The Most Essential Professional Photography Apps in 2021
September 17, 2021
For professional photographers, having one tool simply isn’t going to cut it. You need to plan your shoot, edit and touch up your photos, and find the perfect platform to share them. We asked our readers about their must-have photography apps. Here are the results.
Today, there are a seemingly endless amount of apps that can make your life or job easier. For photographers, there are so many to choose from that it can be difficult to filter (pun intended) the good from the bad.
To help you, we’ve polled hundreds of professional photographers, asking them, “What are the two photography apps you can’t live without?” These are their responses.
(And if you lean strongly towards one of these apps, be sure to vote on your favorite at the end!)
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Best for creativity: Photoshop Express
Best for creativity: Photoshop Express
Photoshop Express
What started as an award-winning photo editing software for computers has evolved significantly over the years. The desktop photo editing app is just as indispensable as ever, allowing you to transform, retouch, or reimagine your photos. In addition to receiving regular updates, it has also introduced a fleet of mobile apps, including Photoshop Express.
Photoshop Express might not have all the functionality of its desktop counterpart, but it has some powerful editing tools. You can perform selective editing, adjust color temperature and vibrance, sharpen your photos and more.
Pros:
Easy to learn
Free to use
Plenty of built-in filters to explore
Can save images in PNG format
Cons:
Lacks a lot of features compared to the desktop version
Some features are locked behind Creative Cloud subscription
Retouching could use some work
Price: Free
App store rating: 4.8
Best for post-production: Adobe Lightroom
Best for post-production: Adobe Lightroom
Adobe Lightroom
Although it shares some features with Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom has editing capabilities and a range of features that allow you to import, organize, and manage your photo library. It comes with step-by-step tutorials and all the tools you need to curate your best shots. According to Adobe:
“You can think of Lightroom as your starting point for post-processing. Unlike Photoshop, which caters to a variety of creative disciplines, Lightroom is specifically built to efficiently handle a professional photographer’s workflow, from photo management to finishing touches.”
Pros:
Includes many useful tutorials
Supports RAW image formats
Can color correct multiple photos simultaneously
Easy to learn
Cons:
Requires the latest smartphone model to run smoothly
Unfold is a story editor that comes with 300+ award winning story templates. This allows you to create incredible collage layouts for Instagram and other social media posts in order to market your business. With it, you can easily display your images across all social media platforms. Because of the resounding praise, it has received the iOS app store “Editor’s Choice” designation.
Pros:
Very easy to use
Perfect for Instagram stories
Incredible user interface
Cons:
Only a handful of free templates
Limited font and color options
Price: Free
App store rating: 4.9
Instagram Stories runner-up: Pixlr
Pixlr is a free photo effects, filters and collage app based on the well-known free desktop service. While the desktop version is useful for users who need access to Adobe-like functionality without paying a premium price, the mobile app offers several useful photo editing tools for free. Pixlr is great for users who want to touch up photos before uploading them to Instagram or other social media platforms.
Pros:
Several useful free filters and tools
Intuitive user interface
Multiple collage features
Supports multiple layers and transparency
Cons:
Not suitable for professional-level photo editing
Better effects are locked behind premium pricing
Small bugs can cause frustration
Price: Free
App store rating: 3.6
Best for film photographers: Pocket Light Meter
For those of you who like to do things the old-school way, having a light meter is indispensable to your work. While there are several choices on the app store for mobile light meters, Pocket Light Meter takes the cake with it’s simple interface and ease of use.
Pros:
Reflected light measurements
Reciprocity calculations
Set shutter speed, aperture and ISO
Cons:
Simple interface may turn away advanced users
Steep price tag
Settings don’t automatically adjust
Price: $10.99
App store rating: 4.5
Best for shoot planning: PhotoPills
PhotoPills is a photography planning app that helps you plan your shots ahead of time, so that you’re ready when the moment comes. This is especially useful for timelapses, astrophotography, and landscapes. The astronomical event planner charts the movements of the sun, moon, and stars, helping you select the perfect location and time for your photoshoot.
