For the highest degree of creative control and the closest photoshop/lightroom type experience, Snapseed is the favorite among serious photographers on the go and hobbyists looking to improve their photo game.

Snapseed is more suited to the experienced photographer, although it is free on the App Store and Google Play so everyone has access to it. The good news is, even though Snapseed’s functions are more advanced, they are easy to learn and can really transform your photos!

Because Snapseed is comparable to a free, mobile version of Photoshop, it can handle a range of image files from the standard JPEG to the more professional RAW files.

A good place to start is exploring the many presets that Snapseed offers. From the simple auto-enhance feature to the quick-access filters, sultry retrolux looks and vintage black-and-whites, the app offers seemingly limitless ways to automatically transform the look of your photos.

The best part about Snapseed is the high degree of creative control that it offers once you start to get into the more specialized editing functions. Some tools that photographers will appreciate include tone curve adjustment, white balance, selective adjustment, and double exposures. There is no need to feel overwhelmed by this dizzying array of tools, as they are pretty simple to use. Most of them work by swiping up and down to select the editing tool, then swiping left and right to manipulate the intensity of that setting. A before and after comparison lets you see the full effect of your edits so that you can achieve the perfect final look.

A great tip for getting the most out of Snapseed is mastering the “layers” aspect. The app shows the full history of every edit that is made as they are layered together, and it gives users the ability to isolate these edits and apply them to a selected part of the photo. Favorite edits can also be saved as a preset and easily applied to other photos as well.

Snapseed is highly rated both on the App Store and Google Play, and for good reason. If you haven’t tried this beloved photo editing app yet, it’s time to add it to your photography toolbox and see what you can do!