Taking photos on your smartphone is a great way to capture memories while you are going about your business. Sometimes, those images might get incorporated into an Instagram feed, or maybe printed off and framed at home for posterity.
The Google Photos app
Whereas Apple has a monopoly on the inbuilt photo app on iOS, with Android devices, every manufacturer can offer their own alternative to Google Photos. So for the sake of simplicity, we are going to focus purely on the Google Photos app, which is available on any device running on Android. It is a basic, easy-to-use app which allows users to make basic adjustments to photos and videos.
With the Google Photos app being so readily available, for many people, this will be all they need to get satisfactory photos. But, there will be others who are feeling more adventurous, or want a wider selection of filters and editing options, for whom this app might be a little too basic. So we will also highlight a couple of popular photo editing apps for you to try, if you wish.
So without further ado, how do we edit photos on Android?
How to edit photos using the Google Photos app
One of the nice things withGoogle Photos, is that will automatically generate suggested edits. It will create collages, or apply filters to images in addition to the originals. But as well as this, it gives you a range of editing options: you can crop, rotate and adjust photos. Add filters, draw on, write on or highlight on images. Some Google phones will even give you additional editing features.
But if you want to know the basics, here is how to edit a photo using Google Photos.
- Once you've opened the app, start by selecting the image you wish to edit.
- Tap Edit>Adjust.
- Select the effect you wish to apply, and you can then move the dial to adjust the strength of the effect.
- When you are happy with your adjustments, press Done. If you want to reverse a change, tap Cancel, or deselect the option.
Other apps
As well as the Google Photos app, there are a vast range of other photo editing apps available. Here are just a couple of suggestions, to get you started.
A really popular one, downloaded over 100 million times, is Photoshop Express by Adobe. Photoshop has long been used by photography professionals, and the app draws on that expertise to provide an excellent all round experience. It is free to download, and comes with a wide array of filters and effects. A great additional feature is the ability to share your images directly to social media, if that's your thing. You can also use RAW files, making this an extremely versatile option.
Our other suggestion for you to consider is Snapseed, developed by Google. Another app installed over 100 million times, it is a great app whether you are a beginner or a more experienced photographer. It has 29 different editing tools, and it allows you to easily share your images. RAW DNG files can also be exported as JPG, making this even more user friendly.
All three of these apps will help to make those holiday photos look just as you want them. Enjoy!
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