Table Of Contents: How To Blur Background On iPhone

Click any title link below to go straight to that section of the tutorial:

1. Capture Beautifully Blurred Backgrounds Using Portrait Mode
2. Get Closer To Your Subject For Amazing Background Blur
3. Blur The Background Of A Picture In Editing
4. Frame Your Subject With A Dreamy Blurred Vignette

1. Capture Beautifully Blurred Backgrounds Using Portrait Mode

Do you want to shoot stunning iPhone portrait photos with gorgeous blurred backgrounds?

If you thought you could only achieve professional results with a DSLR camera… think again!

The built-in iPhone Camera app has an incredible tool for blurring the background in your photos.

What is this tool?

It’s called Portrait mode.

Portrait mode uses depth-effect software to blur the background of a picture as you shoot it.

The subject will remain in sharp focus… which is perfect for portrait photography.

It’s also great for scenes with distracting backgrounds. Your subject will stand out much better if the background is blurred.

Portrait mode is available on all of the latest iPhones: iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12 Pro, and 12 Pro Max.

You’ll also find it on the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, iPhone X, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone 7 Plus.

If your iPhone doesn’t have Portrait mode, don’t worry! Just skip to Section 2 below to discover how to blur photos on iPhone without using Portrait mode.

1.1 How To Blur Background On iPhone Using Portrait Mode

So, how do you use Portrait mode to blur the background in your iPhone photos?

First, open the Camera app. Then select Portrait at the bottom of the screen.

Ensure your subject is between two and eight feet from the camera. There also needs to be enough light in the scene. (Portrait mode doesn’t always work in low light.)

When you’ve composed your photo, you’ll see a yellow focus box around the subject’s face. The face will be in focus and the background will appear blurred.

When you see the words Natural Light (or Depth Effect on iPhone 7 Plus) in yellow, your iPhone is ready to shoot.

Now, simply press the shutter button to take a picture!

1.2 How To Change Background Blur In Portrait Photos

Did you know you can make changes to the background blur… after you’ve taken a photo?

If you have one of the iPhones listed below, you can easily adjust the strength of the background blur:

iPhone 12, 12 Mini, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max, 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, XS, XS Max, and XR.

Open your portrait photo in the Photos app. Then tap Edit at the top right.

Tap the f/number icon at the top left.

Now use the Depth slider beneath your photo to adjust the blur strength.

A low f/number results in strong blur. And a high f/number results in less blur with more background detail.

The Depth slider isn’t available on older iPhones. However, if you’re not happy with the background blur, you can revert to the original image without any blur.

To remove the blur, tap the yellow Portrait option at the top of the screen. The depth effect will be switched off and the blur will be removed. You can switch the blur back on at any time by tapping Portrait again.

While we’re looking at the Portrait mode editing options, let’s take a look at Portrait Lighting (not available on iPhone 7 Plus).

Portrait Lighting lets you add different studio lighting effects to your portrait photos.

At the top left of the editing screen, tap the Portrait Lighting (hexagon) icon. The Portrait Lighting icons will appear beneath your photo.

Swipe across the Portrait Lighting icons (cube icons) at the bottom of the photo.

Natural Light doesn’t modify the lighting in any way. Studio Light brightens your subject’s face. Contour Light adds shadows for more defined facial features.

Stage Light turns the background black. Stage Light Mono is the same as Stage Light, but with a black and white effect. High-Key Light Mono creates a black and white photo with a white background.

When you’ve chosen a Portrait Lighting effect, use the slider to adjust the strength of the light.

When you’ve finished editing your portrait photo, tap Done to save the changes.

2. Get Closer To Your Subject For Amazing Background Blur

Do you want to know how to take pictures with blurred background on iPhone… even if you don’t have Portrait mode?

Here’s a simple trick for getting incredible background blur:

Get closer to your subject.

It’s that simple!

Shooting with the camera close to the subject creates a shallow depth of field.

A shallow depth of field means only a small portion of the image is in focus. The rest of the image will be blurred out.

The closer you get to the subject, the shallower the depth of field will be.

So for really blurry backgrounds, you’ll need to get really close.

However, if you get too close, the camera won’t be able to focus at all. And your subject will appear blurred.

So always check that your subject is in sharp focus. If it isn’t, move a bit further away and try taking the photo again.

For extreme close-up photos, you’ll need an add-on macro lens, such as the Moment Macro Lens.

A macro lens allows the camera to focus at very close distances.

You can take amazing close-up photos of flowers, insects, and nature with a macro lens.

When shooting up close, it’s important to ensure the correct part of the scene is in focus.

You want your foreground subject to be sharp and the background to be blurred.

Luckily, it’s easy to set the iPhone camera focus.

In the Camera app, simply tap the screen where you want the focus to be set. A yellow box will indicate the focus point.

If the background doesn’t look blurred, move a bit closer, then tap to set focus again.

Remember, the closer you get, the blurrier the background will be!

3. Blur The Background Of A Picture In Editing

As you’ve discovered, taking photos with a blurred background is easy.

But what if you don’t capture a blurry background… and then decide the photo would look better if it was blurred?

This isn’t a problem!

Because you can use an editing app to blur the background after taking a picture.

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to blur the background of a picture using the AfterFocus app.

3.1 Select Your Foreground Subject & Background

Open AfterFocus, then tap Select Photo at the bottom of the screen. Tap on the photo you want to edit.

Some helpful tips may appear on the screen after opening your image. Swipe across to read the tips, then tap the X at the top left to exit.

The first step is to use the Smart Selection tools to select the subject and the background.

Tap the Focus icon at the bottom of the screen. Now, use your finger to draw a line inside the area you want to keep in focus.

You don’t have to be too precise. Just roughly mark out the foreground subject that you want in focus.

Next, tap the Background icon. Draw a line over the background that you want to blur. When you release your finger, the foreground will be highlighted with a red mask.

The red area with white lines is the part of the image that will remain in focus. The black line indicates the area that will be blurred in the next step.

However, before you blur the background, you need to check whether the app has selected your subject accurately.

Is part of your foreground subject not highlighted in red? Or does part of the background appear red? If so, you’ll need to fix this so that only the background gets blurred.

In the example above, you can see that the top of the cycle helmet hasn’t been selected.

You can try drawing more lines to mark the foreground and background areas. But this doesn’t always produce perfect results.

If you can’t achieve an accurate selection with the Smart Selection tools, you’ll need to switch to Manual Selection mode. To do this, tap the Pencil icon at the top of the screen.

Zoom in by pinching with two fingers. Then check the edges of your selection carefully. Use two fingers to drag the image while zoomed in.

Tap the Brush Size icon, then select a suitable brush size for the area you want to select. Now, select either the Focus or Background icon, then brush over the subject or background that you want to select.

Remember, you need to be precise when using the Manual Selection tools. Any area that you brush over will be selected.

If you make a mistake, tap Undo (curved arrow) at the top of the screen. Or switch between the Focus and Background icons to repaint an area you selected by mistake.

When you’ve finished, the red mask should only be on the foreground subject that you want in sharp focus. The neater you make your selection, the more realistic it will look when you apply the blur effect.

When you’ve made a neat selection, tap the arrow at the top right. The background of your photo will now appear blurred!

If you notice a mistake with your selection, tap the single left arrow at the top of the screen. You can then adjust your selection by brushing with the Focus and Background tools. When you’ve finished, tap the right arrow to return to the blur effects screen.

3.2 Customize The Blur Effect

The icons at the bottom of the AfterFocus app let you customize the blur in your photo.

Tap the Blur icon, and ensure Lens Blur is selected. Drag the slider to adjust the strength of the blur.

Below is the edited photo with a beautifully blurred background.

For comparison, below is the original image where the background is in focus. Notice how the blurred background helps to draw attention to the boy.

If you want to add a sense of movement to the scene, you can use the Motion Blur option (instead of Lens Blur).

This is perfect for moving subjects as it exaggerates the feeling of motion in your image.

Below is the image with motion blur applied to the background.

The original photo was taken while the boy was stationary. But the motion blur makes it look like he was moving quickly through the scene!

When you’ve finished editing your photo, don’t forget to save it. Tap the down arrow at the top of the screen, then tap Yes.

4. Frame Your Subject With A Dreamy Blurred Vignette

This next editing technique offers something slightly different.

Rather than blurring the entire background, you’re going to create a blurred vignette around the edges of the scene.

The blurred edges help draw attention to the central focused area. The blur acts as a frame, drawing the viewer’s eye toward the subject.

A blurred vignette also adds a dreamy quality to your photo.

Here’s how to blur photos on iPhone using the free Snapseed app:

Open Snapseed, then tap the screen to open your photo library. Select Open From Device, then tap on the photo you want to open.

Tap Tools at the bottom of the screen. Then scroll down and select the Lens Blur tool.

Two white circles will appear on your image.

Anything inside the inner circle will be in sharp focus. Anything outside the outer circle will be blurred. The area between the two circles is where the image transitions from sharp to blurred.

You can drag the circle to a different area if you wish. Or resize it by pinching with two fingers.

To adjust the blur strength, swipe up or down and select Blur Strength. Then swipe left or right to adjust the strength of the blur.

You can also adjust the Transition and Vignette Strength in the same way.

Transition adjusts how gradually the focused area transitions to blur. And Vignette Strength controls how dark the edges of your photo appear.

When you’re happy with the blur effect, tap the checkmark at the bottom right.

Save your image by tapping Export, then Save A Copy.

Below is the edited image with a dreamy blurred vignette around the edges.

For comparison, below is the original image without any blur applied. Notice how the subtle blurring in the photo above draws the eye toward the center of the frame.

Note that a blurred vignette doesn’t work well on every photo. It tends to work best went the subject is positioned centrally in the frame. And you need to have enough space around your subject to blur the edges.

But on the right photo, a blurred vignette can be very effective!

The post 4 Easy Ways To Blur The Background In Your iPhone Photos appeared first on iPhone Photography School.

1. Prisma

Best For: Sketch and paint effects based on the styles of famous artists

• Wide range of artistic effects based on the styles of famous artists
• New art filter released every day
• Adjustable filter strength
• Photo editing tools for fine-tuning effects
• Price: Free (in-app fee for premium features)

The Prisma app lets you transform your photos into works of art using a huge range of artistic styles. These include sketch and drawing styles, as well as effects that make a photo look like a painting.

Many of Prisma’s art filters are based on the styles of famous artists. Browse through the app and you’ll recognize well-known works of art, including Picasso, Munch, and Salvador Dali.

You get a good range of artistic styles for free. But you’ll need to pay a subscription fee to unlock the full range of over 300 styles.

Subscription also allows you to save your images in full HD resolution. This is essential if you want high-quality prints.

The Prisma app is very easy to use. The one-tap iPhone filters let you turn a photo into a piece of art in just a few seconds.

Once you’ve chosen a style for your photo, you can fine-tune the effect in a number of ways.

For example, you can swipe left across your photo to reduce the filter strength. This allows you to create a more subtle artistic effect.

You can also use the editing tools to adjust color, exposure, sharpness, and vignette. With these tools, you can create a truly unique look for your photos.

A nice feature of the Prisma app is that a new art filter is released each day. So there’s always a new style that you can try out on your photos.

Prisma is FREE to download from the App Store. The free version includes a good range of filters that turn pictures into drawings and paintings.

If you want access to the full range of over 300 filters, as well as the option to save at full HD resolution, you’ll need to upgrade to the premium version.

2. Clip2Comic

Best For: Cartoon-style drawing effects

• Create cartoon-style drawings and caricatures
• Easy to use interface
• Works with photos and videos
• Editing tools for cropping, color, and exposure
• Live preview cartoon camera option
• Integrated printing service
• Price: Free (in-app fee for premium features)

Clip2Comic lets you turn your iPhone photos into cartoon-style drawings. You can turn your photo into an incredible cartoon sketch that looks like it’s straight from a comic book.

The app has a very simple user interface which makes it a joy to use. When you open a photo, it will transform into a cartoon drawing.

The app has 14 different sketch styles under the Stylize tab. Simply swipe across and tap on the style you want to use.

Below you can see the original iPhone photo on the left. The middle image has the Realistic Sepia effect applied. And the right image has the Cartoon style effect.

The Clip2Comic app also has a set of photo editing tools under the Edit tab. Some of the tools are free, but others are only unlocked when you pay for the premium version.

With the free version of the app, your images won’t save at full resolution. If you want to print your photos, it’s best to upgrade to the premium version of the app.

The premium version allows you to save at the highest quality (HD). And the “Clip2Comic” watermark will be removed.

The premium version of Clip2Comic includes lots of other great features. These include additional filters, tools for fine-tuning color and exposure, and a retouch tool. You’ll also get the deform tool which lets you create fun cartoon caricatures.

If you want to print your creations, you have the option to buy prints right within the app.

