What are the best image editors for iOS?

7

Options
Considered

7

User
Recs.

Jan 24, 2018

Last
Updated

Here’s the Deal

7 Options Considered

Best image editors for iOS	Price	Platforms	Tethered capture
-- Pixelmator	-	OSX	No
-- Affinity Photo	$49.99	OSX, Windows	No
-- Aviary	-	–	–
-- Free Photo Collage & Template Designer	Free	–	–
-- Lightroom	$9.99/mo	Windows OSX	Yes

Pixelmator

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Top Pro

Functionality comparable to that of the desktop counterpart

The app allows adjusting colors (contrast, exposure, white balance, saturation, etc) applying dozens of effects, it has tools for painting (100+ brushes, stylus support, smudging, etc), retouching (sharpening, lightening, etc) and graphic design (texts, shapes) and much more. All supporting layer-based and often non-destructive editing techniques. See More

Top Con

Lots of tapping required to get around

Because Pixelmator tries to include as much functionality as it does, a lot of time is spent navigating through menus, finding the appropriate tool for the job. See More

Specs

Tethered capture:No

Top Pro

Cheap

Costs just $5. See More

Top Con

No redo button

Affinity Photo

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Top Pro

Lifetime updates

Pay once, get updates forever. See More

Top Con

Limited selection of plugins

Plugin support was only recently added to AP and not many plugins have been created for the program so far. See More

Specs

Platforms:OSX, Windows

Tethered capture:No

Top Pro

Personas allow separation of concerns

At a high level the interface is organized into broad groups of tools called Personas. Personas like Photo for in-depth image manipulation, Liquify for warping the image, Develop for basic RAW photo development and Export for exporting. Each persona displays only those tools that are needed for that task. See More

Top Pro

Interface will be familiar to those coming from Photoshop

The interface, especially the Photo persona, is laid out in way that's very similar to Photoshop - a panel for icons for tools on the left, a panel for information and settings on the right. See More

Top Pro

Compatible with Photoshop PSD files

Affinity Photo can import and export .psd files. See More

Aviary

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Top Pro

Easy to use

The app doesn't overwhelm you with functionality or hide it behind unlabelled icons. It displays about 5 tools at a time beneath the image and allows you to swipe through the complete list of tools horizontally. Most interactions with the software are kept in that bottom row so you can always see the results of your image manipulations. See More

Top Con

Covers just the basics

There are 20 tools for image manipulation. They allow you to change the sharpness, crop the image, apply filters to it, add frames, etc. There are also tools for one tap redeye and blemish removal. See More

Top Pro

Free

The core functionality of the app is offered for free without any ads. You can optionally purchase additional effects. See More

Top Con

Not all effects are free

Free Photo Collage & Template Designer

Top Pro

Easy tools for image editing

Lightroom

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Top Pro

HDR support

Can merge multiple shots into one in order to expand dynamic range. This turns your iPhone into a much more powerful camera. See More

Specs

Platforms:Windows OSX

Tethered capture:Yes

Photoshop Fix

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Top Pro

Integrates with Creative Cloud

You can save all projects directly to the Creative Cloud allowing you to access them from any device and with any relevant Adobe software. See More

Top Con

Moving projects between Adobe apps could be easier

Projects can't be moved directly between apps, they first have to be saved to the Creative Cloud. This also means that if you're disconnected from the Internet, you can't share projects between applications. See More

Top Pro

The app works exactly the same on an iPhone as it does on an iPad

All functionality and navigation is the same on the iPhone as it is on the iPad. See More

Top Con

Covers just retouching tools

Top Pro

Syncs with Lightroom mobile

The app allows easily accessing all Lightroom mobile assets saved on the device. See More

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