There’s an old adage amongst photographers that goes, “The best camera is the one you have with you.” The point being that when the perfect scene pops up, any camera is better than no camera at all. And since most of us carry our smartphones with us everywhere we go, the best camera we have is often an iPhone. Moreover, the camera on the newly-launched iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X — and those adorning nearly all recent iPhone models — are nearly as powerful as the point-and-shoots of yesteryear, with a massive selection of sophisticated apps that render them even more versatile. Whether you’re looking for a new way to shoot, edit, or organize your photos, these are the best camera apps for the iPhone that’ll turn any boring shot into a masterpiece.
Looking for Android apps? We have a list of those, too.
Camera+ ($3)
Even with the latest iOS update, Apple’s native camera app is rather anemic when it comes to features. Thankfully, Camera+ provides a wider range of exposure controls and advanced tools such as continuous flash, frontal flash, touch-focus adjustment, 6x digital zoom, a timer, and preset filters. The well-organized interface also makes it a breeze to utilize, whether snapping or sharing shots on social media.
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iTunes
ProCamera ($5)
When iOS 8 launched, rather than updating the existing ProCamera app, developer Cocologics decided to go ahead and make an entirely new app. The new app — now optimized for iOS 10 — still sports a minimalist interface, with a host sophisticated features for setting exposure time, tint, ISO sensitivity, and more. It even features a night camera and full-resolution previews in addition to robust exposure control and more than 70 unique filters and effects.
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iTunes
Darkroom
The name might be a bit misleading considering the lack of any analog aesthetics, but Darkroom takes a literal approach with a blacked-out interface designed to let your photos shine. The experience is similar to that of Lightroom, in that you can control everything from hue, saturation, and luminosity (HSL) sliders to curves, but also has a touch of other apps such as VSCO with its integrated filter collections. With a 4.9 rating out of 5 in the iOS App Store, it’s a no-brainer — especially considering it’s free.
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iTunes
Halide ($5)
Halide is the perfect camera app for beginners who want to start with automatic and slowly work their way up to manual mode. An automatic mode makes it easy to capture great photos on the fly, but tools like focus peaking, RAW capture, and more give ultimate creative control in an easy to navigate app. Halide even includes portrait effects, such as those touted alongside the latest iPhones.
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iTunes
Pro HDR X ($2)
ProHDR X is easily one of the most fully-featured apps we’ve encountered in the HDR category. Unlike its predecessor, ProHDR X has completely redesigned its UI to create an interface that’s far more approachable to the casual photographer. It also offers you a wider range of control over exposure adjustments, tone-mapping settings, and the ability to transport your DSLR images (up to 24 megapixels) to the app’s built-in photo library. It also features an array of beautiful preset filters for you to use, if you’re into that sort of thing, along with options for digitally zooming, cropping, captioning, and setting a self timer, among other features.
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iTunes
Adobe Photoshop Express
When it comes to photo editing software, nobody does it better than Adobe. Though the mobile version of their renowned desktop software offers a smaller work space than most apps, it’s still one of the most capable after-effects programs you can buy. Popular Photoshop features such as layers, selection tools, and adjustments all make an appearance, as do options for adding text, applying effects, and blending images. Unfortunately, many features are locked behind in-app purchases, so be ready to spend some dough if Express is your photo editor of choice.
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iTunes
Adobe Lightroom
Although many of Lightroom’s tools require a newer model of iPhone to run, it remains one of the most feature-rich apps on our list, particular for photographers who want to edit their workflow while on the move. The app automatically syncs images with its desktop counterpart – whether you’re using images shot on your smartphone or raw images from a DSLR – allowing you to quickly edit, enhance, and share your photos using a variety of familiar tools. With iOS 10, Lightroom now supports RAW image capture and editing.
Download it now from:
iTunes