The Clip2Comic app also lets you shoot photos or videos with a cartoon filter applied. You can see the cartoon effect in the viewfinder as you’re shooting.

If you want an easy-to-use app to turn your photos into cartoon drawings, Clip2Comic is a great option.

Clip2Comic is FREE to download from the App Store. It comes with 14 drawing filters and some basic image editing tools.

But if you want the full range of tools and the option to save at high resolution without a watermark, you’ll need to upgrade to the premium version of the app.

3. Photoleap

Best For: Applying artistic effects to certain parts of an image

• Multi-functional creative editing app
• Good range of artistic tools
• Customizable sketch and paint effects
• Apply effects to certain parts of an image
• Use layers to create double-exposure images
• Photo editing tools for adjusting color and exposure
• Price: Free (in-app fee for premium features)

Photoleap packs a whole range of creative editing tools into this sophisticated app. With this app, you can really unleash the artist within you!

The Sketch tool has a selection of filters for turning your photo into a pencil drawing or sketch.

If you want something more vibrant, the Urban tool has a wide range of paint and artistic effects.

Once you’ve applied an effect, you can customize it by changing the paper type, pencil color, background, etc.

If you don’t want the effect applied to your entire photo, that’s not a problem! Simply use the Eraser tool to remove the effect from certain parts of the image.

Once you’ve turned your photo into a sketch or painting, you can take it to the next level with some of the other creative tools.

Or use the Layers tool to blend two or more images into a stunning double-exposure.

The app also has a good selection of photo editing tools. So you can edit your photos and turn them into artistic creations… all within a single app.

Photoleap is FREE to download from the App Store. It includes a wide range of creative tools, and you can purchase more for an additional fee if you wish.

4. Painnt

Best For: Accessing a huge range of artistic filters, including sketch effects

• 2000+ artistic filters
• 145 sketch filters to create a hand-drawn finish
• Editing tools for customizing filter effects
• Price: Free (in-app fee for premium features)

Painnt has over 2000 filters for turning your photos into artistic masterpieces.

The effects range from classical art to cartoon drawings. And there are 145 sketch filters that give your photo a hand-drawn finish.

Simply choose a style and apply it to your photo. You can then customize the effect using the sliders beneath the image.

Painnt is FREE to download from the App Store. The free version has a great selection of art filters that turn pictures into drawings and paintings.

Upgrading to the premium version of the app gives you access to the full collection of over 2000 effects. It also allows you to save at full resolution without a watermark – which is great if you plan to print your images.

5. Photo Lab

Best For: Creating realistic pencil, ink, charcoal, and crayon drawings

• Classic sketch filters including pencil, pen, charcoal, pastel, and crayon
• Turns your photos into realistic drawings
• Many other artistic effects and overlays
• Collage layouts, scrapbook pages, and frames
• Price: Free (in-app fee for premium features)

Photo Lab has some of the most realistic photo to drawing app filters available. It includes classic sketch effects such as pencil, pen and ink, charcoal, pastel, and crayon.

There are also many other artistic effects to choose from. And you can even create photo collages and scrapbook pages.

Once you’ve chosen a style, you simply select your photo and wait a few seconds for the effect to be applied.

Clicking the plus (+) icon gives you access to more options. These allow you to customize your artwork by applying additional effects or text.

This app doesn’t have as many customizable options as some other apps. But there are a lot of effects to choose from, so it’s easy to create unique artwork.

Photo Lab is FREE to download from the App Store. You’ll need to pay a subscription fee to remove adverts and watermarks, and get full access to all artistic effects.

Pro Tips For Using Apps That Turn Photos Into Drawings

Knowing how to turn a picture into a drawing involves more than applying a sketch filter. Anyone can open a photo and tap a filter icon. But it takes more skill and vision to create a high-quality work of art.

If you’re going to use apps that turn photos into drawings, it’s important to know how to create stunning images.

Here are five pro tips for getting the best out of your favorite picture to drawing app:

1. Use A Photo With Simple Composition

Sketch and drawing filters tend to work best on photos that are quite simple in composition. If there’s too much detail in the photo, your subject might become lost when you apply a drawing effect.

You’ll get the best results with photos that have good contrast between light and dark areas.

2. Choose A Filter To Suit The Subject

Always choose a sketch filter that suits the subject and enhances the mood of the photo.

A lone tree in a barren landscape probably won’t look good with a colorful cartoon filter. A moody black and white pencil or charcoal sketch is more likely to suit this kind of subject. By contrast, a photo of happy child is likely to suit a more vibrant drawing style.

3. Customize The Drawing Filter

Rather than just tapping a sketch filter and saving your photo, play around with the custom settings. This allows you to fine-tune the drawing effect, creating a more unique piece of art.

Most apps have the option to change the filter strength. This lets you reduce the intensity of the drawing effect. A sketch effect should always enhance the original image, not overpower it.

Most drawing apps have general editing tools for adjusting color and brightness. Other settings might include paper type and color, thickness of pencil/brush strokes, shadows, and other details. Some apps even let you erase the sketch effect from part of your image.

4. Save At The Highest Resolution

When saving your creation in a photo sketch app, be aware that some free versions save at a lower resolution. This means the final saved image will be smaller than the original photo. Low resolution images are often fine for sharing online, but they won’t look good printed.

If you want to print your images, it’s worth paying the in-app fee so that you can save at the highest resolution.

5. Remove Watermarks

Some free versions of drawing apps add a watermark when you save the image. Watermarks detract from the beauty of your picture, and they ruin a printed image.

You might not mind a watermark if you’re just experimenting with the app. But if you want to print or share your artwork, pay the in-app fee to remove the watermark.

The post 5 Best iPhone Apps That Turn Photos Into Drawings & Sketches appeared first on iPhone Photography School.

1. Snapseed

Best For: Everyday photo editing

• Huge range of editing tools, yet very easy to use
• Exposure, color, and sharpening adjustments
• Crop, rotate, straighten, and perspective correction
• Selective adjustments and healing tool
• Black & white, vintage, and texture filters
• Portrait enhancement, lens blur, and vignette
• Double exposure, frames, and text
• Price: FREE

Snapseed is one of the most popular iPhone photo editing apps.

Why?

Because it’s easy to use, even though it offers a powerful collection of editing tools. It’s also completely free to download and use!

This photo editor app is suitable for both beginners and experienced iPhone photographers.

With Snapseed, you can easily improve exposure, color, and sharpness. And you can crop, rotate and straighten images.

Selective tools and brushes allow you to edit just certain parts of your image. And the healing tool is great for removing objects from your photos.

The Portrait tool is perfect for creating flawless portrait photos with smooth skin and sparkling eyes.

Snapseed also has preset filters for creating different moods in your photos.

Filters make it easy to convert your photos to black and white or create a vintage look with textures.

If you’re new to iPhone photography, Snapseed should be the first photo editor app you download. With this app, you’ll be able to create stunning edits that will dramatically improve your images.

Snapseed is available for FREE from the App Store. Unlike many other photo editing apps, there are no extra in-app purchases to pay for.

Learn how to use this amazing app in our Snapseed photo editing tutorial.

2. VSCO

Best For: Creating beautiful edits with elegant filters

• Elegant one-tap presets and effects that create the look of classic film
• Adjustable filter strength
• 200+ filters to create different looks in your photos
• Editing tools for tweaking exposure, color, and sharpness
• Filters and editing tools can be used to edit videos
• Price: FREE (subscription fee for the full collection of filters and editing tools)

VSCO (pronounced visco) is another fantastic photo editing app. In fact, it’s one of the best photo filter apps for iPhone.

The vast collection of presets and effects allow you to create the look of classic film in your iPhone photos. They’re perfect for adding a vintage feel to your images.

Unlike other apps where the filters can be overpowering, VSCO filters are subtle. Many of them have a soft, faded look for beautifully understated edits.

You can adjust the strength of the filters to suit your taste. And you can fine-tune color and exposure using the editing tools.

You can also use the same filters and editing tools to edit videos on your iPhone.

VSCO is FREE to download from the App Store. It comes with 10 free filters and a set of photo editing tools.

You can access the full range of over 200 filters, as well as additional editing tools, by paying for the VSCO X membership.

Learn how to use VSCO with our in-depth tutorials:
VSCO App Tutorial: How To Shoot & Edit Beautiful iPhone Photos
How To Use VSCO Filters To Create Beautiful iPhone Photos

3. TouchRetouch

Best For: Removing unwanted objects from your photos

• Quickly remove unwanted objects for a cleaner composition
• Remove dust spots, wires, people, and other objects
• Remove blemishes and smooth out wrinkles in portrait photos
• Duplicate objects using the clone tool
• Price: $3.99

Many photoshop apps have tools for removing objects from a photo. But this is the sole purpose of TouchRetouch. And it’s still one of the easiest and most effective apps for removing unwanted elements from your photos.

Simply use your finger to highlight the object you want to remove… then watch the object disappear! The app automatically replaces the selected object with pixels from the surrounding area.

The Blemish Remover tool is perfect for creating flawless portrait photos.

And the Line Removal tool makes it easy to remove electricity cables from your image.

It might take a few attempts to remove complex elements. But TouchRetouch makes it easy to start over if you’re not happy with the results.

TouchRetouch is available for $3.99 on the App Store.

Click here for the ultimate guide to removing objects from your photos with TouchRetouch.

Or click here to discover more of the best photo retouch apps!

4. Carbon

Best For: Creating stunning black & white photos

• 58 one-tap black & white filters
• Adjustable filter strength
• Textures for creating vintage-style photos
• Light leaks and bokeh effects
• Subtle and artistic color effects
• Editing tools for adjusting light and color
• Price: FREE (in-app purchases for additional filters and tools)

Do you want to create beautiful black and white iPhone photos? Then Carbon is the perfect app for you.

With a single tap, you can turn a color photo into a stunning black and white image.

Carbon has 58 preset filters with different black and white effects. So you can always find a style to suit your photo.

The app has filters for creating unique vintage effects, such as grungy textures, grain, light leaks, and bokeh. You can also add different colors to your image – from subtle sepia tones to vibrant color effects.

In addition to the one-tap presets, Carbon has a set of editing tools for fine-tuning color and exposure. You can even create a painterly effect with the “Kuwahara” tool.

If you want to create gorgeous black and white photos, you can’t go wrong with Carbon. The tools are easy to use, and the results always look great.

Carbon is FREE to download from the App Store. But you’ll need to pay to access the full range of filters and effects.

5. Adobe Lightroom

Best For: Precise fine-tuning of color and exposure

• Powerful set of editing tools within a simple user interface
• One-tap presets for quick edits
• Selective adjustment tools for advanced editing
• Healing tool for removing unwanted objects
• Price: FREE (subscription fee for premium features)

Adobe Lightroom gives you a powerful, yet simple solution for editing your photos. It’s suitable for both beginners and advanced users.

The one-tap filter presets offer a quick and easy way to enhance your images. And the simple adjustment sliders let you tweak exposure, color, and detail.

But Lightroom offers much more than this. The advanced editing tools, including selective adjustments, give you ultimate control over your edits.

If you’re familiar with editing your photos on a computer using Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop, you’ll feel right at home with this app.

Adobe Lightroom is FREE to download from the App Store. But you’ll need to pay to access the premium features, such as selective adjustments, perspective correction, and the healing tool.

6. Afterlight

Best For: All-purpose photo editing with additional creative options

• Exposure, color, and sharpening adjustments
• Advanced tools such as curves, selective color, gradients, and blend modes
• Dust and light leak overlays
• Preset filters by well-known mobile photographers
• Double-exposure tool for blending images
• Layers tool for adding text and artwork
• Price: FREE (subscription fee for premium features)

Afterlight is easy to use despite its comprehensive set of editing tools.

The app offers typical editing tools such as color, exposure, sharpness, and crop tools.

But it also has advanced tools, such as curves and selective color. These allow you to fine-tune the colors and tones in your photos to get the very best out of your images.

The filters and overlays in Afterlight are great for enhancing or changing the mood in your photos. The app has over 130 filters created by well-known mobile photographers.

The customizable text and artwork offer a fun way to add graphics to your images. And the double-exposure tool lets you create unique combinations of blended images.

If you want to get more creative with photo editing, Afterlight is an excellent place to start.

Afterlight is FREE to download from the App Store. But you’ll need to pay a subscription fee to access the full range of editing tools and filters.

Click here to learn how to create unique iPhone photo edits with Afterlight.

7. Mextures

Best For: Adding vintage textures and light leaks to photos

• Grit, grain, grunge, and vintage film textures
• Analog light leaks and beautiful gradients
• Stack and blend effects using layers
• Fine-tune images with editing tools and filters
• Use and create preset “formulas”
• Price: $1.99 (in-app purchases for additional effects)

Mextures is a fantastic app for applying textures to your iPhone photos. It also has a range of other effects including grain, light leaks, and gradients.

You can add wonderful mood and visual interest to your iPhone photos in Mextures. It’s easy to create unique edits by combining and blending different effects.

