iPhone & Android Photography App for Editing - Snapseed Review

Are you guys and gals ready for another fun photography app for your phone images? I have been playing around with Snapseed this week and I am surprised by how much I like it! It has been fun to play around with a few images and see what this app has to offer. I'm impressed. AND it is for both iPhones and Android phones. 

Go to the App store and download Snapseed to get a really easy to use and fun app to make your images brighter, edit selective areas on a photo, add vignetting, and have access to a ton of really great filters. I bet you'll love it too.

Once you have the app, go to Open. You'll then choose if you'd like a photo from your library, if you want to navigate which image to open on your device (instead of through the app) OR use your camera to take a photo.  

Here's the main screen with your tool options and your filter library. I love the choices we get to access here.

In every top left corner of each tool option, you'll see a question mark (?). If you click on it, the app will demonstrate how the tool works! It's pretty cool. Most edits you will slide your finger across the screen or up and down to change the setting. I like being able to see the change right when I move my finger. 

You can also selectively adjust the brightness, contrast and saturation, which is awesome!

They have a great library of filters; I like some of the vintage ones a lot! 

Give Snapseed a try and see if it gets you better edits on your phone! Take your iPhone and Android photos to the next level by taking some time to make them brighter, more clear and styled the way you like.

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How to Take Better Photos With a Samsung Galaxy Phone

I have to admit I am a bit of an iPhone snob, and my 'phoneography' (aka phone photography) articles have definitely been biased towards iPhones! I was curious about Android devices and what they were like, so I borrowed a friends' Samsung Galaxy S4 to see what it could do! Today I have a few tips for taking better photos with an Android device; specifically, the S4. If you don't have the S4, don't stress; I'll have more Android photography tips coming!

• Learn what mode your camera is set to, and what other modes it has to offer. 

This S4 offers an HDR mode, which means high-dynamic range. If you like images that have saturated colors and a lot of contrast, try shooting in this mode instead of adjusting your settings manually. You can also shoot panoramic images, erase things out of the backgrounds, shoot in sports mode to better freeze motion and more!

• Shoot using your manual settings!

In some situations, shooting on auto works just fine. You do have the very cool option of choosing manual settings such as your own ISO, selecting your white balance, and using exposure compensation. See my examples below to help you find where to change these settings! 

1. Underneath the camera icon, you can change your ISO. Remember that the higher the number the brighter your photo will be. If it's a dark scene, choose a high ISO number.

2. You can also change your metering modes. Read my article about metering modes to better understand the difference between center-weighted, spot and matrix metering!  

3. Under the settings icon on the right, you can change your white balance, set timers, and use exposure compensation. If you aren't loving your auto white balance, select a certain setting that matches the lighting you are in and see if it helps!

4. If you click 'Exposure Compensation' underneath the White Balance setting, you'll see this slider (image below). Sliding to the left will make your exposure darker, to the right will make it brighter. This is an easy trick to change the exposure quickly!

• You have a built-in spot removal tool! 

Is there something you really don't like in your photo? Simply drag your finger around the object (or photo-bombers face) and this tool will get rid of it! I love that they have this feature. 

Check out the difference between the dirty sidewalk on the left, and after the spot-removal tool was used on the right to clean it up!

• Check out your auto-face brighten tool! 

In about 90% of my phone images, my subject's face is darker than I want it to be. I always brighten them up when I can, and this tool is very useful for that. It automatically detects the subjects face and you can selectively brighten just that! You'll find this adjustment under the portrait setting. 

Hopefully some of these quick tips can help you get better results with your Samsung photos! I will have more Android tips in the future, for newer phones and also the best photo-editing apps for Android devices!

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