finally clicked save.
Image sourced from the JianShu App
- Water Reflection
This software's English name is water reflection, which can create any photo into a water reflection image and then add filters to the photo. With one-click operation, you can achieve high-quality photos that can be shared easily, making it extremely simple to impress others.
Open the main interface
Main interface
Swipe left and right to freely crop; here, to highlight the software's effect, I won't crop, and I’ll click next.
Image sourced from the JianShu App
You can see the reflection effect of the city wall appears directly. Swipe left and right to select the effect intensity; it’s that quick! This software does not require excessive post-editing. I personally suggest that after the reflection is created, you should only add a filter; too many operations will ruin the actual effect of the software. So focus on the reflection effect and use other embellishing functions cautiously. Click the icon below to start editing.
Image sourced from the JianShu App
Then select the effect icon.
Image sourced from the JianShu App
Finally, choose a retro filter. The contrast between the ancient city's sense of history and the transparency of the water sky is highlighted. Click apply.
Select filter
The final water reflection art photo is completed, looking quite stylish, isn’t it?
Effect image
- Daily Photo Editing
This software has a clean and beautiful homepage, similar to Meitu Xiuxiu, with features like whitening, skin smoothing, height enhancement, and brightening, making it particularly suitable for girls to take selfies and look cute. Its functions are becoming increasingly powerful, and it recently added a face-changing feature that should not be underestimated.
Today, I will discuss the "high-end" feature of this software - Cutout. The highlight of this cutout feature is that by drawing a line around any area of the image, it can intelligently select the elements in that area, which is very convenient. The operation is not difficult, but patience is required for the cutout, especially around the edges of the image.
Open the software
Main interface
Select Magic Cutout to enter the effect interface, where you can choose a background that matches the cutout image according to your preference, such as 3D backgrounds.
Image sourced from the JianShu App
Choose any background, and the image cropping defaults to a square. Click the checkmark to confirm.
Cropping interface
Tap the screen to start painting; the red area indicates the painted effect. It is recommended to zoom in on the edges of the photo for careful painting. The areas that are over-painted can be erased with an eraser.
Painting interface
Once you finish painting, click the checkmark to enter the scene.
Image sourced from the JianShu App
Here, I chose the shining debut scene from the 3D scene options. Of course, this scene has not only scene templates but also allows for custom backgrounds. If you are not satisfied with the official templates, you can choose images from your album as backgrounds, which is also a good option.
Scene image
The final effect is as follows. Doesn’t it have a magazine-like feel?
Final effect
- Butter Camera
Butter Camera is very professional in text layout. The software comes with templates suitable for various scenes, and you can also choose from dozens of different styles of text without templates. You can adjust the text size, change the text direction, and modify the text color and shadow, allowing for DIY layouts. With just a few taps, you can easily create photos with an artistic journal feel. Unlike Meitu Xiuxiu, this software adds text to photos in a very artistic manner, giving a strong sense of design. Adding text can instantly transform a photo into a designer-like work.
First, open the software and choose to log in with Weibo or QQ.
Image sourced from the JianShu App
Click the bottom right to open a photo.
Image sourced from the JianShu App
Select a 3:4 crop and click the arrow to proceed.
Image sourced from the JianShu App
Select a template - more templates - scenery.
Click template
Since the photo is a landscape shot and the upper part of the photo is simple sky, it is suitable to add text. Therefore, I chose the first template in the landscape category.
Select template
After selecting the text, you can see that the text is divided into upper and lower Chinese characters, middle English, and two vertical lines into four parts. Double-click each part of the text to select it and move it up, adjusting the distance between each part of the text, then click the arrow to proceed.
Adjust text
Click the checkmark to save.
Save
The final work is completed, and you can see that appropriately adding text does not make the image feel too abrupt. Remember not to over-design, as this can make the image look tacky. If you want to DIY your text style, you need to study text layout and aesthetics well. For now, start your design from the templates!
Final work
- Snapseed
Finally, this software is definitely the crowning masterpiece of mobile photo editing software. This software is developed by Google, featuring powerful functions, simple operation, and user-friendly interaction. Most importantly, it is completely free, often referred to as the Photoshop of mobile devices. Due to the software's extensive features, I will only briefly introduce its unique functionality. For more tutorials on this software, please refer to previous articles.
The image below used the masking function similar to Photoshop to darken the background of the flowers.
Image sourced from the JianShu App
This image also utilized the masking function to change the photo background to black and white, highlighting the stunning beauty of this flower in the foreground.
Image sourced from the JianShu App
If you want to learn mobile photography, click on my avatar to add me on WeChat:
Click here!#
Historical articles:
1. Snapseed Basic Tutorial: A Step-by-Step Guide to Mobile Photo Editing#
2. Essential Apps for Artistic Youth#
To be continued…