The app also has filters and editing tools for fine-tuning your image.

If you’re new to Mextures, you can start by using the wide range of preset “formulas” created by other photographers. You can even create and share your own formulas.

Mextures is available for $1.99 on the App Store. It comes with a wide range of effects, but you can purchase even more for a small fee.

Learn how to use Mextures to add wonderful textures to your iPhone photos.

8. Lens Distortions

Best For: Adding sunlight, lens flares, rain, snow, and fog effects

• Add beauty and drama to your shots with natural sunlight and lens flares
• Create atmosphere and drama with rain, snow, or fog
• Frame your subject or blur the edges with elegant glass textures
• Layer several different overlays for unique effects
• Adjust opacity, brightness, and color of each overlay
• Price: FREE (in-app purchases for additional effects)

There are many apps that add light and weather effects to your photos. But Lens Distortions is one of the best.

Its high-quality overlays include sunlight, lens flares, rain, snow, and fog. There are also shimmer effects and glass elements to add sparkle or blur to your image.

For a unique look, you can layer up different effects on your image.

Sliders let you adjust the opacity, brightness, contrast, and color of each overlay. You can make the elements stand out for a bold look, or tone them down so they blend in.

Lens Distortions is available for FREE from the App Store. The app comes with a basic collection of overlays. More effects are available as in-app purchases… and they’re definitely worth it!

9. Superimpose X

Best For: Creating unique digital art by combining and blending images

• Combine two or more photos to create a composite image
• Replace the background of a photo
• Create stunning double-exposure and fantasy-style images
• Blend textures onto an image for an arty look
• Add filters, blur, shadows, and other creative effects
• Variety of masking tools for selecting parts of an image
• Price: $4.99

Superimpose X is the perfect app for combining several photos into a single composite image.

It has a good choice of masking tools for selecting different kinds of subject. You just use your finger to select the area you want to remove.

You can adjust the blend mode and opacity of each layer to control how the images blend together.

Superimpose X has a wide range of tools for editing each layer. You can use filters, shadows, gradients, light effects, and more.

With Superimpose X, the creative possibilities are endless. Your imagination is the only limit!

Superimpose X is available for $4.99 on the App Store.

Click here to discover how to use Superimpose X to blend multiple iPhone photos.

10. Instagram

Best For: Enhancing your images right before you share them

• Good selection of color and black & white filters
• Exposure, color, and sharpening adjustments
• Crop, rotate, straighten, and perspective correction
• Vignette and tilt-shift effects
• Give your photos a final polish before sharing them on Instagram
• Price: FREE

Do you share your photos on Instagram? If so, you definitely shouldn’t overlook the editing tools in this app.

Instagram doesn’t have the same range of editing tools as apps like Snapseed. But if you only want to make basic adjustments, it may be all you need.

It has a good range of color and black and white filters for changing the look and feel of your image.

There’s also a handy set of editing tools. You can adjust exposure, color, and sharpness. There are options to crop, rotate, straighten, and correct perspective. And you can add a vignette or tilt-shift effect.

If you prefer to edit your photos in a different app, you can still apply an Instagram filter just before sharing.

Instagram is available for FREE from the App Store.

Check out our in-depth tutorial on Instagram Photo Editing.

Best Photo Editing Apps: How To Choose The Right Apps For You

You’ve discovered the 10 best photo editing apps… but how do you choose the right apps for you?

Read on and let us help you decide…

If you’re new to photo editing, the best photo editor app is Snapseed. That said, it has a wide range of editing tools, so it’s suitable for more advanced users too.

If you like the idea of using one-tap filters to create classic, understated edits, VSCO is a great choice.

And Carbon is perfect for creating beautiful black and white photos.

For more advanced editing tools, such as selective color and exposure adjustments, try Adobe Lightroom or Afterlight.

TouchRetouch is a great app to have in your collection. Use it whenever you want to remove unwanted objects from your iPhone photos.

Lens Distortions is fantastic for adding realistic sunlight, lens flares, rain, snow, and fog. These effects are great for adding beauty and drama to your landscape photos.

Do you enjoy getting creative with your edits? If so, Afterlight has a good selection of creative tools.

And Mextures is the best photo editing app for adding textures and light leaks.

If you want to create truly unique artwork, including fantasy-style images and double-exposures, try Superimpose X.

Do you share your photos on Instagram? Then why not use its filters and editing tools to give your images a final polish before sharing.

The post The 10 Best Photo Editing Apps For iPhone (2022 Edition) appeared first on iPhone Photography School.

iPhone Photo Apps: Which Ones Do You Need?

There are many different types of photo apps available for iPhone. But there are only three types that you’ll need on a regular basis:

• Photo editing app
• Camera app
• Photo sharing app

Photo editing apps and photoshop apps allow you to edit photos on iPhone after you’ve taken them. With just a few basic editing tools you can turn an ordinary photo into a stunning masterpiece.

While the iPhone’s built-in Camera app is fantastic, sometimes it doesn’t give you enough manual control. For example, you can’t adjust shutter speed or ISO.

If you want DSLR-like control over the iPhone camera, you can download a third-party iPhone camera app.

Once you’ve shot and edited some amazing photos, you’ll probably want to share them with others. A photo-sharing app lets you showcase your photos to family, friends, and even strangers across the globe.

Read on to discover the 10 best picture apps for shooting, editing and sharing incredible iPhone photos.

1. Best Photo Editing App: Snapseed

Powerful photo editing app with a huge range of tools

• Wide range of professional editing tools, yet very easy to use
• Exposure, color, and sharpness adjustments
• Crop, rotate, straighten, and perspective correction
• Selective adjustments, brushes, and healing tool
• Black & white and vintage filters
• Portrait enhancement, vignette, and lens blur
• Double exposure, frames, and text
• Price: FREE

Snapseed is one of the best photo apps for iPhone. And it’s certainly the best photo editing app for beginners and advanced users alike.

Free photo apps are often sub-standard. But the free Snapseed app offers a high-quality photo editing experience.

If you only download one photography app, make it Snapseed!

This powerful photo editor takes care of almost all your image editing needs. It’s great for everyday photo editing, including exposure, color, cropping, and sharpening.

But it also has tools for advanced photo editing. These include brushes and selective editing which allow you to edit only certain parts of an image. And the healing tool lets you remove unwanted objects from your photos.

Snapseed has a collection of preset “Looks” and filters. These provide a quick way to change the look and feel of your photos. You can convert photos to black and white with filters. Or enhance the colors and apply grungy or vintage looks.

The portrait tools are fantastic for smoothing skin and brightening eyes. It even has a head pose tool which adjusts the angle of your subject’s head in portrait photos.

If you’re editing a batch of similar photos, the “Last Edits” option will save you time by applying the same edits to each photo.

Snapseed is an amazing photo app for all iPhone photographers. Once you start using Snapseed, it’s likely to become your go-to photo editing app.

Snapseed is available as a FREE download from the App Store.

Click here to learn how to use Snapseed to make your ordinary iPhone photos look spectacular.

2. Best Filter App: VSCO

Stylish editing app with beautiful film-like filters

• Subtle one-tap filter presets that mimic the look of classic film
• Adjustable filter strength
• 130+ filters available via an annual subscription
• Editing tools for cropping, exposure, color, and sharpness
• Built-in camera app and photo sharing platform
• Price: FREE (with a subscription fee for additional filters and tools)

VSCO (pronounced “Visco”) is one of the best photo filter apps for iPhone.

VSCO filters allow you to change the look and feel of a photo with a single tap. They offer a quick and easy way to enhance your iPhone photos.

Many filter apps have garish colored filters that can ruin your pictures. But VSCO is different. VSCO filters are beautiful and understated, emulating the look of classic film.

And you can easily adjust the filter strength, allowing you to tone down the effect to create just the look you want.

The filters are conveniently organized into different categories, such as Warm, Cool, Vibrant, and Black & White. You’ll also find filters suited to particular photography genres, such as Portrait, Nature, and Urban.

In addition to the filters, the app has a good set of editing tools for fine-tuning color and exposure.

VSCO also includes a built-in camera app with manual controls. And it even has its own photo-sharing platform.

However, it’s the filters that really draw photographers to the VSCO app. So if you’re looking for an amazing filter app to enhance your images, VSCO is a fantastic choice.

VSCO is FREE to download from the App Store. It comes with a basic collection of 10 filters to get you started. And you can get access to the full set of over 130 filters by subscribing to VSCO X membership ($19.99 a year).

Learn how to use VSCO with our step-by-step tutorials:
VSCO Tutorial: How To Shoot & Edit Incredible iPhone Photos
How To Use VSCO Filters To Create Beautiful iPhone Photos

3. Best Retouch App: TouchRetouch

Remove unwanted objects from your photos in seconds

• An app dedicated to removing unwanted elements from your photos
• Remove blemishes, power lines, and other distracting objects
• One-touch fixes make objects vanish immediately
• Handy line removal tool
• Clone tool for duplicating or removing objects
• Price: $1.99

TouchRetouch is an app dedicated to removing unwanted objects from your iPhone photos. It only takes a few seconds to remove distracting objects that are spoiling your image.

It’s easy to get rid of elements such as litter, street signs, or a person. Use your finger to paint over the object or select it with the lasso. Then watch it disappear.

The app works by analyzing the pixels around your selection. It then replaces the selected object with pixels from the surrounding area.

This app is great for removing imperfections in portrait photos. You can make pimples and skin blemishes vanish with a single tap.

The line removal tool is perfect for erasing power lines and telephone posts. You don’t even have to be precise. Mark a section of the line, and the app will remove the entire line.

TouchRetouch is available for $1.99 on the App Store.

Learn how to remove objects from your iPhone photos in our TouchRetouch tutorial.

4. Best Intermediate Photo Editing App: Afterlight 2

Full-featured photo editor with advanced tools and creative options

• Exposure, color, and sharpening adjustments
• Advanced tools such as curves, selective color, gradients, and blend modes
• Dust and light leak overlays
• Double-exposure tool for seamless blending of images
• Add text and artwork using layers
• Free filter packs by well-known mobile photographers
• Price: FREE (with a subscription fee for full access to all features)

If you want to move beyond basic image editing, Afterlight 2 is a great place to start.

It offers a wide range of editing tools, as well as artistic options. Despite its comprehensive set of tools, it’s very easy to use.

For basic edits, this app has the usual color, exposure, sharpness, and crop tools. But it also offers advanced editing features like curves and selective color.

You can use filters and overlays to enhance the mood or add an artistic flair. Afterlight 2 comes with a basic set of filters, but you can download more filter collections for free.

The double-exposure tool lets you create unique combinations of photos. And you can add graphics to your images with the text and artwork tools.

Afterlight 2 is FREE to download from the App Store. But if you want full access to all editing tools, you’ll need to pay a subscription fee ($2.99 a month or $17.99 a year).

5. Best Professional Photo Editing App: Adobe Lightroom CC

Professional photo editor app with advanced editing tools

• Powerful editing tools within a simple user interface
• One-tap filter presets for quick edits
• Advanced editing tools including curves and color mix tools
• Selective editing, healing tool, and perspective correction
• Get consistent looks by copying your favorite edits to entire albums of photos
• Adobe Creative Cloud syncs edits between iPhone, iPad, computer and web
• Price: Free (with a subscription fee for premium features)

Adobe Lightroom CC offers a powerful set of tools for editing your iPhone photos.

You can edit a photo in seconds with sliders and one-tap filters. But it’s the advanced photo editing tools that make this app stand out.

The curves, color mix, and split tone tools offer incredible control over color and exposure.

You can also apply edits selectively to certain parts of an image. And the healing tool makes it easy to remove unwanted objects from your photos.

Adobe Lightroom CC is free to download from the App Store. But you’ll need to pay to upgrade to the premium features.

This unlocks the selective, healing and perspective tools within the app. It also lets you access your photos across all your devices via Adobe Creative Cloud.

If you use Lightroom to edit photos on your computer, this may become your favorite photo app for iPhone.

6. Best Creative Editing App: Enlight

Photo editor app with creative and artistic tools

• Selective control over exposure, color, and details
• Filters, two-tone gradients, light leaks, and vignettes
• Black & white, paint, and sketch effects
• Double-exposure, tilt-shift, and photo montages
• Drawing tools, text, borders, and frames
• Crop, rotate, straighten, and perspective correction
• Clone tool for removing unwanted objects
• Masking tool for seamless blending of effects
• Price: $3.99

Enlight is an all-in-one photo editing app with a great range of creative and artistic tools.

Whether you want to perform a simple edit or create an artistic masterpiece, you can do it all with Enlight.

Artistic tools let you turn a photo into a sketch or drawing. You can personalize your photos using brushes, design elements, text, borders, and frames. And you can arrange your photos into a collage.

The mixer tool lets you create double-exposure images. And you can use the tilt-shift tool to create fake-miniature photos.

