The only downside is a learning curve if you’ve arrived from Photoshop. You get a range of color space options, non-destructive masks and blend modes, and the means to save changes within a document, allowing you to revert them later. There’s a dedicated pre-processing workspace for raw files. Smartly, the app supports a wide range of formats. When using a suitably powerful iPad, you can blaze through complex photographic edits comprising multiple layers and apply effects in real-time. In fact, minor interface tweaks for the touchscreen aside, it’s basically the same app. Even more audaciously, this iPad app soon showed up - and had feature-parity with its desktop sibling. Having presumably spotted a gap in the market, what with Adobe charging monthly for its pro-grade creative apps, Serif audaciously rocked up with the low-cost/high-quality Affinity Photo (opens in new tab). Someone looking for high-end photo editing options for professional purposes will have a very different view of the best photo editing apps than someone who is either just getting started with image work, or is taking a more casual approach. Heading up our list of the best photo editing apps is Affinity Photo, but it is important to remember that everyone's needs are different. If you are looking to keep costs down, you should also check out the best free photos editors guide.

Here we're looking at mobile apps, but you should also take a look at our guide to the best photos editors for desktop platform. But no matter what platform you're working with, we've done the hard work of tracking down the very best photo editing app for you. On one hand is it great to have such a wide range to choose from, but on the other it can make it difficult to home in on the one that is right for you. It does not matter whether you're using an iPhone, and iPhone or an Android handset, there are a huge number of apps available to you.

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