99 photography tools

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Below are 22 tools I’ve had recommended. For the complete list of 99 photography tools click here.

Camera+
Photo app with lots of filters and strong HDR mode. Sets the standard when it comes to third party iPhone cameras.  $2.99.

Canva
Graphic design tools. Create social media graphics, headers, slides, flyers, photo collages, posters, and infographics using drag-and-drop. 60k templates. Clip-art library available or upload your own images. Share to social media from the app or download a jpg, PDF, etc. for posting. Free. $12 a month for more options.

Compressor
Compress image files less than 10 MB so they will download quicker. A slider allows you to compare the look of the original and the optimized version side by side. Free.

Creative Cloud Express
A single template-focused app (replacing Adobe Spark) that combines some of the best features from the Creative Cloud Suite for mobile and web. Quickly create everything from social media posts to promotional posters and videos with the easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface. Drag all sorts of elements into your composition, from text, icons, shapes, free photos and fonts, music and other design elements. Assets from Photoshop and Illustrator can be utilized. Convert videos to GIFs and documents to PDFs. Great for non-professionals with little video editing experience, but not if you’re a pro looking for a full-featured video editor. Free version, three-month trial or $9.99 a month ($99.99 a year) for more templates, photos and fonts. Included in many Creative Cloud subscriptions. More info on plans here.

Darkroom
Iphone app with filters (or create your own filters), a curves tool for RGB channels, and an infinite history remembers all your edits so undo is easy. Edit photos without having to import them. Link your account to your Instagram account for easy upload. Free. $3 upgrade for curves.

Filmic pro
Powerful app for videography and photography. Lots of bells and whistles such as in-app stabilization. Possibly too much for the average person. Video explanation here. $14.99.

FilterStorm
Advanced mobile photo editing that can be sent by email, FTP, Dropbox, SFTP or export into social media. $3.99.

Getty Images
The most prestigious and the highest quality stock photography agency, Getty also offers video, music, and multimedia elements. Some of its images can be expensive to use and known to be protective of its property.

Google Reverse Image Search
Drag and drop or upload an image into this search engine to find where images originated from. Video explains it here.

Hipstamatic
Fact-checking photo editor. Can pick films, lenses, and flashes before taking your photos. Set shutter speed, shoot multi-exposed photos. $2.99 for the app but HipstaPacks for up to $4.99.

Hyperlapse
Instagram’s timelapse video. No audio option.

Instagram
Photo and video sharing app owned by Facebook.

Mojo
A great easy-to-use app for making professional vertical social stories to go on Instagram Stories, Facebook Stories, and Snapchat. Templates and fonts. More info here. Free. Pro version $9.99 a month.

Moment
Cases, lens, batteries, lights, gimbals, etc. to enhance photos and videos taken with a phone.

Pexels
Vast and well-organized, it is one of the best free stock images and video sites. High-quality images under the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license.

Pixlr
Browser-based and mobile photo editing. Pixlr Express is an option for making small changes when Photoshop is overkill. Pixlr Editor and Pixlr Pro is a step up for professional use. Free for basic tools, $5/month Pixlr Pro.

ProCamera
A great iPhone app for capturing, editing, and sharing high quality photos. Control over focus, exposure, white balance, and lighting. Compose shots or shoot HD and SD video. Tools can clutter the screen. The website offers a user manual and video tutorials. $14.99.

Shorthand
A visual storytelling tool used by major news outlets that allows users to combine text, images, and video. See exactly how a story will look as it is built. See examples created by the BBC here and here. Free trial then pricing starts at $150 a month.

Shutterstock
Royalty-free stock photos. With reverse image search, you can use drag a photo or illustration into search in order to find other images with a similar look and feel.

Snapseed
Google's Snapseed is a powerful mobile photo tool. Both auto edit and editing controls. Lots of filters and effects including text for adding captions. Both IOS and Android. Tips for using it are here. Free.

Unfold
App for iOS or Android for creating vertical montages of videos and photos. 25 free templates, dozens more as in-app purchases. A product of SquareSpace. More info here.

VSCO
Great start-to-finish photo/video app. Easy to use filters and helpful tutorials. Manual controls like focus lock, exposure lock, and white balance. Edit images and share them on social media. IOS. Here is a tutorial. Free version or $19.99 a year for 170 presets.

For the complete list of 99 photography tools click here