Photoshop’s free smartphone app is here. Is it worth downloading?

June 15, 2020

By Mark Jones

In this age of social media and photo sharing, stylistic individuality is a must. But even with amazing cameras built into most smartphones, pointing and snapping an image can only get you so far.

If done right, filters, effects, borders and stickers can transform an average photograph into a spectacular work of art. For beginners, a simple online photo editor like Pixlr might do the trick. Tap or click here for details about this free platform.

However, if you’re looking to kick your photos up a notch, you’ll want to check out this new AI-powered app. The app is so smart it can do most of the work for you.

Creating perfect photos has never been easier

We’ve seen plenty of advancements in the world of photography lately, and not just better smartphone cameras, either. Apps can do all kinds of cool tricks these days.

For example, the Bye Bye Camera app automatically removes photobombers and background people from your pictures. Just take your photo and use the app to remove any unnecessary subjects. Tap or click here to learn how to use Bye Bye Camera.

Now, a new app is finally here that will take your photos to new heights. It’s the Adobe Photoshop Camera app and has been in the works for quite a while. The app is now available for both Apple and Android devices.

What makes this app special is it uses artificial intelligence (AI) to make edits for you. The app understands which lenses and effects are best to transform your photos into works of art — before you even take the shot.

Here’s a quick demo video of what Adobe Photoshop Camera can do:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/zRfG7cWqCG8

What to expect with Photoshop Camera

How would you like to have Photoshop right inside your phone’s camera? With the Photoshop Camera app, it is.

You’re able to scroll through tons of lenses and effects that can be applied before or after you take the shot. If you use one on a picture and don’t like the way it looks, no worries. You can easily swap them in and out so you can change your mind as many times as you want.

Related: 5 clever ways to use your phone’s camera like a DSLR

The app also allows for quick fixes like portrait relighting and distortion removal. So, if you take a nighttime photo and think it would look better during the day, just use the app and it’ll adjust the settings to make it look like it was shot early morning with perfect shadows and lighting.

In its blog, Adobe explained, “With Photoshop Camera you can capture, edit, and share stunning photos and moments — both natural and creative — using real-time Photoshop-grade magic right from the viewfinder, leaving you free to focus on storytelling with powerful tools and effects.”

Even celebrities and influencers are getting into the game. Adobe is working with some of your favorite artists to create Photoshop lenses and camera effects to help your social media posts pop. The best part is it’s going to be free. Adobe is using the app to bring its Sensei AI services to consumer products, which it hopes will bring in more users to its core ecosystem.

Features to get excited about:

• Fun with filters: Apply Photoshop filters and effects with just one tap. With over 80 custom filters, it’s easy to swap them in and out and save your favorites to use again and again. The filter library includes – Portrait, Studio Light, Bloom, Pop Art, Spectrum, Desync, Food, Scenery, Natural Skies, Analog, Night Shift, Comic Skies, Interstellar, Dreamcatcher, Celestial, Supersize, Double Expo, Prism, Color Echo, Mixed Media, Blue Skies, Artful, and more.
• Real-time Photoshop effects: Take a better picture with the magic of Photoshop and AI-powered editing.
• Auto-tone: Photoshop Camera gets “real life” right with no more extreme differences between areas of brightness and shadow.
• Content-aware recommendations: Pick your shot and Photoshop Camera does the rest. It knows which effects to apply to get the best result, so there’s no more fuss when it comes to the right lighting and focus.
• Portrait controls (Face Distance, Face Light, Face Relighting): The Face Light feature in Photoshop Camera optimizes for lighting, eliminating the appearance of any sharp shadows. For group selfies, Photoshop Camera recognizes where each subject is positioned so there’s no more distortion.
• Influencer-inspired lenses: See yourself through the eyes of your favorite creators by using their custom-designed lenses. New lenses and effects are added all the time so there’s always something to discover.
• Built for social: Easily capture and share high-quality photos to your favorite social network. Use #photoshopcamera when you post and it might be featured on Photoshop’s social sites.

Photoshop Camera officially rolled out this week so you can now take professional quality photos easier than ever. Even better, it’s free! Tap or click here to get it for iOS. Tap or click here to get the app for Android.