Pros:
Great for night and day photographers
Slick design
Uses Augmented Reality
Packed with features and tools
Cons:
Difficult for beginners
Quickly drains mobile battery
Price: $9.99
App store rating: 4.7
Shoot planning runner-up: The Photographer’s Ephemeris
The Photographer’s Ephemeris is another photoshoot planning app. With an emphasis on landscape and urban scenes, TPE calculates the positioning of the Sun, Moon and Milky Way to help you determine the perfect time to snap your photos. Similar to PhotoPills, TPE offers a worthy alternative with standout features such as location cataloging and automatic time zone and elevation detection.
Pros:
Beautiful design
Huge array of features, from basic to advanced to “geek”
Augmented Reality for location scouting
Cons:
Huge learning curve
App has some crashing issues
Price: $9.99
App store rating: 4.8
Best for marketing your business: Instagram
It should go without saying, but few apps are as important for promoting your small business and building a community as Instagram. The photo sharing social media site is the premier networking and advertising platform, particularly for photographers. Use Instagram stories to showcase your work and give followers a behind-the-scenes look at what it means to be a professional photographer.
Pros:
Huge user base to share photos with
Good for brand-building
Easy to use
Useful engagement metrics
Cons:
Lots of competition
Can take a lot of time to gain traction
Users are bombarded with content
Sponsored posts have become much more prevalent
Price: Free
App store rating: 4.7
Best Instagram alternative: VSCO
One of the more popular photography mobile apps in use today, VSCO helps you create photos, discover new artists, and connect with others. It provides hundreds of presets, advanced photo and video editing tools, and tons of filters. While there is some debate as to whether ‘professional’ photographers use VSCO for editing their work, many photographers who primarily shoot on mobile use the VSCO presets and tweak lighting and color.
Pros:
Great minimalist design Handy photo and video editing tools Growing community of photography enthusiasts
Cons:
The best features require a paid account No commenting Does not have a desktop version
Price: Free
App store rating: 4.7
Complete your photography toolbox with these other tools
Complete your photography toolbox with these other tools
SunCalc is a reliable online application with an interactive map that displays sun movement and phases during the day. This helps you plan ahead to capture the perfect lighting for any photoshoot. Pair this with your go-to weather app and never miss that perfect sunset shot.
Another sun and moon tracker, Lumos can accurately predict the position of the sun or moon no matter where you are or what time it is. This can be great for a stunning night shot or positioning your subjects perfectly in the frame.
Shootproof is an online gallery by photographers for photographers to showcase their work and host clients’ memories. With it, you can perform several business-related activities, including schedule social media posts, handle contracts and invoicing, or sell prints of your photos.
Later markets itself as the world’s most popular Instagram marketing platform. It helps you plan social posts to Instagram and Facebook, create automatic publishing schedules, and analyze your performance metrics. Find and share the right content, drive traffic, and track sales.
An iOS- and Android-based application that helps photographers make digital releases from their mobile device. Easy Release is the easiest way to collect all the data and signatures for photo release forms you need while out in the field. Files can be saved as a PDF or JPEG and then automatically uploaded to the cloud.
This scheduling app is popular outside the photography industry. With it, you can find the perfect meeting time or allow clients to book consultations. It integrates with your calendar and then allows each party to set their availability, thus eliminating the phone tag merry-go-round.
It’s your turn
According to our polls. Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom come in tied as the top photography apps for small businesses in 2021. We’d still like to hear from more readers about their favorite apps. Vote below and tell us what your favorite photography app is!
What’s your favorite photography app?
Photoshop Express
Adobe Lightroom
Unfold
Other
Vote
Show me the results
June 17, 2021
Our editorial content is intended for informational purposes only and is not written by a licensed insurance agent. Terms and conditions for rate and coverage may vary by class of business and state.