Your mobile phone is so powerful that it can even act as a photo and video editing device. But people are so busy these days that they rarely have the time to look through the various photo and video editing apps available to the best aesthetic apps.
We are here to save you the time. You can definitely find the one you’re looking for in this list. We recommend all these apps and we believe they will give you the aesthetic you need for your photos.
One of the key things to consider is exactly what you want these apps to do for you. For example, if your Instagram posts are mainly food related, then certain apps will work better for you than others. As with many social media content tips, trial and error are the way forward, so try apps and, if they don’t work for you or give you the desired effect, move on to the next one.
1. Adobe Photoshop Express
As you might know, Adobe is the king of image editing software. Adobe Photoshop is an essential tool for designers, graphic artists, photographers and website developers. It is commonly used to edit images, creating website mock-ups, retouching images and adding effects.
If you’re not quite ready for the full deal, Adobe Photoshop Express allows you to utilise the amazing tools of Adobe Photoshop without needing to take a course to learn more.
This app gives you the usual tools you would find in a lot of other apps, such as crop, shadows, contrast, exposure, straighten, rotate and many more. However, it includes other, more advanced, tools, such as removing red eye, smoothing for unwanted spots, adding aesthetically-pleasing frames and edges, and advanced collages and text. You can even add objects from other photos to your images.
Price: Free to download, but you need to pay in-app if you want more advanced features.
Availability: Available on iOS and Android.
Rating: 9/10
2. Canva
Another classic for good reason. Canva makes graphic design easy, even for beginners, thanks to its library of customisable templates that are there for changing and taking inspiration from.
You can use Canva to enhance regular Instagram posts with the ability to edit photos and easily overlay them with text, graphics and other design elements—including your brand’s fonts and logo—to create content that truly resonates with followers.
Price: Free to download the free version, but Canva Pro is available for £99.99 a year for one user.
Availability: Available on iOS and Android.
Rating: 8/10
3. Unfold
Unfold is the ultimate aesthetic app for Instagram Stories and Snapchat. It gives you minimalistic templates and advanced text tools with aesthetic fonts to create beautiful stories.
Unfold is brought to you by SquareSpace and has been voted “Best of the Year: Best Apps” on the Google and Apple stores.
Massive influencers and brands such as Topshop, Four Seasons, and Equinox are using the app. The popularity is potentially down to people wanting to be more creative on social media. This app allows you to do that without having advanced skills in Photoshop or other major editing platforms.
Price: Free to download, and it comes with some free templates. To access more advanced templates and features, you need to subscribe to Unfold+.
Availability: Available to download on iOS and Android.
Rating: 9/10
4. VSCO
VSCO is consistently ranked by photographers as one of the best Instagram photo editing apps on the market—mainly because of its high-quality filters. It’s a sophisticated editing app for creators. It allows you to use a variety of filters and tools to make your photos and videos aesthetically pleasing.
An article by Forbes states that “since VSCO launched its first mobile app in 2012, it has amassed 150 million-plus Android and iPhone downloads.” The success of this application comes down to users ealising very early on that you don’t need a professional camera to take good photos. You simply need an app to make your mobile photos look just as great.
The filters on the app area all beautiful and have a variety of different styles available. You can also edit standard elements such as contrast, saturation, exposure and grain. There are some great, basic VSCO presets available for free.
You can even subscribe to VSCO Membership to get ALL the presets. Although that costs money, it’s absolutely worth it, trust us, because we’ve been a subscriber for a long time now. As well as being able to access advanced filters and editing tools, it also allows you to edit videos, too. You can transform your videos on mobile with presets and editing tools, and add vintage film looks. Totally worth the investment.
Price: Free to download, and it comes with some free presets. To access all the presets and advanced tools for both photos AND videos, you would have to get VSCO Membership for $19.99 USD per year. The annual membership starts at $29.99 and the monthly membership starts at $7.99.
Availability: Available to download on iOS and Android.
Rating: 9/10
5. Later
Later helps solve the issue of wanting to know what your Instagram grid will look like ahead of posting. All you need to do is drag and drop your photos on to the Visual Instagram Planner and rearrange them until you find the perfect balance for your feed. Once you’re happy with how everything looks, you can then schedule the posts knowing that your feed is going to be aesthetic as you want it to be.
Price: Free to download
Availability: Available for download on iOS and Android.
Rating: 8/10
6. Snapseed
Made popular by Google back in 2012, Snapseed is one of the simplest and most versatile photo editing apps out there. Let’s face it, sometimes you just want to erase something in a photo that you didn’t realise was there – hello lipstick teeth…
Snapseed has a variety of unique fade filters and effects to choose from, but many people use it for its Photoshop-like tools.
Price: Free to download
Availability: Available for download on iOS and Android.
Rating: 8/10
7. Adobe Lightroom CC
Lightroom is perfect for people who love photography. It gives you all the advanced tools to edit your photos professionally through any mobile or tablet device.
You can experiment with colour by adjusting specific colours, use light tools and add effects. The best part is that you can save all your hard work in editing as a preset. This allows you to use the exact same adjustments into other photos, too.
Price: Free to download, including a lot of free tools. You can upgrade for premium features to have more precise control.
Availability: Available to download on iOS and Android.
Rating: 10/10
8. Instasize
Instasize Photo Editor + Video is the toolkit for creative socials, allowing you to create visually engaging videos and photos. The combination of video and colour editing and original filters make this easy-to-use app a no-brainer for Instagram lovers.
Instasize offers a premium option for anyone wanting to upgrade from their basic features. A subscription allows you to access the full filter library, including 100+ for premium-only subscribers and 80+ unique borders. You also get advanced beauty tools to edit blemishes, whiten teeth and remove redness.
One premium feature that sets Instasize aside from its competitors is the exclusive content available for its premium subscribers, including tips and tutorials from experts and social media influencers.
Price: Free to download the basic version. You can upgrade to premium for $4.99 per month to access extra features.
Availability: Available on iOS and Android.
Rating: 9/10
FAQ
You have questions and we have answers. It’s the perfect combination. Of course, if you have any other questions, feel free to let us know!
What are the best photo apps for Instagram?
The best photo editing apps for Instagram are Adobe Lightroom CC, VSCO and Unfold. Lightroom and VSCO allow you to generate a filter that’s specific to your content. Unfold is for creating visually-pleasing Instagram stories with various aesthetic templates for you to use.
How do I make an aesthetic picture?
The first step is to take a good photo. Make sure you take your photo in daylight and focus your camera, even if it’s just on your phone. You can use apps such as VSCO and Lightroom to add aesthetic presets on your photos. You can use Adobe Photoshop Express if you want to make collages and add text to your edited photos.
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Article posted by Lizzie Robinson
You only need to talk to Lizzie for five minutes to understand why she’s a Content Creator. Enthusiastically crafting everything from blog posts and website copy to newsletters and social media content, Lizzie loves nothing more than grabbing a coffee and getting stuck into putting words onto the page. Her career so far has seen her creating content for brands both big and small and she’s here to help our clients transform their creative ideas into a dazzling reality.
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