The mask tool is one of the most useful features in Enlight. It lets you apply any effect to only certain parts of your image. It’s great for blending different effects into your photos. Or use it to create a black and white image with a flash of color.

In addition to the creative tools, you’ll find the usual basic editing tools, as well as preset filters.

But it also has curves and split tone options for advanced fine-tuning. And the target tool lets you make selective adjustments to your photos.

If you’re looking for an all-round photo editing app with a focus on creativity, Enlight is for you!

Download Enlight for $3.99 from the App Store.

Learn how to use Enlight with our step-by-step video demonstrations.

7. Best Texture App: Mextures

Add textures, grain, and light leaks for unique creative edits

• Grit, grain, grunge, and vintage film textures
• Analog light leaks and beautiful gradients
• Layer several effects for unique blends
• Fine-tune images with editing tools and filters
• Use preset formulas to apply quick edits
• Create your own formulas and save them for later use
• Price: $2.99 (with in-app purchases for additional effects)

Mextures is an incredible app for adding beautiful textures to your iPhone photos. It also includes other effects such as film grain, light leaks, and gradients.

You can stack an unlimited number of effects to create a completely unique edit. Each layer is adjustable, so you can alter the opacity and blending mode to achieve the look you want.

If you’re new to Mextures, you can start by using the wide range of preset “formulas.” You can save and share your own formulas, and even import formulas from other Mextures users.

Mextures also has a set of standard editing tools and filters. You can use these to fine-tune the exposure and color of the final image.

If you want to create beautifully unique edits, Mextures is the app for you.

Mextures is $2.99 on the App Store. Extra presets are available as in-app purchases.

Learn how to enhance your photos with textures in our step-by-step Mextures tutorial.

8. Best Camera App With Manual Controls: Camera+ 2

Camera app with manual controls and a range of shooting modes

• Camera app with shutter speed, ISO, white balance, and manual focus controls
• Slow Shutter mode for shooting long exposure photos
• Portrait mode for blurring the background
• Macro mode for capturing close-up photos
• Option to shoot in RAW format
• Built-in photo editor
• Price: $2.99

Camera+ 2 is a powerful camera app with an integrated photo editing suite. It offers manual iPhone camera controls, including shutter speed, ISO, white balance, and focus.

It also has a range of shooting modes for different situations. Macro mode is perfect for capturing close-up macro photos of insects and flowers.

Slow Shutter mode helps you take stunning long exposure photos.

Portrait mode blurs the background of your photos, allowing you to shoot professional portrait photos with your iPhone. This is similar to the Portrait mode in the built-in iPhone Camera app.

(Note that you can only use Portrait mode in Camera+ 2 on iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max).

Another great feature of Camera+ 2 is the ability to separate the focus and exposure points. This makes it easy to focus on one part of the image, but expose for a different part.

The handy editing suite offers tools to improve exposure, color, and clarity. Or you can use the one-tap filters to quickly change the look and feel of your photo. The layers feature lets you stack several different filters for a unique look.

Camera+ 2 is available for $2.99 on the App Store.

Learn how to shoot and edit stunning iPhone photos in our Camera+ app tutorial.

9. Best Professional Camera App: ProCamera

Powerful camera app with DSLR-like controls

• Full-featured camera app with a clean and simple user interface
• Easy to adjust shutter speed and ISO
• Advanced white balance setting
• On-screen histogram to help with exposure
• HDR and LowLight modes for tricky light conditions
• Option to shoot in RAW, TIFF, and HEIF formats
• Price: $5.99 (with in-app purchases for HDR & Low Light modes)

ProCamera gives you incredible control over your camera settings. If you’re looking for a DSLR-like experience with your iPhone camera, ProCamera is the app for you.

The clean and simple interface makes it easy to adjust settings like ISO and shutter speed. And the on-screen histogram helps you get the perfect exposure in your shots.

The advanced white balance setting lets you fine-tune the color tint and temperature.

ProCamera has some handy settings for shooting in awkward light conditions. The anti-shake setting ensures you never get a blurry shot.

The LowLight modes help you take better photos in dark conditions. And HDR mode is perfect for creating better exposures in high-contrast scenes.

HDR and LowLight+ modes are only available as extra in-app purchases. But you can try them out before you buy to see if you like them.

As well as JPEG capture mode, you can also shoot in RAW, TIFF, and HEIF formats.

ProCamera is $5.99 on the App Store. Extra shooting modes are available as in-app purchases.

Click here for an in-depth tutorial on how to shoot photos with the ProCamera app.

10. Best Photo Sharing App: Instagram

Photo sharing app with editing tools and filters

• Largest photo sharing platform with over 800 million users
• Share your photos and build an Instagram following
• Discover inspiring images from photographers all over the world
• Edit your photos right before sharing them
• Good selection of color and black & white filters
• Editing tools for exposure, color, sharpness, and more
• Direct messaging facility for private conversations

Instagram is the best photo app for iPhone photographers who want to share their pictures. It’s the ultimate blend of photography and community.

Within seconds you can share your images with millions of people. And by posting high-quality photos, you’ll soon build a following of people who like your work.

Instagram is perfect for discovering inspiring photos from a huge range of genres. And it’s easy to connect with like-minded people through comments or private messages.

Hashtags let you search for certain types of photo, such as landscapes or silhouettes. You can even find photos taken in a particular location.

The Instagram app also has a good selection of editing tools. So you can enhance your photos right before you share them.

There’s a range of filters for changing the look and feel of your image. And editing tools let you improve exposure, color, and sharpness.

You can also crop, rotate, straighten, and correct perspective. And you can add a vignette or tilt-shift effect.

Instagram is FREE to download from the App Store.

Check out these tutorials to get the most out of using Instagram:
11 Instagram Tricks For Beginner iPhone Photographers
Instagram Photo Editing: Create Stunning iPhone Images To Share
How To Become Instagram Famous In 3 Easy Steps

The post 10 Best Photo Apps For Incredible iPhone Photography (2021 Edition) appeared first on iPhone Photography School.

Table Of Contents: How To Edit Photos On iPhone

Click any title link below to go straight to that section of the article:

1. Ensure Your iPhone Is Updated To iOS 13
2. Duplicate Your Photo To Preserve The Original (Optional)
3. Open The iPhone Photo Editor In The Photos App
4. Adjust Color, Brightness & Sharpness
5. Use A Filter To Adjust The Color Tone
6. Crop, Rotate, Straighten & Adjust Perspective
7. Save Your Edited Photo
8. Remove Or Change Your Edits
9. Edit Portrait Mode Photos
10. Edit Live Photos
11. Edit Videos In The Photos App
12. Benefits Of Using The iPhone Photos App For Editing
13. Limitations Of The iPhone Photos App

1. Ensure Your iPhone Is Updated To iOS 13

The built-in Photos app is one of the best photo editing apps for iPhone.

And with iOS 13 (iOS is the iPhone operating system), you get a completely redesigned photo editor.

The new Photos app has a wider range of editing tools. And you can fine‑tune your edits with more precision than before. You can even edit videos using the same tools that you use to edit photos.

To ensure you have these new iPhone photo editor tools, make sure your iPhone is running the latest iOS 13.

To update your iPhone to iOS 13, open the Settings app from the Home screen. Then go to General > Software Update.

If your software is up to date with iOS 13, you’ll already have access to the new photo editing tools.

If your software isn’t up to date, follow the on-screen instructions to download and install the latest iOS 13. (Before doing this, it’s a good idea to back up the data on your iPhone – just in case something goes wrong during the update process!)

Note that if you have the iPhone 6 or earlier, you won’t be able to update to iOS 13. And therefore, you won’t have access to the new editing tools in the Photos app. You can still use the old editing tools though – you just won’t have as many tools to work with.

2. Duplicate Your Photo To Preserve The Original (Optional)

When you edit a photo in the Photos app, the original image gets replaced by the edited version.

However, editing in the Photos app is non-destructive. This means you can undo edits or revert back to the original image at any time.

But sometimes you might want to keep the original photo, along with a separate edited version. If so, you can easily duplicate the image before editing.

To duplicate an image, open it in the Photos app and tap the Share icon at the bottom left. Then scroll down and tap Duplicate

Tap the Back arrow at the top left to return to your photo library.

The duplicate image will appear at the bottom of your photo library. You can edit this image while the original remains unedited.

Read on to learn how to edit photos on iPhone using the built-in photo editor tools.

3. Open The iPhone Photo Editor In The Photos App

So, how do you open the photo editing tools in the iPhone Photos app?

Just open the photo you want to edit, then tap Edit at the top right of the screen.

In the iPhone photo editor, there are three icons at the bottom of the screen. Or if you’re editing a Live Photo, there will be four icons.

These icons give you access to a range of editing tools for improving your image.

Now you’ll learn how to edit pictures on iPhone using these photo editing tools.

4. Adjust Color, Brightness & Sharpness

Knowing how to edit photos on iPhone allows you to turn an average image into an amazing one!

And the best place to start is by making a few quick adjustments to color, brightness, and sharpness.

To make adjustments to your photo, ensure the Adjust icon (dial) is selected at the bottom of the screen.

Beneath your photo, you’ll see a row of adjustment tools. Swipe across to see more tools.

4.1 Auto Enhance

The Auto tool automatically adjusts the colors and brightness levels in your photo.

Simply tap the Auto icon to apply this one-tap edit. The icon turns pale gray when it’s switched on.

The great thing about the Auto tool is that you can actually fine-tune the edits that it’s made.

You can use the slider at the bottom of the screen to adjust the strength of the edit.

You can also adjust the individual edits that have been made to color, brightness, etc. If you swipe across the adjustment icons, a bold line indicates which tools the Auto adjustment has used.

To fine-tune an individual adjustment, tap on the tool and use the slider to adjust its strength.

If you want to remove the Auto edit from your photo, tap the Auto icon so it turns dark gray.

Now, you’ll discover how to use the manual adjustment tools to make your own edits.

4.2 Exposure

The Exposure tool brightens or darkens your photo.

Drag the slider right to brighten the image, or left to darken it.

The Exposure tool has more effect on the highlights than the shadows. This means that the bright tones in your photo are affected more than the dark tones.

4.3 Brilliance

The Brilliance tool is great for bringing out details and making your photo look richer and more vibrant.

Drag the slider right to brighten shadows and darken highlights. If you drag left, the shadows will become darker and the highlights brighter.

4.4 Highlights

The Highlights tool adjusts the brightness of only the bright areas in your photo.

Drag the slider left to make the highlights darker, or right to make the highlights brighter.

4.5 Shadows

The Shadows tool adjusts the brightness of only the dark areas in your photo.

Drag the slider right to make the shadows brighter, or left to make them darker.

4.6 Contrast

The Contrast tool adjusts the contrast between the dark and bright tones in your photo.

Drag the slider right to increase contrast, making the shadows darker and the highlights brighter. Or drag left to reduce contrast, making the shadows and highlights more similar in tone.

In most cases, reducing contrast doesn’t produce good results. Increasing the contrast a little can make your photo look sharper. However, you’ll often get better results with the Brilliance tool as it keeps the colors nice and vibrant.

4.7 Brightness

The Brightness tool brightens or darkens your photo. But it does it in a slightly different (and usually better) way from the Exposure tool.

Drag the slider left to darken your photo, or right to brighten it.

The Brightness tool has more effect on the shadows and midtones. This means the dark and medium tones get adjusted more than the bright tones.

4.8 Black Point

The Black Point tool affects the brightness of only the darkest tones in your photo.

If your photo lacks rich black tones, drag the slider to the right to make the darkest areas appear black. Dragging to the left will make the dark areas appear faded.

4.9 Saturation

The Saturation tool makes the colors more vibrant or less vibrant.

Drag the slider right to make the colors more vibrant, or left to make the colors more muted.

In most cases, increasing the saturation a little bit will make your image “pop.” But be careful not to over-saturate the colors. If you make the colors too vibrant, they won’t look natural.

To create a black and white photo, set the Saturation to -100.

4.10 Vibrance

The Vibrance tool makes muted colors more vibrant without affecting skin tones or saturated colors too much.

Drag the slider right to boost the vibrancy of muted colors. Or drag it left to reduce the vibrancy.

The Vibrance tool usually produces more natural-looking colors than the Saturation tool. This is because it doesn’t over-saturate skin tones or colors that are already vibrant.

4.11 Warmth

The Warmth tool makes the colors in your photo warmer or cooler.

Drag the slider right to make the colors warmer (more orange). Or drag it left to make them cooler (more blue).

You can use the Warmth tool to correct the color balance of a photo. Or use it to change the overall mood of an image.

4.12 Tint

The Tint tool allows you to add a green or magenta color tint to your photo.

Drag the slider left to add a green tint, or right to add a magenta tint.

The green tint is great for increasing the vibrancy of green leaves or fields. Just be aware that it tints the entire photo, so all colors will be affected.

