Travelling, these days, is synonymous with endless photo taking sprees. Thanks to mobile phones and digital photography in general, taking pictures is easy, cheap and ubiquitous. But are they any good?
While taking great photographs does require some skill, vision and effort, most of us are too lazy to make that effort. Especially when travelling – click and move on is a method used by most when it comes to taking pictures. And then the results can be decidedly mixed.
For your favourite travel pictures though, there is a way to take them to the next level, where much of your oversights in terms of framing, lighting and even focus can be corrected. And the best part is, now it is as easy as pressing buttons! We are ofcourse talking of amazing photo editing/ enhancing apps that are out there. So, don’t worry if you were late for the golden hour while holidaying in Vietnam or partying in Ibiza, your travel pictures can still have the oomph to make your friends go wow! Here’s how:
For beginners:
If you are new to this photo taking game and still coping up with social media pressures to upload the best of your travel pictures, start with:
A social app that also allows you to edit and enhance your picture. That saves you both time and effort. A great place to start, the updated version of Instagram has several filters that you can play with before you decide hit send. And if you are willing to experiment further with that picture perfect sunrise, the little settings icon on the top also allows you to change saturation, brightness, contrast, shadow, etc. The best part is, you can see the effect of each change as you make them, thus giving you more liberty to learn. Once you are satisfied with the look, simply publish it and watch your friend swoon.
Pixlr
With a tall claim of over two million combinations of effects, overlays and filters, Pixlr will keep you busy. It has an inbuilt collage maker that also allows you to add captions and text on the images. Superb social media sharin, we say. Quite user friendly for beginners, you can simply switch between effects and settings with a tap on the screen. It comes with an eraser to auto fix and auto contrast, too.
Fotor
Edit, collage and share images, all with a single app. The Fotor is the only free app with a ‘focus’ feature borrowed from the SLR technology. You can use this skill to add greater depth and clarity to your shots. Just like setting the focus in a DSLR or SLR camera, this app lets you choose a focal point, adjust the emulator to your preference, and create a high definition-esque finish.
Snapseed
One of the most popular photo editing apps, Snapseed’s user friendliness is a big lure for newbies. With swipe in and out actions for different effects, using it is a breeze. It allows you to add filters and also play with various settings of your picture so that you can put your best picture forward.
For Pros
So you are finally getting better at this game and all your fans and followers are waiting for the next post. Then these apps are what you need.
VSCO Cam
Once you graduate to a higher pool of photographers, it becomes important to learn from each other. Now you are not only sharing for more social likes but also for feedback from the photographer community. And VSCO Cam helps you connect with amazing photographers from around the world, see and comment on their work. You can create your own journal and get inspired. Unlike other social platforms, it is not about the likes and the number of followers. It is simply about good pictures. Moreover, it comes with top performance features. To start with, you can import high resolution images, which means you also use the app for your high-res camera shots. And the greatest benefit would be the before and after comparisons that show how you built up your edit and what each change means (similar to layers in Photoshop). Yes, and it is free.
Photoshop Fix
A beloved of the creative industry, Photoshop is a complex tool but quite a necessity for image editing. But who has the time to sit and edit on a desktop after a long holiday. Thank god for Photshop Fix. Bits and pieces of the popular software packaged in an app, it aims to provide photographers with plenty of power. True to its name, Photoshop Fix is all about quick fixes. You can heal blemishes, make adjustments to highlights and shadows, or slather colour everywhere through finger-painting. This one goes beyond just photo enhancing. From fixing a jawline to the blackheads on your portraits, it can do it all, for free.
So take your pick from the list and transform your summer holiday pictures. All the apps are all available for free on both iOs and Android.