There are a lot of photo apps for the iphone, but as an Android user I’m always on the look out for quality photo apps that I can also take advantage of.  I use a few different apps as part of my mobile photography workflow. Most of these are free, although some offer in-app purchases. Here are the 5 photo apps that I can’t live without:

Instagram

Download Instagram

In the world of photo apps, Instagram still wins. These days, I no longer edit photos using Instagram or bother with their filters. But even then, there is no other photo app that’s better for getting social and sharing your phone photos.

Aviary

Download Aviary

A stellar photo editing app and my go-to for each new photograph. My most used features in Aviary are illuminate and color fix. I like having control over a photo’s composition and Aviary gives me a lot of control by providing the ability to adjust a photo’s brightness, contrast, saturation, and sharpness. Even though I don’t always use a lot of pre-programmed filters, I do prefer the effects  in Aviary to those in Instagram. As far as filters go, I tend to default to Arizona or Sage in Aviary.

Snapseed

Download Snapseed

I discovered Snapseed after I already became a committed Aviary user, but these days I find myself using Snapseed more and more often to edit my photos. I like using the Selective Adjust feature in Snapseed because it let’s me edit just 1 part of the photo so I can correct overexposed highlights or dark shadows. Not a lot of photo editing apps offer that level of flexibility. Snapseed also has great Drama and HDR scape filters. Unlike the filters that come in Aviary and Instagram, Snapseed lets you choose the strength of the filter you want to apply.

PicLab

Download PicLab

PicLab is a recent but fond discovery of mine, allowing users to add text to an image. Adding typography to images is a growing trend. Fonts offered in PicLab is artistic and clearly curated with design in mind. The app interface is easy to use, allowing you to switch fonts, edit sizes, placements, and mix different fonts. This app is free to use and offers in-app purchase to remove the PicLab watermark and purchase additional fonts.

SquareIt

Download SquareIt

For a long time, it bothered me that Instagram photos are square. Quite simply, not all photos look good in a square frame. This not only deeply bothered me but prevented me from using Instagram to share my photos. Then I realized there are apps out there that turn an image into a square shape by adding borders. I haven’t looked back since. There a lot of apps that can help you square an image but my favorite is SquareIt. It’s super easy to use - 1 click to turn your photo into a square and share it on Instagram directly.