4.13 Sharpness

The Sharpness tool sharpens detail in your photo by making edges crisper and more defined.

Drag the slider right to make the image sharper.

Be careful not to increase sharpness too much. Over-sharpening will reduce the image quality.

4.14 Definition

The Definition tool adjusts contrast to improve the clarity of detail in your photo.

Drag the slider right to increase clarity and definition in your image.

4.15 Noise Reduction

The Noise Reduction tool reduces “digital noise” – such as grain caused by shooting in low light. You can also get grain in your photos when editing, e.g., if you brighten the shadows too much.

If you have a grainy or “noisy” photo, drag the slider right to reduce the noise.

Use this tool sparingly as too much noise reduction will soften the detail in your photo.

4.16 Vignette

The Vignette tool darkens or brightens the edges of your photo.

Drag the slider right to add a dark vignette, or left to add a bright vignette. A dark vignette usually looks better than a bright one.

A dark vignette can help draw attention to the center of the image. It’s also great for adding a sense of drama to your photos.

5. Use A Filter To Adjust The Color Tone

Filters offer a quick and easy way to change the look and feel of your photo.

With a single tap, you can adjust the color tone of your image using a range of color and black and white filters.

Read on to discover how to edit photos on iPhone using the built-in filters in the Photos app.

In the Photos app Edit mode, tap the Filters icon (three circles) at the bottom of the screen.

Swipe across the filter thumbnails beneath your image. Watch how the colors change as you select different filters.

When you’ve chosen a filter, drag the slider at the bottom of the screen to adjust the filter strength.

To remove a filter, select the Original filter.

6. Crop, Rotate, Straighten & Adjust Perspective

The Photos app has a range of tools for cropping, rotating, straightening, and adjusting perspective.

To access these tools, tap the Crop icon at the bottom of the screen.

6.1 Auto Crop & Straighten

When you first open the Crop options, you might notice that your image is automatically straightened and/or cropped.

If your iPhone has applied Auto cropping or straightening, you’ll see AUTO in yellow at the top of the screen. If you don’t want to accept these automatic adjustments, tap the yellow AUTO icon.

6.2 Straighten

If your photo doesn’t look level, you can easily straighten it in the Photos app.

Tap the Straighten tool beneath the image. Then drag the slider to rotate and straighten the photo. Use the gridlines to help you get the photo perfectly level.

6.3 Perspective

Sometimes, you might want to adjust the vertical or horizontal perspective in your photo.

To adjust the vertical perspective, tap the Vertical Perspective tool beneath the image. Drag the slider to adjust the vertical perspective.

This tool is great for architecture photography. If you took a photo of a building from a low angle, the building may appear to converge towards the top. Adjusting the vertical perspective allows you to straighten up the vertical lines on the building.

To adjust horizontal perspective, use the Horizontal Perspective tool.

6.4 Rotate & Flip

At the top left of the Crop screen are two icons: Flip and Rotate.

Tap the Rotate icon to rotate your photo 90 degrees at a time.

Tap the Flip icon to flip your image horizontally.

6.5 Crop

The Crop tool lets you remove the edges of your image.

Cropping your photo is great for getting rid of distracting elements from the edges of the frame. This results in a cleaner, simpler image with a stronger visual impact.

You may also wish to crop your image to improve its composition. For example, cropping can help you create better symmetry or apply the rule of thirds after taking your photo.

Cropping also allows you to zoom in on a distant subject. But be careful not to crop too much of the photo as this can result in a small, low-quality image.

To crop your photo, drag the corner crop handles. A white border indicates where the new edges of the photo will be.

If you crop in too far, drag the corner crop handles out again. Or pinch inwards with two fingers to bring more of the image back into the frame.

You can also drag the image preview to adjust the position of the image within the crop frame.

If you want to crop to a specific aspect ratio, tap the Aspect Ratio icon at the top right.

Swipe across the row of aspect ratios, e.g. Square, 9:16, 8:10, etc. Then select the one you want to use.

Above the aspect ratio options, you can choose whether your photo to be cropped vertically or horizontally.

You can pinch in or out to adjust how much of the picture is cropped. And you can drag the image to adjust which area appears within the crop frame.

To exit the Aspect Ratio settings, tap the Aspect Ratio icon at the top right.

7. Save Your Edited Photo

When you’ve finished editing your photo, tap Done to save the changes.

Your edited image will appear in your photo library.

If you’d prefer not to save your edits, tap Cancel (instead of Done) in the photo editor. Then tap Discard Changes.

8. Remove Or Change Your Edits

Edits that you make in the Photos app are non-destructive. This means you can remove or change them at any time – even after you’ve saved the changes.

So if you’re not happy with your edits, you can always adjust the settings you applied. Or you can remove all edits and revert back to the original image.

To change or remove your edits, open the photo in the Photos app and tap Edit.

If you want make changes to your edit, open any editing tool and make your adjustments.

To revert to the original photo, tap Revert at the bottom right. Then tap Revert To Original.

9. Edit Portrait Mode Photos

Portrait mode in the iPhone camera app allows you to shoot photos with a beautifully blurred background.

You can edit Portrait mode photos in the same way as any other photo. But you also have some additional editing options unique to Portrait mode.

9.1 Depth Control

Do you have the iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, XR, XS, or XS Max?

If so, you can change the strength of the background blur in your portrait photos.

To adjust the blur strength, open your Portrait mode photo and tap Edit.

Tap the f/number icon at the top left of the screen.

Now drag the Depth slider beneath your photo. A low f/number creates more blur. A high f/number shows more detail in the background.

9.2 Portrait Lighting

Another Portrait mode editing option is Portrait Lighting (not available on iPhone 7 Plus).

Portrait Lighting lets you apply studio lighting effects to your Portrait mode photos.

In Edit mode, ensure the Portrait Lighting (hexagon) icon is selected at the top left of the screen. Then swipe through the Portrait Lighting options (cube icons) at the bottom of the screen.

Select a Portrait Lighting effect, e.g. Studio Light, Contour Light, Stage Light, etc.

Use the slider to adjust the strength of the Portrait Lighting effect.

9.3 Remove Background Blur

If you decide you don’t want the background blurred, you can remove the depth effect from your portrait photo.

In Edit mode, tap the yellow Portrait option at the top of the screen. You can switch the blur back on at any time by tapping the Portrait option again.

When you’ve finished editing your Portrait mode photo, tap Done to save the changes.

10. Edit Live Photos

Live Photos is an iPhone camera feature that allows you to capture moving images. When you shoot a Live Photo, the result is a 3-second video, complete with movement and sound.

You can edit Live Photos in the same way as regular images. But you also have some other editing options available.

When you open Edit mode for a Live Photo, you’ll see the Live icon at the bottom of the screen. Tap the Live icon to open the Live Photo editing tools.

If you don’t like the audio on your Live Photo, tap the yellow Sound (speaker) icon to switch off the sound. You can turn the sound back on at any time by tapping the Sound icon again.

If you want to convert your Live Photo to a regular still image, tap the yellow Live icon at the top of the screen. You can convert the image back to an animated Live Photo at any time by tapping Live at the top of the screen.

Beneath your photo is a row of image thumbnails. These are the individual frames that make up the 3-second Live Photo. To change the key photo (the one you see in your photo library), drag across the thumbnail slider until you find the frame you want. Then tap Make Key Photo.

When you’re happy with your Live Photo edits, tap Done to save the changes.

As well as the Live Photo settings in Edit mode, you’ll find other options by swiping up on a Live Photo in your photo library. Here, you can apply a Loop, Bounce, or Long Exposure effect to your Live Photo.

Loop converts your Live Photo into a continuous video loop. Bounce turns your Live Photo into a continuous video that plays forwards and then in reverse.

Long Exposure creates a beautiful slow shutter effect, blurring any movement in the scene. Use this setting to create stunning waterfall and river shots where the water appears silky smooth.

11. Edit Videos In The Photos App

Did you know you can now edit videos in the iPhone Photos app?

You can use all of the photo editing tools to edit videos, time-lapse videos, and slo-mo videos.

There’s also a Trim tool for trimming the start and end of your video.

Click here for a complete guide to editing videos in the iPhone Photos app.

12. Benefits Of Using The iPhone Photos App For Editing

With so many iPhone photo editor apps available, it can be difficult to know which ones to use.

The iPhone’s built-in Photos app is often overlooked as a photo editor. But the redesigned Photos app in iOS 13 has a lot to offer when it comes to editing your pictures.

Depending on your editing needs, the Photos app might be all you need for improving your iPhone photos.

Benefits of using the Photos app to edit your images include:

• No need to download additional third-party photo editing apps
• Edit your images without having to leave your iPhone photo library
• Suitable for beginners as well as more advanced users
• You can change settings for Live Photos and Portrait Mode after taking the shot
• Edits are non-destructive, allowing you to change or remove your edits at any time
• You can also edit videos in the same way that you edit photos

13. Limitations Of The iPhone Photos App

The editing tools in the Photos app are perfect for everyday image editing. But it does have some limitations.

It’s missing certain features that you’ll find in some other popular photo editor and photoshop apps.

In particular, it doesn’t include the option to make selective adjustments to a certain part of an image. And it doesn’t have a healing tool for removing objects from your photos.

If you’re looking for a more advanced photo editing app with these tools, the free Snapseed app is a great option.

Snapseed gives you ultimate control over how to edit photos on iPhone. Yet it’s still easy for beginners to use.

Click here to learn how to edit photos on iPhone using the Snapseed app.

The post How To Edit Photos On iPhone Using The Built-In Photos App appeared first on iPhone Photography School.

Table Of Contents: How To Blur Background On iPhone

Click any title link below to go straight to that section of the tutorial:

1. Use Portrait Mode To Create Beautifully Blurred Backgrounds
1.1 What Is Portrait Mode?
1.2 How To Blur Background On iPhone Using Portrait Mode
1.3 Edit Or Remove Background Blur In Portrait Photos

2. Get Close To Your Subject To Blur The Background
2.1 Move Closer To Your Subject
2.2 Set The Focus Point Manually
2.3 Getting Closer vs. Portrait Mode

3. Use AfterFocus App To Blur Background In Editing
3.1 Choose A Selection Mode
3.2 Use Smart Selection Mode To Specify Background & Foreground
3.3 Use Manual Mode To Make Precise Selections
3.4 Customize The Blur Effect

1. Use Portrait Mode To Create Beautifully Blurred Backgrounds

Do you want to shoot professional-looking portrait photos where the background appears out of focus?

Portrait mode in the built-in iPhone Camera app offers an easy way to blur the background in your photos.

1.1. What Is Portrait Mode?

Portrait mode is a shooting mode in the iPhone’s built-in Camera app. It uses depth-effect software to create soft, blurry backgrounds while your subject remains in sharp focus.

As the name suggests, Portrait mode is perfect for shooting portraits of people and pets. But you can also use it to blur the background behind other subjects.

Portrait mode is especially useful when the background is ugly or distracting. Blurring the background creates a more pleasing image and helps your subject stand out.

Portrait mode is available on the new iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max. You’ll also find it on the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, iPhone X, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone 7 Plus.

Unfortunately, Portrait mode isn’t available on the iPhone 8, iPhone 7, or older. But the other techniques covered in this article show you how to create blurred backgrounds with any iPhone.

To learn how to blur background without Portrait mode, jump to section 2 below.

1.2 How To Blur Photos On iPhone Using Portrait Mode

With Portrait mode, it’s easy to create images with dreamy, blurred backgrounds.

Open the Camera app on your iPhone, and select Portrait mode at the bottom of the screen.

Your subject needs to be between two and eight feet from the camera. And there needs to be plenty of light (Portrait mode doesn’t always work in low light conditions).

Compose your photo, and wait for the words Natural Light (or Depth Effect on the iPhone 7 Plus) to appear in yellow.

This indicates that the depth-effect is working, and you’re ready to take your shot.

Check the viewfinder to ensure the depth-effect feature is producing good results. Your subject should appear sharp, and the background should be blurred.

Now simply press the shutter button to take a beautiful portrait photo.

1.3 Edit Or Remove Background Blur In Portrait Photos

Sometimes Portrait mode photos don’t turn out exactly as you’d like.

Maybe you wish the background was more out of focus. Or perhaps you’d like the background slightly less blurred.

Sometimes the camera doesn’t correctly determine which areas are background and which are foreground. For example, it might blur part of the foreground or leave some of the background in focus.

But the great thing about Portrait mode is that you can make changes to the background blur after you’ve taken the photo.

On the iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, XS, XS Max, and XR, you can adjust the strength of the background blur.

Start by opening your portrait photo in the Photos app, then tap Edit.

Tap the f/number icon at the top left.

Now drag the Depth slider (beneath the photo) left or right to increase or decrease the blur strength.

On older iPhones, you don’t have the option to adjust blur strength. But you can turn off the depth-effect completely, reverting your image back to the original without any background blur.

