Create Stunning Photos with Adobe Photoshop Express for iPhone and iPad

Adobe Photoshop Express is creativity software giant Adobe Systems’ foray into the free app space. Although not as powerful as its (expensive) desktop counterpart, Photoshop Express offers several tools, adjustments, filters, and effects for touching up modifying photos on your iPhone or iPad.

Upon loading the app, Photoshop Express allows users to either snap a photo using the app’s built-in camera, or select a photo to edit from the camera roll. Although the camera mode of the app isn’t very robust, it does contain a few more features than the iPhone’s default camera app. The slider zoom is a bit easier to use than the iPhone’s default pinch to zoom function, but Photoshop Express’s best camera features – auto review mode, which allows you to review your photo for up to five seconds after shooting, and auto time, which works as a shutter timer for the camera, both require a $4 purchase for the camera pack upgrade. The upgrade also brings a very powerful Reduce Noise feature that smooths out grainy photos.

After snapping or loading a photo, users can access Photoshop Express’ wide range of image editing tools, adjustments, filters, and effects. The app features a very intuitive interface, and most of the functions can be adjusted via simple gestures. Image editing basics are easy to use and very powerful – the crop tool allows you to either crop freehand or select from a list of popular aspect ratios (including 3:4, 4:3, or square). Other tools like straighten, rotate, and flip are present and work as expected. The app also does a solid job of removing red eye and “pet eye” in photos. Tools such as “blemish removal” allow users to easily touch up any unwanted dirt, dust, or blemishes from their photos.

Photoshop Express features a strong set of adjustments, as well. The app allows users to easily adjust clarity, contrast, exposure, highlights, shadows, tint, and more, while the sketch, soft focus, and sharpen adjustments allow users to recreate a variety of effects that are easy to control using gestures. All of the adjustments are very fun to play with, and experienced users can create some stunning visual effects using them – however, inexperienced users will benefit from the “auto fix” tool, which automatically adjusts contrast, exposure, and white balance for a one-touch solution to sharpen up photos. Once again, however, two of the app’s most intriguing adjustments, noise reduction and “defog”, which helps reduce fog and haze in photos, require an in-app purchase.The app also features an impressive array of filters and borders, as well. The 20 default filters, or “looks”, add a variety of Instagram-esque one-touch filters such as Vignette to quickly add some flair to your photos. The app also contains 15 borders, each of which can add a professional-looking touch to your photos. Additional filters can be purchased for $2.99, and additional borders are available for $0.99 via in-app purchase.

Sharing via the Photoshop Express app is very simple, as well – posting to social sites like Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter is a breeze. Adding photos to messages is simple, too – sharing via text, email, and even services like WhatsApp is easy as can be.

Although there are more feature-rich photo editing apps out there, Photoshop Express does an excellent job for basic functions. The app is free, easy to use, and produces impressive results – there’s not a whole lot more you can ask for.

Photoshop Express is available free at the iTunes Store, here!