Bookstagram 101: Ten Photo Editing Apps

Before going into today’s topic on the useful apps for bookstagram, there’re a couple of things I should point out. My aim is to present breadth rather than depth. If I were to outline the workflows for all the apps I’m presenting, we’d still be here tomorrow. Another point to note: I’m an iPhone user. I’ve never had an Android phone and have only had brief moments with a Windows operated phone.

Nonetheless, I’ve made an effort to include a range of apps that extend to these platforms as well. However, if you have questions on specific operations on an Android or Windows phone, I may not be the best person to answer these.

Now, with the disclaimers out of the way, let’s dive into the tools that can help you make your bookstagram photos look amazing! To help you out, I linked each app name to its official website.

Photo Editing Apps for Bookstagram

1. Instagram

Price: free

Platform(s): iOS + Android; Windows Phone app in beta

The easiest way to edit photos for Instagram is to do it in-app. It’s the most straightforward and doesn’t require you to port edited photos between apps. Should you choose to do this, I still suggest using your phone’s native camera app. Taking photos with the Instagram app reduces the quality of photos.

2. SKRWT

Price: USD 1.99

Platform(s): iOS + Android

SKRWT is one of the most invaluable photo editing apps for correcting lens distortion. Smartphones tend to have pretty wide focal lengths ranging from equivalent 24mm to 35mm. Such wide focal lengths aren’t always ideal for still photography due to rather strong distortions, so this is an app that I strongly believe belongs in every bookstagrammer’s mobile app repertoire. To better understand focal lengths, refer to my previous Bookstagram 101 post on equipment.

3. Photoshop Express

Price: free + in-app purchases

Platform(s): iOS + Android + Windows Phone

This one’s been my go-to photo editing app right from the start. It has the basic editing functions that desktop Photoshop users are familiar with. Standard controls for clarity, sharpening, exposure, contrast, etc are straightforward to work with. Blemish removal also works for simple corrections. One small feature I especially appreciate is a toggle that quickly allows for comparison between the original and the current edit.

4. Darkroom

Price: free

Platform(s): iOS

To make up for the absence of curves in Photoshop Express, I sometimes switch over to Darkroom. It also allows for the adjustment of hues, which the PS Express app doesn’t. What sets Darkroom apart from other apps is that it keeps track of the history edits. As a result, you can play around and compare the results among the various steps before settling on your final result.

5. Lightroom

Price: free + paid Creative Cloud subscription

Platform(s): iOS + Android

I only recently got into the mobile app of Lightroom. Previously it required an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription. In November 2015 it became free for use, though the CC subscription adds more functionalities. Since I constantly put off logging in, I kept forgetting that I had it. Now that I’ve tried the mobile app, I can see it take top spot in my mobile workflow. It combines every editing option I use PS Express and Darkroom for.

6. Snapseed

Price: free

Platform(s): iOS + Android

The first thing you’ll notice about Snapseed is something that resembles a bar chart at the bottom left corner. Tap on it and you’ll see a silhouette of a histogram. If you prefer to have a histogram for reference while editing photos, then Snapseed’s for you. Trump card: there are brushes to dodge & burn, adjust exposure, temperature or saturation of specific areas. The levels are fixed at –10, –5, +5 and +10 but none of the other mobile apps I’ve tested allowed for such finer photo editing at all.

Another contribution to more detailed photo editing is that the application of filters is more intentional. On top of the standard filter strength, there are more refined controls such as texture strength, grain, tone, etc specific to the selected filter.

7. VSCO

Price: free + in-app purchases

Platform(s): iOS + Android

VSCO is a very popular app among bookstagrammers and instagrammers in general. The filters are all very pleasing to the eye when applied sparingly and can add that extra touch of finesse. One photo editing tool that most of the mobile apps in this list don’t offer is perspective correction (but no lens correction).

The reason I wouldn’t use VSCO for basic photo editing is that these are limited to 12-step increments, thus preventing finer adjustments. I think the main draw really is the filters. There plenty more to choose from if you purchase additional filter packs.

8. Aviary

Price: free + in-app purchases

Platform(s): iOS + Android

While Aviary does have basic photo editing functions, I find it much more interesting for further edits. There are a lot of filter options, so if you’re looking for a less common one to apply to your photos, Aviary might be an option. It’s also very easy to take texts to photos. To adjust the size and to rotate the text, you just need to pinch and move it accordingly. This is useful if you’ve been looking for a way to mark your photos.

The splash tool is something you might be especially interested in for bookstagram. This one’s perfect for creating black & white photos with colour accents. Cait from Paper Fury previously shared a tutorial on how to achieve this with PicMonkey. Aviary makes it really easy to add this kind of colour accents to your photos on the go.

9. Over

Price: free + in-app purchases

Platform(s): iOS + Android

If you’re looking for a dedicated app to add text or some form of watermark, Over is a very useful app to have. There’s a basic font pack and many colour and size options to play around with. Even the opacity can be set and the text can be rotated in 1° increments. If you’re bored with the free bundled fonts you could buy additional font packs. Over is so bent on precision, letter spacing (tracking) is adjustable too — though not to the point of including control over kerning.

10. Fotor

Price: free + in-app purchases

Platform(s): iOS + Android + Windows Phone

From what I’ve seen, this is the most comprehensive photo editing app for those who don’t want to switch from one app to the next to edit a single photo. Of course, this means compromising a little and giving up specialised functions here or there. Overall though, you can go from basic photo editing to a little more advanced with curves, then mix and match your favourite filters. After that, add your text if you’re so inclined and you’re done, or you could take an extra step of putting together photo collages.

Fotor even has magazine template available for in-app purchase. Expanding with font, filter and special effects packs opens up even more possibilities.

Testing these Photo Editing Apps

In order to demonstrate what these photo editing apps can do, I took a photo with my iPhone. The exposure was uneven on purpose with intentionally harsh shadows, so that the post-processing done through these photo editing apps would be much more visible.

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Which apps do you use to edit your bookstagram photos?

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P.S.: Over the next two weeks we’ll cover productivity apps that are useful for bookstagram and photo editing options on your computers. If there’s anything pertaining to these two topics you’d like to ask, fill out this form. I will try to address your concerns in the upcoming tutorials.