To remove the blur, tap the yellow Portrait option at the top of the editing screen. You can switch it back on at any time by tapping Portrait again.

Another interesting feature within Portrait mode is Portrait Lighting (not available on iPhone 7 Plus). Portrait Lighting lets you apply studio lighting effects to your photos.

To experiment with the Portrait Lighting options, tap the Portrait Lighting icon at the top left of the editing screen. Then swipe over the Portrait Lighting icons beneath the image.

Natural Light is the default Portrait Lighting setting. This option doesn’t apply any lighting effects to your photo.

Studio Light brightens the face of your subject. Contour Light creates shadows for more defined facial features.

Stage Light makes the background completely black. Stage Light Mono is like Stage Light, but it turns your photo black and white. And High-Key Light Mono creates a black and white photo with a white background.

Once you’ve selected the Portrait Lighting effect you want to use, drag the slider to adjust the strength of the effect.

2. Get Close To Your Subject To Blur The Background

Do you want to know how to take pictures with blurred background on iPhone without using Portrait mode?

It’s actually really simple! And you can do it on any iPhone – even older models that don’t have Portrait mode.

You just need to get close to your subject.

2.1 Move Closer To Your Subject

This little-known technique is a guaranteed way to create amazing blurred backgrounds in your photos.

The closer you get to your subject, the blurrier the background becomes.

To test out this technique with your own iPhone, find a subject that you’d like to photograph.

Make sure the subject isn’t too close to the background, otherwise the background won’t appear blurred. The further the background is from the subject, the more blurred it will appear.

Start by holding your iPhone a few feet away from the subject. Now slowly move your phone closer to the subject. Notice how the background gradually appears more blurred the closer you get.

If you get too close to the subject, the camera won’t be able to focus at all. When this happens, the subject will appear blurred. You need to be far enough away to ensure the subject looks crisp and sharp, but close enough to blur the background.

You also need to ensure the background has some detail that can be blurred. If you’re shooting against a plain white wall, there won’t be any detail for the camera to blur.

2.2 Set The Focus Point Manually

When shooting close-up photos, the depth of field is shallow. This means that only a small part of the image from front to back is in sharp focus, and the rest of the scene appears blurred.

So it’s essential you tell the camera which part of the scene to focus on. If you don’t, the camera might focus on the wrong part of the scene and your subject will be blurred.

To set the focus point on your subject, simply tap that area of the screen. A yellow box indicates the focal point.

Alternatively, you can lock focus. This allows you to take multiple shots of the subject without having to reset the focus point each time. To lock focus, tap and hold for a couple of seconds until you see AE/AF Lock.

If the background doesn’t look blurred after setting focus on your subject, try moving closer. Ensure you tap to reset focus every time you change the distance between the camera and subject.

2.3 Getting Closer Vs. Portrait Mode

Getting closer to your subject works with any camera, including all models of iPhone.

Why? Because the shallow depth of field is created optically by the lens, rather than digitally in software.

If your iPhone has Portrait mode, it might be tempting to use this every time you want a blurred background. But in certain situations, it would be better to use the “getting closer” technique.

The main benefit of getting closer to your subject is that you’re not relying on software to decide what should be in focus and what should be blurred. You’ll get good results every time, as long as you’re close enough to the subject and you set focus correctly.

Another benefit of getting closer to your subject is that you can easily change which part of the scene is in focus.

So if you want the background in focus and the foreground blurred, just tap the background area.

Or try tapping somewhere in the middle ground to set focus at that point. In the photo below, the foreground and background appear blurred, while the pebbles in the middle ground are in sharp focus.

3. Use AfterFocus App To Blur Background In Editing

Have you ever taken a photo and wished it had a blurred background? Maybe the background is messy or ugly. Or perhaps the subject doesn’t stand out well.

In such cases, you can use an editing app to blur background on iPhone after you’ve taken the picture.

Below you’ll learn how to blur a picture on iPhone using the AfterFocus app.

Open the AfterFocus app, then tap Select Photo. Open the album containing the image you want to use. Locate the photo and tap to open it.

When you first open a photo in AfterFocus, some helpful tips will appear. Swipe across to read each tip, then tap the X at the top left to exit.

3.1 Choose A Selection Mode

There are two modes for selecting the areas you want to blur: Smart Selection mode and Manual Selection mode.

Smart Selection mode lets you quickly select the areas you want in focus and blurred. You draw lines to specify which area is background and which is foreground. You don’t have to be too precise. The app will work its magic to blur the background while keeping the foreground sharp.

With Manual Selection mode, you need to be precise. You have to “paint” over all areas that you want in focus. If you make a mistake and select some of the background, you have to erase that part of the selection.

Often you’ll need to use a combination of both selection methods. It’s best to start with Smart Selection to roughly select the background and foreground areas. Then use Manual Selection to tidy up any edges where the selection isn’t perfect.

How do you switch between Smart and Manual Selection mode? Tap the Pencil icon at the top right to switch to Manual Selection mode. And tap the Wand icon to switch to Smart Selection mode.

Note that if you use Manual mode to make a selection, you’ll lose your selection if you switch back to Smart mode.

3.2 Use Smart Selection Mode To Specify Background & Foreground

Ensure you’re in Smart Selection mode. You’ll see the Pencil icon at the top of the screen when you’re in Smart mode.

Tap the Focus icon at the bottom of the screen. With your finger, draw a line inside the area that you want to keep in sharp focus. This would normally be your subject in the foreground.

Now tap the Background icon at the bottom of the screen. Draw a line around the inner part of the background.

When you release your finger, the foreground area appears with a red mask. This indicates the area that won’t get blurred. The white line indicates the area you want in focus. The black line indicates the area you want to blur.

Draw more lines to define foreground and background areas if necessary.

There’s also a Mid icon at the bottom of the screen. You can use this on photos that have a clear definition between foreground, middle ground, and background.

The area you select as middle ground will be blurred, but the blur strength won’t be as strong as the background blur. This creates a more gradual blur from foreground to background.

If you make a mistake when drawing the lines, you have two options: Tap Undo (curved arrow icon) at the top of the screen to get rid of the line completely. Or use the Eraser icon at the bottom of the screen to erase part of the line.

The Smart Selection tool is great for quickly defining foreground and background areas. But it doesn’t always get it perfect, especially around the edges of the subject.

To see the edges of your selection in more detail, you’ll need to zoom in on the image. First, tap the Pan & Zoom icon. Then pinch outwards to zoom in. Drag your finger to pan across to a different part of the image.

In the screenshot above, some of the leaves in the background have been selected as foreground. Remember, the red mask indicates the area that won’t get blurred.

To fix this problem, you could try drawing more background lines over the leaves. But if you get too close to the subject’s hair, the hair might get selected as background too. This has happened in the screenshot below.

In cases like this, you’ll need to use Manual Selection mode to make precise selections around the edge of your subject.

3.3 Use Manual Mode To Make Precise Selections

Tap the Pencil icon to switch to Manual Selection mode.

Next, tap Pan & Zoom. Then pinch to zoom in on the area you want to work on.

Tap the Brush Size icon. Select a brush size suitable for the area you need to select. If you’re selecting a small area, choose the smallest brush size.

To select an area of background, tap the Background icon. Use your finger to precisely paint over the background area that you want blurred. The red mask will disappear as you paint over it.

To select a part of your subject or foreground, tap the Focus icon. Paint over the area you want to keep in focus. The red mask will appear as you paint. Remember, the red mask indicates which parts of the final image will be in focus.

Your aim is to have the red mask only on the foreground subject that you want in focus.

If you make a mistake, tap the Undo icon (curved arrow). Or switch between the Focus and Background icons to paint over areas where you made a mistake.

It’s worth spending a bit of time getting your selection as precise as possible. If you don’t make a neat selection, the final result won’t look realistic when the background gets blurred.

Once you’re happy with the selection, tap the arrow at the top right of the screen. The area you selected as background will now appear blurred.

If you notice any mistakes with your selection, tap the single left arrow at the top of the screen. You can now fine-tune your selection using the Focus and Background tools. Tap the right arrow to return to the blur effects screen.

3.4 Customize The Blur Effect

The icons at the bottom of the screen let you customize the blur effect.

Tap the Blur icon. Here you can choose between Lens Blur and Motion Blur.

Lens Blur is the type of blur you get when you shoot with a shallow depth of field. Motion blur is the kind of blur you get when there’s movement in the scene, or when the camera moves as you take the shot. In most cases, you’ll want to select Lens Blur.

Use the slider to control the blur strength. Slide left for less blur, or right for more blur.

Keep the Edge Feature checkbox switched on. This ensures a smooth transition between the focused and blurred areas.

The Aperture icon lets you select different shaped apertures, which subtly change the blur effect. Switch on Bokeh if you want small hexagons of light to appear in the background of your image.

The Fading BG icon lets you create a gradual transition in blur from top to bottom.

You wouldn’t use this setting for a portrait photo. It wouldn’t look right if the top and bottom parts of the background appear blurred while the middle is in focus.

But this tool can be useful for creating a fake miniature tilt-shift effect, as shown in the example below.

If you wish, you can use the FX icons to apply filters or make adjustments to color and brightness.

When you’re happy with your edit, you can save the image to your photo library. Tap the down arrow at the top of the screen. Click Yes on the message asking if you’d like to save.

The edited photo with blurred background will save into the Photos app on your iPhone.

Below is the final edited image created with the AfterFocus app. The background has a beautiful, soft blur, while the subject remains sharp. The original photo is shown beneath for comparison.

Background blur created using AfterFocus App

Original Image

The post How To Blur Background In Your iPhone Photos: The Ultimate Guide appeared first on iPhone Photography School.

Table Of Contents: Prisma App Tutorial

Click any title link below to go straight to that section of the article:
1. How To Make A Photo Look Like A Painting Or Drawing With Prisma App
2. Access More Prisma Artistic Filters
3. Fine-Tune Your Artwork With The Prisma Photo Editor
4. Save Your Prisma Masterpiece
5. Free Prisma App vs Paid Premium Subscription

The Prisma app is free to download from the App Store.

You get a good selection of artistic filters with the free app. But you can access more filters by paying a subscription fee.

You’ll learn more about the Prisma paid subscription later. But for now, the free Prisma app is all you need to get started.

1. How To Make A Photo Look Like A Painting Or Drawing With Prisma App

When you first open the Prisma app, you’ll see the in-app camera.

You can tap the shutter button to take a photo. Or tap Gallery to open an image from your photo library.

When you’ve opened your photo library, locate the photo you want to edit. Then tap on the image to open it in the Prisma photo editor.

When your photo is open, you’ll see a selection of artistic filters at the bottom of the screen.

These include a range of painting styles as well as drawing and sketch effects.

Swipe across the filters to view more styles.

Note that the Prisma photo to painting app releases a new filter every day. So you’ll always have a new artistic style to try out.

When you find a filter you like the look of, tap to apply it to your photo.

It takes a few seconds for the Prisma app to turn your picture into a painting or drawing. The triangle icon in the middle of the screen shows the progress of the edit.

When your photo has been processed, you’ll see the effect applied to your image.

If you don’t like the effect, tap a different art filter at the bottom of the screen.

Keep trying different filters until you find a style that you like.

After applying a filter, you can adjust its strength by swiping left or right over the photo. Reducing the filter strength tones down the effect for a subtler result.

The filters at the bottom of the screen are only a small selection of Prisma’s huge range of paint and sketch styles.

So how do you access more Prisma filters?

Read on to find out!

2. Access More Prisma Artistic Filters

The Prisma picture to painting app has over 500 artistic filters.

This gives you a huge range of options when it comes to choosing a paint or sketch style for your photo.

Whatever your artistic preferences, you’re sure to find something you like!

To view the entire collection of Prisma filters, tap Library to the left of the filters.

Ensure the Art Styles tab is selected at the top of the screen. Then scroll down to view the different categories of filters, e.g. Daily Releases, Editor’s Picks, etc.

Tap See More to view all of the filters within a particular category.

When you find a filter you like the look of, tap it. Then tap Add To Favorites.

Adding a filter to your favorites means you’ll see it at the bottom of the screen when editing your photos.

When you’ve finished adding filters to your favorites, tap Library at the top left. Then tap the X at the top left to return to the editing screen.

The filters that you added to your favorites will appear at the bottom of the screen. You may need to scroll across to find them.

To remove a filter from the bottom of the screen, tap and hold the filter. Then drag it to the Trash icon in the middle of the screen.

If you remove a filter, you can always add it back to your favorites by opening the Library again.

Note that the free version of the app only gives you access to filters in the Prisma Classic and Misc Collection.

The white padlock icons indicate filters that are only available with the paid version of the app.

If you want the entire collection of over 500 filters, you’ll need to pay for the premium version of Prisma.

Tap any padlock icon to open the subscription options.

Premium subscription costs $7.99 a month or $29.99 a year.

