Mastering How to Edit on Phone: Tips and Tricks

With the rise of smartphones, more and more people are turning to their devices for all their editing needs. While it may seem daunting to make professional-looking edits on your phone, it’s actually much simpler than you might think. In this article, we’ll be discussing all the tips and tricks you need to master how to edit on phone, whether you’re a blogger, social media manager, or avid photographer. So let’s get started!

Basic Editing Tools on Your Phone

Smartphones have revolutionized the way we take and edit photos. With the basic editing tools available on your phone, you can enhance your photos and make them look more professional. Here are some of the basic editing tools that come standard with most phone cameras:

Cropping

If you want to get rid of unwanted elements in your photo, cropping is a great tool to use. Most phones have a crop tool that allows you to cut out the parts of the photo that you don’t want. For example, if you have a photo with a distracting background, you can crop it to focus on the subject.

Adjusting Exposure

Exposure refers to the amount of light that enters your camera lens. Sometimes your photos may be too bright or too dark, but you can easily fix this with your phone’s exposure tool. Most phones have a slider that allows you to adjust the exposure of your photo so that it looks more balanced.

Colors and Contrast

Another way to enhance your photos is to adjust the colors and contrast. Most phones have a saturation slider that allows you to increase or decrease the intensity of the colors in your photo. You can also adjust the contrast to add more depth to your photo.

Sharpening

If your photo is not as sharp as you’d like it to be, you can use the sharpening tool to make it clearer. This tool works by increasing the contrast around the edges in your photo, which makes it look sharper.

Filters

If you’re looking for a quick way to enhance your photo, filters are a great option. Most phones come with a variety of preset filters that you can apply to your photo with just one click. These filters can add a vintage, black and white, or other effects to your photo for a unique look.

Third-Party Editing Apps for Your Phone

If you are looking to enhance your phone’s editing capabilities, third-party editing apps are an excellent option. These apps typically offer various editing options, including filters, effects, and other features that can take your photos to the next level. Here are some of the most popular third-party editing apps available for download:

1. Adobe Lightroom

Adobe Lightroom is a powerful editing app that is available for both iOS and Android devices. With this app, you can adjust exposure, color, sharpness, and other features that can help you achieve excellent results. You can also use presets to save time and apply the same edits to multiple photos.

2. Snapseed

Snapseed is a free app that offers a wide range of editing tools, from basic adjustments like brightness and contrast to advanced options like selective adjustments and filters. One of the best features of Snapseed is its ability to save your editing steps, allowing you to go back and make changes if needed.

• You can adjust the brightness, contrast, and saturation of your images using the basic tools.
• The ‘Curves’ tool, which allows you to adjust the tonal range of your image, is particularly useful for more advanced editing.
• The ‘Selective Adjustment’ tool allows you to adjust specific parts of your image, such as brightness, contrast, or saturation.

3. VSCO

VSCO is another popular editing app that offers a wide range of filters and presets to help you achieve the look you want. It also offers various editing tools, including exposure, contrast, and saturation adjustments. One of the coolest features of VSCO is its built-in camera, which allows you to take photos and edit them within the app.

4. Afterlight

Afterlight is an all-in-one editing app that offers various filters, presets, and editing tools. With this app, you can adjust exposure, color, and other features to create stunning images. Afterlight also offers various textures and overlays that can give your photos a unique look.

5. Facetune

Facetune is a unique editing app that allows you to edit portraits and selfies. With this app, you can adjust skin tone, whiten teeth, remove blemishes, and even reshape facial features. One of the best features of Facetune is its ability to work with individual pixels, allowing for precise editing.

With so many editing apps available for download, it’s essential to find one that works for you. Experiment with different apps and features to find the one that best suits your editing needs.

Tips to Improve Your Photos Before Editing

If you are looking to take your smartphone photography to the next level, then there are a few things you need to keep in mind before you even think about editing your images.

Proper Lighting

One of the most important factors affecting your photos is lighting. Proper lighting can make the difference between a dull and lifeless photo and a stunning, dynamic image. So, you need to be mindful of the lighting situation when taking your photos.

Try and avoid direct sunlight, especially when taking photos of people. Look for open shade or soft light, which can be found under trees or near a window. If you need to take photos in bright sunlight, use a reflector or a diffuser to soften the light and avoid harsh shadows.

Composition

Composition refers to how you arrange the different elements in your photo. A well-composed photo will draw the viewer’s eye to the main subject and create a sense of balance and harmony.

When composing your photo, think about using the rule of thirds. This involves dividing the frame into thirds both horizontally and vertically, creating nine equal parts. Place your subject at one of the intersection points to create a more visually appealing image.

Using the Rule of Thirds

Using the rule of thirds can be a little tricky at first, but once you get the hang of it, it can make a big difference in the quality of your photos.

• First, activate the grid lines on your camera app.
• Next, place the subjects along the horizontal or vertical lines, or at points where they intersect.
• Keep experimenting with different compositions and subject placement until you find what looks best.

