The selfie has taken over our lives; whether our pictures are taken with friends and family or just ourselves, it’s become the go-to picture for any social situation. The word even got added to the dictionary back in 2013 and even Kim Kardashian launched a book of selfies! Yes, that was a little weird.
Nowadays, editing images have become the norm – after all, we all want to look great. Airbrushing is no longer for the rich and famous, we can all look a million bucks in a few swipes and pinches.
Of course, a great selfie starts with a great camera, so if you’re in the market for a new phone soon, be sure to pick something that suits your needs well. Once you’re ready, it’s time to head over to the App Store (or Google Play). Here’s what we’ve found to be the best apps currently on Android and IOS for editing selfies.
AirBrush
This app is a favorite on both the App Store and Google Play thanks to its ease of use. If you’re just looking for a quick fix, the magic button quickly whitens teeth, removes blemishes and changes your skin tone. Or, if you have a little more time on your hands you can edit certain aspects individually. Once you’re finished you can download the image in high quality or upload it to your preferred social media channel.
Parfait
This app is currently only available on iOS but is a big hit. A great feature of the app is the fact that you can upload a bunch of similar images at the same time and it will automatically pick the best selfie for you. It ‘chooses’ the best based on preset criteria that you as the user sets. So, for example, if you want a selfie that focuses on your smile, it will pick the image with the best smile.
VSCO
I chose to put this app on here because even though it’s not selfie specific, like some of the apps on this list, it provides a lot of awesome presets that will give your Instagram feed a boost. If you’re lucky enough to have someone taking shots of you this one will work best.
All the filters give your images a bit of a vintage feel, kind of like you’ve taken the shot on film. Of course, if you don’t want to use a preset filter you can manually edit all the settings such as exposure contrast and saturation.
Facetune
Facetune comes in two options. The paid version costs $6 or there is a newer, free version called Facetune 2.
It uses live editing software which removes blemishes, can whiten teeth and even reshape some areas of your face. Yes, we’re aware that other editing apps do this for free, however, Facetune is a lot more precise and you really do get subtle and realistic edits that don’t look too fake. Megan Jones of THEGOODESTATE loves this app and uses it for all her photos on the daily. “It just gives me that extra boost of confidence before posting a quick selfie and I like that I can edit out any small blemishes”.
The only let down with this one is that social media integration leaves something to be desired for, perhaps the developers will look into this in the future.
Photoshop Express
Last, but not least, I wanted to include Photoshop Express. Unlike its computer-based counterpart, this app is totally free and I like to use this when editing selfies that have a bit of a background image in there too. It has all the great features of a paid photoshop account like cropping, HSL, exposure and contrast, and sharpness. You can even remove small blemishes by using the healing tool!