The 7 Apps I Use

To Create All My
iPhone Photos

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Introduction
The last couple of years have seen an explosion in the number of different
photo apps on the App Store, and the things you can do with photo apps
these days are truly amazing. There are thousands of photo apps out there,
both paid and free, and too many iPhoneographers have downloaded
dozens of apps only to find out that they dont use most of them.
After going through countless photo apps I decided to take a different
approach and only focus on the few apps that can do everything I really
need. It also makes more sense to only focus on the few really good apps
and not waste your time on other apps that you dont need. So without
further ado, here are the seven apps I use create all my iPhone photos.
1. Snapseed
If I could only have one photo app on my iPhone, I would definitely go for
Snapseed. Its the app that I have used for editing more photos than any
other photo app, and often its all I need for post-processing. Many very
talented iPhoneographers have also praised Snapseed in IPS interviews.

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If you need a universal easy-to-use photo editor, you cant go wrong with
Snapseed. And if youre only getting started with iPhoneography, its the
one app that you should learn before everything else.
Strengths: Easy-to-use universal photo editor
Weaknesses: Some effects can introduce grain and halos
Price: Free on App Store
Learn More: The Complete Guide to Snapseed

2. VSCO Cam
VSCO Cam is a great camera replacement and
photo editing app. Its greatest strength lies in
simple one-tap editing presets that can be used
to add a unique classic-photography look and
feel to your photos. Most-one tap editing apps
have terrible filters that will only ruin your
photos, but VSCO Cam effects are a lot more
subtle, and they usually look great.
VSCO Cam also offers some really great custom
editing options, such as the ability to add tint to
the highlights or the shadows of the photo
separately. If youre looking for an app that can
easily add a classic photography look to your
photos, you cant go wrong with VSCO Cam.
Strengths: Great one-tap effects and custom editing options
Weaknesses: User interface can be confusing at first
Price: Free on App Store
Learn More: The Complete Guide to VSCO Cam

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3. Tadaa
Just like Instagram, tadaa is a photo sharing
network, but unlike Instagram, tadaa also offers
some really advanced photo editing tools. The
best thing about tadaa is its masking and tilt-shift
functionality which can be used to create DSLRlike portraits and other interesting effects. The tiltshift in tadaa is better and more advanced than
what you will find in most other apps.
Strengths: Tilt-shift and masking functionality
Weaknesses: Photo sharing is heavily promoted
Price: Free on App Store
Learn More: The Complete Guide to tadaa

4. Mextures
There are many apps that you can use to
apply textures, scratches and light-leaks
to your photos, but none of them are as
good as Mextures. With simple user
interface, the ability to stack a seemingly
infinite number of layers, interesting
blending modes and a large collection
of high-quality textures, Mextures really
is the best app for applying textures and
other similar effects to your photos.
Another really cool thing about Mextures is the ability to quickly edit photos
using formulas. You can either use one of the formulas that has been
created for you by professional photographers, or you can create your own
formula to quickly apply the same adjustments to multiple photos.
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Strengths: Stack many effects with different blending modes, formulas

Weaknesses: Lack of basic editing functionality (e.g. brightness, contrast)
Price: $1.99 on App Store (prices may change)
Learn More: The Complete Guide to Mextures

5. Image Blender
While there are several great layer and
masking apps, none of them can beat
Image Blender in terms of simplicity
and ease of use. If the whole idea of
layers and masks scares you, Blender
is the perfect app to start with. But
despite its simplicity, there are so
many things you can do with Blender.
I use Image Blender to create multi-exposure photos, to selectively apply
effects to only some parts of the image, and to combine elements from
different photos into one interesting composition. However, there are many
more things you could do with this simple but extremely versatile app.
Strengths: Simple app with endless creative applications
Weaknesses: Limited functionality (e.g. only two layers at once)
Price: $2.99 on App Store (prices may change)
Learn More: The Complete Guide to Blender

6. Pro Camera 7
I tried several camera replacement apps until I finally settled for Pro Camera
7. Of course, there are other apps with similar functionality (e.g. the ability
to separate focus and exposure, image stabilization etc.), but for some
reason Pro Camera 7 is the only one that handles photo library well.
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I dont know why, but other camera replacement apps make it really hard to
see the photos you just took which is something I like to do all the time
and only Pro Camera 7 handles this essential functionality well.
Strengths: Powerful photo capture app with great photo library
Weaknesses: Lack of volume-button shutter release
Price: $1.99 on App Store (prices may change)
Learn More: Pro Camera 7 User Manual

7. Pro HDR
HDR or High Dynamic Range is a photo
technique that combines differently
exposed versions of the same photo into
one composite image so that both the
highlights and the shadows are properly
exposed. You can also take HDR photos
with the iPhones built-in camera app, but
if you want a stronger HDR effect, you
should definitely check out ProHDR.
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ProHDR lets you to take HDR photos inside the app, and you can either use
the automatic settings (which is what I normally do) or select the two
exposures manually. You can also create HDR photos from your photo
library, and there are some convenient photo editing tools as soon as the
HDR photo is created. One downside is that it takes much longer to

capture HDR photos with ProHDR, and you dont want to move your
iPhone (or have movement in the frame) when shooting HDR photos.
Strengths: Powerful HDR effect with customization options
Weaknesses: Takes much longer to capture photos
Price: $1.99 on App Store (prices may change)
Learn More: How to Take HDR Photos With Your iPhone
Conclusion
It can be tempting to get lost in the world of apps, but if you really want to
improve your iPhoneography, I recommend that you master just a few really
great apps before downloading anything new.
It really doesnt matter how many apps you have on your iPhone if you dont
know how to use them. But if you just focus on the apps that are listed in
this report and learn how to use them following the resources that I list in
Learn More section, your iPhoneography will quickly improve.
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