You get a free 3-day trial, so you can always try it out before committing to the subscription.

3. Fine-Tune Your Artwork With The Prisma Photo Editor

Once you’ve applied a filter to your photo, you can fine-tune the effect using the Prisma photo editor tools.

Tap the Adjustments icon (two sliders) above the row of filters.

You’ll see a series of sliders for adjusting light, color, sharpness, etc. You can scroll down to view more adjustment sliders.

To adjust a setting, drag the slider left or right. Watch how your photo changes as you move the slider.

When you’re happy with the adjustments, tap the checkmark at the bottom right of the photo.

4. Save Your Prisma Masterpiece

When you’ve finished turning your photo into artwork, you’ll need to save it to your photo library.

Tap the Share icon (square with up arrow) near the bottom right.

On the next screen, tap Save.

When the photo has saved, tap Cancel at the top right to return to the Prisma photo editor.

To edit another photo, tap the X near the bottom left.

5. Free Prisma App vs Paid Premium Subscription

The Prisma app is free to download from the App Store. But there’s a subscription fee for accessing the app’s premium features.

Subscription costs $7.99 a month or $29.99 a year.

The premium version of Prisma gives you access to the entire collection of over 500 filters.

But what are the other benefits of premium subscription?

One of the key benefits is that you get unlimited HD processing.

This means the app will save your creations at full resolution, rather than reducing the image size.

When you’re using the app, you’ll notice the SD and HD icons at the top of the screen. SD means Standard Definition and HD means High Definition.

With the free app, you only get the option to use SD. When you save your edit, the image gets saved at a smaller size with fewer pixels than the original.

If you print or view the image at a large size, you’ll probably see some quality issues.

If you just want to have some fun with an app that turns pictures into paintings, the free Prisma app may work fine for you.

But if you’re planning to print or share your creations, you’ll probably want to save them at the full, original size (HD).

In this case, you’ll need to subscribe to the premium version of Prisma.

To subscribe, tap the HD icon in the Prisma photo editor.

Note that once you’ve subscribed, you’ll get the option to use SD or HD when editing. Ensure you select HD before saving so that the image saves at full size.

One more benefit of subscribing to the Prisma app is that it’s advert-free.

So if you’re fed up of seeing adverts in the free app, you can rest assured they’ll disappear once you subscribe!

The post How To Use Prisma App To Turn Your iPhone Photos Into Paintings & Drawings appeared first on iPhone Photography School.

1. Brushstroke App

The Brushstroke app ($3.99) converts your photo into a painting with just one tap.

It offers more than 50 different presets in a wide variety of painting styles.

These include watercolor, acrylic, oil, lead pencil, gloss, and abstract.

The Brushstroke app makes it very easy to turn a photo into a painting.

To apply a paint effect, simply select the style you want to use. You can adjust the paint intensity to achieve just the look you want.

After painting the photo, you can edit settings such as contrast, saturation, exposure, and sharpness.

You can also adjust the colors or change the background texture.

Do you want to see your masterpiece framed on your wall? It’s easy with Brushstroke!

You can order prints directly from the app and get them shipped straight to your doorstep.

If you want to create beautiful paintings using a wide range of styles, Brushstroke is the app for you!

2. Glaze App

Glaze is a free photo to painting app that converts your pictures into textured paintings.

With the free version of Glaze, there are 36 painting styles to choose from.

But you can unlock more styles for an additional $2.99.

The app also allows you to create your own presets by stacking different styles together.

Another great feature of the Glaze app is the mask tool. This lets you apply the paint effect to only certain parts of your photo.

However, to use this feature, you’ll need to pay an extra $2.99 to unlock the transparency pack.

Many of the Glaze painting presets are strongly textured. And some of the effects will create interesting abstract images.

You can use the Glaze paint effects on any photo. But I find it works best on pictures that have strong shapes and contrasting colors.

If you want to create paintings with a strong texture, Glaze is the perfect photo art app.

3. Waterlogue App

The Waterlogue app ($4.99) turns your iPhone photos into beautiful watercolor paintings.

This watercolor app is incredibly simple to use.

As soon as you open a photo, the app automatically turns it into a stunning watercolor.

There are 14 gorgeous watercolor styles to choose from. Each style varies in wetness, outline, and color.

After applying your chosen paint style, you can change the brush size and image brightness. You can also add a white border if you wish.

I find this app works best on landscapes, street scenes, and still life photos.

It works particularly well on landscape photos that have a blue sky with white fluffy clouds.

If you want to turn your photos into watercolor paintings, you can’t go wrong with Waterlogue.

It just a few seconds, this picture to painting app turns your photos into incredible works of art!

4. Portrait Painter App

The Portrait Painter app ($2.99) is designed for turning your portrait photos into stylized paintings.

But it’s actually ideal for any type of photo.

It does a terrific job of bringing out color and contrast, as you can see in the flower picture below.

There are over 25 different painting styles to choose from.

Styles are divided into two categories: Portrait Painter and Bright & Colorful.

The Portrait Painter styles retain the image’s natural colors. And the Bright & Colorful styles use bold, colorful brushstrokes.

You can customize your painting using a range of settings. These include brush size, skin smoothing, color enhancement, and canvas style.

If you want to create bold, colorful paintings on a textured canvas background, Portrait Painter is a great choice.

Remember, you don’t need to limit yourself to portraits of people and pets. This painting style can work on many different kinds of photo.

5. Tangled FX App

The Tangled FX app ($2.99) creates a truly distinctive look.

It turns your photos into paintings using “tangled” effects such as fibers, swirls, webs, and etching.

Tangled FX has 16 painting styles to choose from.

And you can fine-tune each style using a range of color and contrast settings.

You can also adjust the intensity of the effect to achieve the exact look you want.

If you want to add a unique, abstract style to your photos, try Tangled FX. You’ll be amazed at what you can create!

How To Turn A Picture Into A Drawing

Do you enjoy using iPhone photo painting apps? If so, you’ll probably enjoy turning your photos into drawings and sketches too!

Check out our comparison of the 6 best apps that turn photos into drawings.

The post 5 Best Painting Apps That Turn Your iPhone Photos Into Paintings appeared first on iPhone Photography School.

Table Of Contents: Removing Objects From Your iPhone Photos

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1. Quickly Remove Object From Your Photo
2. Remove Blemishes From A Portrait Photo
3. Remove Unwanted Lines From Your Image
4. Remove Large Or Irregular-Shaped Objects
5. Clone Detail From One Area To Another
6. Top Tips For Removing Objects Accurately

You can download the TouchRetouch app for $1.99 from the App Store.

1. Quickly Remove Object From Your Photo

The TouchRetouch app has several tools for removing objects from your photos.

But the quickest and easiest option is the Quick Brush tool. You simply brush over the object and it disappears!

This tool works best for removing small objects, or objects surrounded by empty space, such as sky or water.

In the example below, the colorful buoys have been removed from the water to create a cleaner, clutter-free image. The first photo is the original, and the second is the edited version with objects removed.

Here’s how to edit something out of a picture using the Quick Brush tool:

Open the TouchRetouch app, and tap Albums. Locate the photo you want to edit, then tap the photo to open it.

Tap Quick Repair at the bottom of the screen. Then ensure the Quick Brush tool is selected.

If you wish, you can tap Settings and use the Size slider to adjust the size of the brush. The brush is the white circle inside the green circle.

It’s also a good idea to zoom in on the object you want to remove – especially if the object is small. This will ensure an accurate selection of the object.

To zoom in, place two fingers on the screen, then drag your fingers apart. You can pan to a different part of the image by dragging with two fingers.

Now, simply use your finger to brush over the object you want to remove.

Because your finger is covering the area you’re selecting, you won’t be able to see the object under your finger. So whenever you touch the screen, you’ll see a white circle which shows the area you’re selecting.

The selected area will appear green. When you release your finger the object will disappear!

You’ll notice that the object is replaced by pixels from the surrounding area. So in this case, the buoy has been replaced by pixels from the surrounding water.

In most cases, the app will do a great job of removing the object. But if you’re not happy with the result, tap Undo (back arrow) at the top of the screen. Then try brushing over the object again.

You can keep brushing over other areas to remove as many objects as you want. In the example below, all of the colorful buoys in the water have been removed.

When you’re happy with the result, you’ll need to save your image.

To save, tap the Export icon (square with up arrow) at the top right. Then tap Save As Copy.

Your edited image will be saved to the Photos app on your iPhone.

Tap Back at the top left to exit the Export screen. Then tap the Home icon to select another image to edit.

2. Remove Blemishes From A Portrait Photo

Could your portrait photos be improved by removing pimples or imperfections from your subject’s skin?

The Blemish Remover tool in TouchRetouch makes it easy to create flawless portraits.

In the example below, the skin blemishes have been removed. The first photo is the original, and the second is the edited version with blemishes removed.

To remove blemishes from a portrait, open the image in TouchRetouch.

Tap Quick Repair at the bottom of the screen, then select the Blemish Remover tool.

Tap Settings at the bottom right and use the Size slider to adjust the size of the brush. The brush should be slightly bigger than the blemish you want to remove.

Zoom in, then tap on the blemish you want to remove. As soon as you release your finger, the blemish will disappear!

If the Blemish Remover tool struggles to remove a particular imperfection, switch to the Quick Brush tool. Then brush over the area you want to remove.

In the example below, you can see that several pimples and freckles have been removed from the subject’s face.

When you’re happy with the edit, tap the Export icon at the top right, then tap Save As Copy.

Tap Back at the top left to exit the Export screen. Then tap the Home icon to select another image to edit.

3. Remove Unwanted Lines From Your Image

Is your beautiful landscape photo ruined by a power line or telegraph pole?

Does your portrait subject want you to get rid of their wrinkles or a scar?

You can easily fix these problems with the Line Removal tool.

This tool uses innovative technology to recognize and remove lines – whether they’re thick, thin, straight, or curved.

In the example below, the power line has been removed from the bottom part of the image. Removing the wire helped create a cleaner, minimalist composition.

To remove lines from a photo, open it in TouchRetouch.

Tap Line Removal at the bottom of the screen, then select the Line Remover tool.

If you only want to remove a segment of a line, rather than the entire line, you’ll need to select Segment Remover instead.

Tap Settings at the bottom right, then select whether the line you want to remove is Thin, Medium, or Thick.

To remove a whole line, you only need to drag your finger over part of the line. There’s no need to highlight the entire line. And you don’t need to be precise as the app will find the line.

(Note that if you’ve selected the Segment Remover tool, you’ll need to highlight the entire line segment to remove it).

As soon as you release your finger, the line will vanish from your photo!

If the line wasn’t removed perfectly, tap Undo, then try selecting the line again.

When the line has been removed, don’t forget to save your edit.

4. Remove Large Or Irregular-Shaped Objects

Is the object you want to remove large or complex in shape? If so, the tools we’ve covered so far might not be suitable.

But don’t be put off by removing large or irregular-shaped objects!

The Object Removal tool lets you easily select complex shapes.

In the example below, I removed the jumping man from the photo. This left only his reflection, creating an intriguing and mysterious composition.

Open your image in TouchRetouch, and tap Object Removal. At the bottom of the screen, you’ll see three tools for selecting your object: Brush, Lasso, and Eraser.

The Brush and Lasso tools are for selecting an object. The Eraser tool lets you deselect areas that you selected by mistake.

In most cases, the Brush tool is the best option for selecting your object.

Zoom in, then simply brush over the object you want to remove. Tap Settings if you need to adjust the brush size.

The Lasso tool works a bit differently. With this tool, you don’t brush over the object.

Instead, you draw a continuous line around the edge of the object. When you release your finger, everything inside the lasso gets selected.

The Lasso tool is useful when your object is large. It means you don’t have to brush your finger over the entire object.

Once you’ve selected the object, you should check your selection carefully. Zoom in and check around the edges.

If you made a mistake and selected too much of the background, don’t worry! Simply switch to the Eraser tool and brush over the areas you want to deselect.

When you’ve made an accurate selection, tap Go at the bottom right. The selected object will disappear!

Finally, don’t forget to save your edit when you’re done.

5. Clone Detail From One Area To Another

The final tool in TouchRetouch is the Clone Stamp tool.

The Clone Stamp lets you manually copy pixels from one area to another.

This is different from the other tools which automatically replace an object with pixels from the surrounding area.

You can use the Clone Stamp to remove defects or repair a background that’s been damaged by removing an object.

It’s also handy for accurate object removal when the other retouch tools don’t produce good results.

In the example below, I didn’t get good results when I used the Object Removal tool to remove the lower flower. This was because the two flowers are right next to each other.

So I used the Clone Stamp to clone part of the blue sky over just the lower flower.

You can also use the Clone Stamp to duplicate objects in a photo.

In the example below, I used the Clone Stamp to duplicate the birds in the photo. The extra birds add more drama to the image.

