Edit your photos (almost) like a pro with Snapseed

Not everyone can claim to have the talent of a professional photographer. Therefore it can be interesting, when you limit yourself to taking photos with your smartphone, to be able to use a practical app to improve the results of your shots. Thus we have decided to introduce you to Snapseed.

Ghislain Bruyère has decided not to process the pictures he takes, in order to give them this natural aspect which makes all the splendour of his work. But, let’s face it, you don’t take pictures like a pro, you just hope that they will be as close as possible to his result. This is the reason why many photo editing software have been developed, to allow us as amateurs to sublimate a memory, a photo of a flower or any other subject that has caught our attention. We could provide an exhaustive list of all these photo applications but we prefer to focus on one of them: Snapseed.

A photo app very easy to install

Snapseed is photo app within the reach of all and should delight those who have some difficulties with the manual setting of their high-end smartphone, at least as far as their camera is concerned. It can be downloaded for both Android and IOS. Another advantage of this photo app: it is free.

Once downloaded, you can open it and ‘import’ a photo from your gallery. And then the magic begins. At the top, from left to right, you will find interesting information such as the day, time and technical parameters of your picture. You will also find tutorials to help you better understand all the possibilities that Snapseed offers. Finally, and this is probably the most practical, you will have access to a button which allows you to undo all the modifications made without risking losing your precious photo.

Your photos gain style very easily

The simplest, but also the most radical, method of editing your photos is certainly to use and abuse of the styles bar below the selected picture. You will be able to apply six different filters to modify more or less strongly the colours of your photo, but also four filters which make it possible to transform a colour photo into a black and white photo in different ways. Why radical? Simply because, on Snapseed, applying a filter is a bit like a decision from the Tribal Council in Koh-Lanta: irrevocable. Once applied and saved, the filter cannot be modified anymore. Be aware of it so that you don’t lose the naturalness of a photo.

Enrich your photos with your photographer creativity

As we have just learned, the filters offered by Snapseed (which are also very similar to those of Instagram) have something quite strict. It may not correspond to the creative soul that feeds the amateur photographer that you are. Then you will want to explore the photo app ‘Tools’ menu. Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, Ambiance, Highlights, Shadows and Warmth are all parameters of your picture that you can edit with your fingertips.

Like with many other photo apps, you can also try your hand at reframing your photo. Note that Snapseed offers more possibilities than simply cropping your shot. You will be able to transform your photo so that it is square or in landscape mode to better meet the criteria of your favourite social network. Features like ‘Curves’ or ‘Perspectives’ will be particularly appreciated by the Sunday photographer who couldn’t have captured his subject perfectly.

The peculiar atmosphere of a black & white photo

We have already talked about filters which allow transforming a colour photo into a black & white photo very easily. The effect is often striking and will allow you to sublimate your subject with a simple movement. But the tools offered by Snapseed, if you decide to leave automatic mode, are numerous and will allow you to make your shots even more stunning. You can, for example, apply filters on selected colours of the photo to soften skin carnation here or to intensify the colour of a flower there.

Advanced features to sublimate your pictures

An interesting tool in Snapseed is the one listed under ‘Selective’ which allows you to edit only part of the photo. You will be able to create a particular effect which will make your image even more artistic. Of course, you have to ‘play’ with this kind of features to draw its full power.

In the end you will not have done all this for nothing since you will be able, on the one hand, to share your edited photos, whether on social media or by e-mail, and on the other hand, save them by choosing to be able to edit them (again) later or, on the contrary, make a new photo file in your virtual photo album.