How to Use Filters to Enhance Your Photos

Filters are a great way to enhance your photos and give them a professional look. There are many different types of filters available and knowing how to use them effectively can take your photos to the next level.

Choosing the Right Filter

The first step in using filters is choosing the right one for your photo. Many photo editing apps come with a variety of filters, each with a specific purpose. For example, some filters are designed to enhance the colors in your photo, while others are meant to give your photo a vintage look.

When choosing a filter, think about what you want to achieve with your photo. If you want to make the colors more vibrant, choose a filter that does that. If you want to give your photo an old-fashioned look, choose a filter that adds a warm hue and graininess to your photo.

Adjusting the Strength of the Filter

Once you’ve selected a filter, the next step is to adjust its strength. Most editing apps allow you to adjust the intensity of the filter, so you can make it as subtle or as strong as you like. It’s important to keep in mind that you don’t want to overdo it with the filter – a subtle effect will often look much better than a heavy-handed one.

Using Multiple Filters

Another way to enhance your photos using filters is to layer multiple filters on top of each other. This can create a unique and customized look for your photos. However, it’s important to be careful when using multiple filters as it’s easy to overdo it and end up with a photo that looks too busy or overly edited.

• When using multiple filters, start with the most basic filter first, such as a contrast or brightness adjustment
• After adding the basic filter, try adding another filter on top of it to achieve the desired effect
• Adjust the strength of each filter until you’re happy with the final result

Advanced Editing Techniques for Your Phone

If you are keen on taking pictures with your phone, then you need to have some editing techniques in your arsenal. These techniques will help you to transform your ordinary-looking photos into some extraordinary ones. But, how to edit on phone? Here are some advanced editing techniques that you can follow to take your editing skills to the next level:

Selective Editing

Selective editing is a useful technique to enhance specific parts of your picture. You can use it for adjusting the brightness, contrast, or saturation of selected areas. In most photo-editing applications, selective editing is done using a masking tool. This tool will allow you to brush over the area that you want to edit. Once done, apply the desired effect to that particular area only, and leave the rest of the image unchanged.

Adjusting Curves and Levels

The curves and levels options come in handy when you have an image that has an uneven distribution of light or color. To adjust the levels, look for an option that shows a histogram, which indicates the balance of exposure in your image. You can adjust the levels using the sliders next to the histogram to improve the contrast and brightness of your image. On the other hand, curves allow you to adjust specific points of the tonal range instead of the whole image.

Adding Film Grain or Texture

If you are a fan of the vintage look, then adding a film grain or texture can be a perfect choice for you. The film grain will add a layer of noise that mimics the grain structure of old film stock. Meanwhile, textures can make your image more tactile, giving it more depth and character.

Add Vignette

Vignette is another great tool to help you to create a more dramatic and artistic look on your photos. Vignette creates a darkened region around the edges of your photo, forcing the viewer’s eyes to the center of the image. Adding this effect can enhance the contrast and focal point of the picture.

Using Presets or Filters

Presets or filters are a quick and easy way to give your photos a professional touch. With just a couple of taps, you can give your image different moods that suit your style. The presets can range from simple black and white to more dramatic effects that will transform your image entirely. You can also create or purchase your presets for specific looks.

Common Editing Mistakes to Avoid

While editing photos on your phone can be quick and convenient, it’s important to avoid common mistakes that can make your photos look over-edited and unnatural. Here are some key mistakes to avoid:

1. Over-editing your photos

It can be tempting to apply every available editing tool to your photos, but this can easily lead to over-edited, artificial-looking images. Instead of going overboard with filters and adjustments, try to focus on enhancing the natural beauty of your photo.

2. Overusing filters

Filters are a great way to add style and mood to your photos, but using too many filters can blur the lines between editing and photo manipulation. Instead of relying on filters to do all the work, experiment with adjusting exposure, contrast, and color manually to achieve a more professional-looking image.

3. Ignoring composition and framing

While editing can certainly help enhance your photo’s visual impact, it can’t fix poor composition or bad framing. Be mindful of these elements while taking your photos, and adjust accordingly in editing if needed.

4. Not paying attention to image quality

When editing photos on your phone, it’s important to remember that image quality can impact the final result. Always start with high-quality source photos, and avoid drastically changing resolution or size in editing.

5. Not considering the final output

Before exporting your edited photos, consider their intended use. Will they be printed, uploaded to social media, or shared across messaging platforms? Different output formats may require different adjustments to ensure optimal quality.

6. Not being consistent with your editing style

Establishing a consistent editing style can help create a cohesive aesthetic across your social media accounts or portfolio. Be mindful of the editing tools and techniques you use, and try to maintain a similar look and feel across your photo collection.

By avoiding these common editing mistakes, you can create beautiful, professional-looking photos right from your phone.

Thanks for Reading!

We hope you found these tips and tricks helpful in mastering how to edit on your phone. Editing on your phone can be a convenient and accessible way to enhance your photos and videos. Remember to use editing techniques sparingly and always keep an eye on the overall look and feel of your image. Be sure to come back soon for more helpful articles!