Open your photo in TouchRetouch, and tap Clone Stamp. Ensure the Brush tool is selected at the bottom of the screen.

Tap on the object or area you want to duplicate (in this case, it’s one of the birds). A circle indicates the “source point.” If you want the cloned object to be mirrored horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, tap the Mirroring option.

Now brush over the area where you want the cloned content to appear. As you brush, the pixels from the source point are copied to the area that you brush over.

In the example above, the bird from the source point circle has been cloned to a different part of the photo. The duplicate bird is facing in the opposite direction because Mirroring was set to Horizontal.

If you’re not happy with the result, tap Undo or use the Eraser tool to erase the cloned object.

If you wish, keep repeating the above process to clone more objects within the image.

When you’re happy with your edit, save the image.

6. Top Tips For Removing Objects Accurately

Knowing how to remove something from a picture will really expand your editing options.

But you have to take care to ensure you get realistic, accurate results.

Here are some top tips for getting perfect results every time!

6.1 Have Some Empty Space Around Your Object

Results are usually better when there’s plenty of empty space around the object you want to remove.

Sky, water, snow, fields, and walls are all perfect backgrounds for removing objects.

When you remove the object, the pixels from the surrounding empty space will seamlessly replace the object.

But if there’s too much detail around the object, it’s more difficult (but not impossible!) to achieve realistic results.

6.2 Small Objects Are Easier To Remove Than Large Ones

The smaller the elements are, the easier it is to remove the imperfections.

Small objects can be selected quickly. And they usually have more empty space around them.

Removing large objects is perfectly possible, but you’ll usually need to spend a bit more time removing them.

6.3 Zoom In On The Object

For accurate object removal, ensure you zoom in by pinching outwards with two fingers.

A closer view allows you to select the object more accurately.

The more accurate you are with your selection, the better the final result will be.

6.4 Use The Eraser For A More Accurate Selection

When selecting complex objects, don’t forget to check the edges of your selection.

Then use the Eraser tool to deselect any areas of the background that shouldn’t be selected.

Erasing areas that you selected by mistake will result in a better final result.

6.5 If It Doesn’t Work Out, Try Again!

You might not always get perfect results on your first edit. But that doesn’t mean you can’t remove the object from your photo.

If it doesn’t work out on the first go, tap Undo and try again.

Try brushing over a slightly different area of the object. Or try using a different retouch tool.

For images with complex objects or backgrounds, you might need to spend a bit more time editing.

But the results will be worth it!

As you can see, TouchRetouch is an amazing app for removing objects from your photos. And it offers incredible value for just $1.99.

If you’d prefer to try a free app to remove unwanted objects from a photo, check out our guide to the best photo retouch apps.

The post Removing Objects From Your iPhone Photos: The Ultimate Guide appeared first on iPhone Photography School.

Table Of Contents: How To Use VSCO Filters

Click any title link below to go straight to that section of the tutorial:

1. How To Use VSCO Filters To Enhance Your iPhone Photos

2. VSCO Filter Guide: How To Create Different Styles & Moods
Best VSCO Filters: Light & Airy Mood
Best VSCO Filters: Dark & Moody Atmosphere
Best VSCO Filters: Happy & Energetic Vibe
Best VSCO Filters: Vintage Style
Best VSCO Filters: Black & White

3. Develop Your Own Style With VSCO Filters

1. How To Use VSCO Filters To Enhance Your iPhone Photos

Step 1: Import Photos Into VSCO

Open the VSCO app. Then tap the [+] icon at the top right of the screen:

Select the images you want to edit, then tap Import at the bottom of the screen:

Step 2: Open The VSCO Editor

Tap the photo you want to edit. A colored border will appear around the selected image.

Tap the Edit icon (two sliders) at the bottom of the screen:

Note that if you have more than one photo selected, you won’t be able to tap the Edit icon. This is because you can only edit one image at a time. If you have more than one picture selected, deselect all by tapping the X at the bottom left of the screen. Then select a single photo to edit.

Once you’ve opened the editing options, you’ll see a row of VSCO filters along the bottom of the screen. VSCO filters are named with letters and numbers, e.g. A6, F1, HB2, S5, Q10:

The VSCO app comes with a basic collection of 10 filters to get you started. But there are many more filters available.

You’ll learn how to access the entire collection of VSCO filters at the end of this section.

Step 3: Apply A VSCO Filter To Your Photo

To apply a VSCO filter to your photo, tap a filter of your choice from the bottom of the screen.

In the screenshot below, the F2 filter was applied:

Swipe across the bottom of the screen to see more VSCO filters. Tap on the different filters until you find one that you like.

Notice how the colors and brightness of your photo change depending on which filter you’ve applied:

It’s a good idea to compare the edited and unedited versions of your photo. Tap and hold the image to see the unedited version, then release to return to the edited image.

Step 4: Adjust The Filter Strength

If the filter effect looks too strong, you can tone it down by reducing the filter strength.

To access the filter strength slider, tap the black filter icon that you’ve just applied:

Drag the slider left to reduce the intensity of the filter:

Tap the checkmark at the bottom right when you’re done.

Step 5: Use VSCO Editing Tools (Optional)

At this point, you could make further edits to your image using the VSCO editing tools. These let you adjust exposure, color, sharpness, etc.

To access the VSCO editing tools, tap the Edit icon (two sliders) at the bottom of the screen:

We’re not going to cover these adjustments in this tutorial. But you can click here to learn how to create stunning VSCO edits using the full set of editing tools available.

Step 6: Save Your VSCO Edits

The final step is to save your edited image. Tap Save at the top of the screen:

Your edit is now saved within the VSCO app. However, it isn’t yet saved to your iPhone’s photo library.

To save your edited image into the Photos app, start by tapping the three dots at the bottom right of the screen:

Tap Save To Camera Roll, then select Actual Size to ensure the image saves at full resolution:

Below are the original and edited photos for you to compare:

Original image

Edited with VSCO filter H3

The H3 filter subtly brightened the image and added pretty pink tones to the flowers and background.

Step 7: Download More VSCO Filters (Optional)

Having access to the full range of VSCO filters gives you far more choice over the style of your VSCO edits.

Edited with VSCO filter HB2

If you want the entire collection of filters, you’ll need to pay an annual subscription of $19.99 for VSCO X membership.

This also unlocks some advanced editing tools that aren’t available in the free version of the app.

Edited with VSCO filter G1

VSCO offers a 7-day free trial membership, so you can try it out before you start paying.

To join VSCO X, tap the X icon at the bottom right of the screen:

Tap Start Free Trial to get access to the complete range of VSCO filters:

2. VSCO Filter Guide: How To Create Different Styles & Moods

Creating a particular mood in your iPhone photos helps you tell a story and evoke certain emotions in the viewer.

Of course, mood is often created at the time of shooting. Subject matter, location, and lighting all affect how the viewer perceives your image.

Edited with VSCO filter P5

But you can further enhance or change the mood of a photo in editing. VSCO filters are a great tool for making subtle changes to the mood and style of your photos.

There are two main editing techniques that affect mood: color and light.

Let’s take the photo below as an example. Here’s the original image of a little boy on the beach:

Original image

Below are some different edits using a variety of VSCO filters. The different color tones and brightness levels change the look and feel of the image:

My favorite filter for this particular photo was S3. It brightened up the image and made the colors more vibrant:

Edited with VSCO filter S3

Choosing the right VSCO effects for a particular photo is the key to creating a stunning edit.

But with so many filters to choose from, it can be difficult to know which ones create a particular look or feel.

Below you’ll discover the best VSCO filters to create certain moods in your iPhone photos.

This VSCO filter guide shows you how to create the following styles in your iPhone photos:

• Light & airy mood
• Dark & moody atmosphere
• Happy & energetic vibe
• Vintage style
• Black & white

Best VSCO Filters: Light & Airy Mood

To create a light and airy mood in your photos, choose a filter that brightens the image and adds fresh white tones. These include F2, K1, N1 and S3.

Below is the original photo of some white flowers in a vase. The second image has the S3 VSCO filter applied:

Original image

Edited with VSCO filter S3

The S3 filter makes the flowers and background appear brighter and whiter. The image looks much cleaner and fresher than the original.

When editing photos with white subjects and backgrounds, pay attention to slight changes in color tone when you apply a filter.

In the screenshots below, you can see subtle color differences created by the different VSCO filters.

The K1 filter at the bottom left has a pinkish tone. The F2 filter at the bottom right has a blueish tone. The S3 filter at the top right has the most neutral white tones.

Even subtle differences in color can have a significant effect on the mood of your photo.

Best VSCO Filters: Dark & Moody Atmosphere

For dark and moody photography, use a filter that tones down the colors and darkens the shadows.

Filters with a blue tint can work well as they evoke feelings of coldness, loneliness or sadness.

Try using HB2, J1, M2 or T1 to create a dark, moody photo with a sense of mystery or drama.

Below is the original photo of a lone man looking out to sea on a cold winter’s day. The second image has the HB2 VSCO filter applied:

Original image

Edited with VSCO filter HB2

The HB2 filter makes the shadows appear darker, and emphasizes the silhouette of the man. It also has a blueish tone which adds to the feeling of coldness and loneliness.

Best VSCO Filters: Happy & Energetic Vibe

To enhance a feeling of happiness or energy in your photos, use a filter that makes the colors brighter and more vibrant. Try using C1, F1, K2 or S3.

Below is the original photo of a smiling boy on a muddy cycle ride. The second image has the S3 VSCO filter applied:

Original image

Edited with VSCO filter S3

The S3 filter brightens the image and makes the colors more vivid, emphasizing the happy and energetic mood.

When editing portrait photos, be aware of how the different filters affect skin tone. Some filters can make the skin look too orange, yellow, blue, green, etc.

In the screenshots below, the subject’s skin looks a different color in each one:

Best VSCO Filters: Vintage Style

There are a couple of different options for creating a vintage or aged look in your photos. One technique is to use a filter that fades the colors.

The T1, T2 and T3 filters are great for creating a soft, faded edit. They work particularly well for still life and flower photography.

Below is the original photo of a vase of flowers. The second image has been edited with the T2 VSCO filter:

Original image

Edited with VSCO filter T2

T2 makes the perfect VSCO vintage filter for this photo. With a single tap, you can create a romantic vintage-style look.

Another way to create a vintage-style photo is to make it look like an old polaroid picture. You can do this with the P series of filters which add different color tints to your image.

Below is the original photo of a baby holding his father’s hand. The second image has the P5 VSCO filter applied, making it look like a vintage polaroid picture:

Original image

Edited with VSCO filter P5

Best VSCO Filters: Black & White

For a classic and timeless look, you can’t go wrong with a black and white filter.

VSCO has a great selection of black and white filters, from high contrast to vintage fades and sepia.

Try the B series of VSCO filters for a variety of classic black and white edits. Each filter has a different level of brightness and contrast, so you can achieve just the look that you want.

The X series of filters are perfect for creating vintage-style black and white edits. This filter series lets you create beautiful faded black and white photos.

There are also several filters that have a brown or blue color tint. The brown tint is for creating an old-fashioned sepia effect.

Below is the original color photo. The second image was edited with the B2 VSCO filter to create a slightly faded black and white edit. The X4 filter was applied to the third photo to create a vintage-style sepia effect.

Original image

Edited with VSCO filter B2

Edited with VSCO filter X4

3. Develop Your Own Style With VSCO Filters

Your choice of VSCO filter can have a big impact on the mood of your photo. So take the time to try out different filters to achieve the exact look that you want.

Edited with VSCO filter N2

The great thing about VSCO filters is that it’s very easy to develop your own editing style.

The trick is not to apply lots of different styles of filters to your photos. Stick to a handful of your favorite filters of a similar style to create a cohesive body of work.

Edited with VSCO filter A5

Editing with a similar style will create a more inviting and beautiful collection of photos.

This is especially important if you’re planning to share your photos online or print as an album or photo book.

Edited with VSCO filter A2

Your style might change over time or for different sets of photos.

But if you share your images on Instagram or enjoy printing collections of photos, they’ll have far more impact if they’re all edited with a similar look and feel.

Edited with VSCO filter G2

Check out the two Instagram feeds below of iPhone photographers that we’ve interviewed.

These prove how effective it is to edit using a similar VSCO style.

Sara Tasker (@me_and_orla on Instagram) always uses VSCO filters on her images before posting to Instagram.

She particularly likes using filters from the Aesthetic and Minimalist VSCO preset collections:

Even though she shoots different kinds of subjects, her choice of VSCO filters creates a beautifully cohesive Instagram feed.

Another talented iPhone photographer who uses VSCO filters is Vlad Vasylkevych (@vlad.vasylkevych on Instagram).

His Instagram feed shows how effective it is to choose the same style of filter for similar types of photos:

The post How To Use VSCO Filters To Create Beautiful iPhone Photo Edits appeared first on iPhone Photography School.