With smartphone cameras improving every year, more and more people are taking incredible photos directly on their iPhones. But what do you do once you’ve captured those great shots? Thanks to sophisticated editing apps, you can Photoshop images directly on your iPhone to take them from good to great with just a few taps.
In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know to edit photos on your iPhone like a pro. We’ll discuss what apps are available, how to use Photoshop tools on your mobile device, and some easy photo editing techniques to help your pictures stand out. With a bit of practice, you’ll be quickly editing and layering images in no time!
Table of Contents
Is It Possible To Photoshop On An iPhone?
Yes, you absolutely can Photoshop images directly on your iPhone! While mobile apps don’t offer the full suite of desktop Photoshop features, the top iOS photo editors provide a remarkable range of editing and enhancement tools, including layers, masks, and blending modes. Many also allow you to manipulate images that mimic classic Photoshop functions.
Some key examples of Photoshop-style features available in iPhone editing apps include:
| Layers | Overlay images and make adjustments to each layer independently. |
| Masking | Conceal and reveal parts of a layer to blend multiple images. |
| Cutout | Remove and isolate subjects from their background. |
| Blending modes | Mix layers to achieve effects like multiply, overlay, and more. |
| Filters | Transform the color and texture of images with effects. |
| Shape tools | Add shapes and text elements to an image. |
| Color adjustment | Fine-tune hues, saturation, brightness and more. |
So while mobile apps aren’t equivalent to the complete Photoshop desktop software, they undoubtedly provide powerful on-the-go photo manipulation on your iPhone.
What iPhone Photo Editing Apps Are Available?
The iOS App Store offers hundreds of photo editing apps for iPhone, making it tricky to know where to start. Here are some of the top options with full-featured Photoshop tools:
Adobe Photoshop Express
As the mobile version of the industry standard Photoshop software, Adobe Photoshop Express provides a reliable editing experience on your iPhone. Useful tools include layers, masks, blend modes, shape tools, filter effects, hue/saturation controls, and more. While not every desktop Photoshop feature is included, it’s one of the most robust mobile editors available.
Without An App, How Can You Edit Photos On An iPhone?
Don’t want to download any extra apps? You can still make basic photo edits using the native Photos app on your iPhone.
To edit an image, open the Photos app and select a picture. To make changes, click on the “Edit” option in the upper right corner. From here, you’ll see options to:
| Auto-enhance | Automatically adjusts color, contrast, and saturation. |
| Crop/rotate | Trims away unwanted edges or rotates the angle. |
| Filters | Applies preset color/texture effects like Vivid, Dramatic, or Silvertone. |
| Adjustments | Manually fine-tunes brightness, highlights, shadows etc. |
While very simple, the native tools allow quick one-tap improvements and rotations. More complex editing does require a separate app though. So the Photos app works great for basic fixes, but you’ll need Adobe Photoshop Express or similar for detailed Photoshop-level editing.
Can You Edit Photos On An iPhone For Free?
The Top iPhone photo editors require a paid subscription or one-time purchase fee to unlock their complete feature sets. However, you can still edit pictures on an iPhone for free using pared down apps with essential functions.
Some free iPhone photo editing apps to check out include:
Photo Editor by Axiem Systems: Includes frames, filters, brightness/contrast controls. Photo & Design Editor: Features overlays, text tools, tuning, and crops. PhotoSplash: Allows editing selfies with color splash effects and touch-up tools.
The tradeoff with free editing apps is that they limit features significantly. So while you can make basic adjustments for no cost, more advanced Photoshop tools will require paying for an app upgrade or premium subscription. Nonetheless, the free apps work nicely for quick Instagram-style filters and effects.
Photoshop for iPhone: How to Use It
How do you access the most common Photoshop tools on your iPhone? Here are explanations and examples for using some key functions:
How Can I Photoshop Faces On My iPhone?
Swapping one face onto another person’s body is a classic Photoshop technique. To put one person’s face on someone else in an iPhone photo:
1. Import the base image and face images into a compatible app (Photoshop Express, Facetune 2, etc.)
2. Use lasso or brush tools to Select the face in the overlay photo.
3. Tap the layer to make a maske, concealing everything outside the face selection.
4. Resize and rotate the masked face layer to align over the target face.
5. Lower the face layer’s opacity to blend it in.
6. Use erase tools to clean up edges and finalize the composite.
With practice, you can convincingly Photoshop people’s faces into all scenarios for fun effects!
On an iPhone, how do you crop someone out of a photo?
Removing a person from an iPhone photo takes a bit more effort, but is still very doable:
1. Import the image into an editing app and create a rough lasso/brush stroke around the areas to keep.
2. Switch tools and carefully trace the subject’s outline to remove. Take your time on this step.
3. Tap the layer mask icon to hide the traced selection. Zoom to clean up any remaining pieces.
4. Use clone stamp or healing tools to cover up empty areas left behind.
5. Adjust layer opacity or blending to naturalize the final effect.
Cropping undesired subjects out of iPhone shots leaves you with a clean background to build upon.
On an iPhone, how do you layer photos?
Layering lets you blend multiple images into advanced compositions. To layer effectively on an iPhone:
1. Construct your base background image and add secondary photos on high layers.
2. Use layer masking tools to reveal the desired areas of each layer’s image precisely.
3. Adjust layer blending modes to shift colors and textures. Overlay often works nicely.
4. Lower layer opacity levels to fondle fuse the elements naturally.
5. Add final touch-ups with clone stamp, dodge/burn, and filter tools.
Mastering layers unlocks huge creative possibilities for combining iPhone images. Construct landscapes, willing photo illustrations, double exposure effects, and abstract art – all on your phone!
The Bottom Line
Thanks to the power of mobile apps, editing photos on an iPhone has never been simpler. With built-in Photoshop tools like layers, masks, blends, and filters, you can easily manipulate and enhance images on your device. Start with an app like Photoshop Express for robust controls, or stick to the native Photos tools for basic tweaks.
Whichever iPhone photo editor you select, they simplify common Photoshop techniques virtually anywhere. So try swapping faces, removing backgrounds, layering images, applying effects and more next time your iPhone snaps lead to spectacular shots. Powerful editing options now fit right in your pocket!