How to Use Photoshop on Your iPhone – MUO – MakeUseOf
If you take most of your photos with your iPhone, there’s no need to transfer them to a computer for editing. Here’s how to use Photoshop on iPhone.
Are you bitten by the shutterbug and want to improve your photography? Editing your photos is one of the easiest ways to elevate their look. Of course, you have a lot of options when it comes to editing photos. But you can benefit from learning to use the industry standard, Adobe Photoshop.
Your iPhone is capable of taking great-quality photos—you don't need a DSLR or the full desktop version of Photoshop to make your images pop. Instead, the simple app version, Adobe Photoshop Express, is quite powerful and gives you a ton of options.
Read on to learn the step-by-step instructions to install and use Photoshop Express on your iPhone.
The app is completely free to download, just go to the App Store on your iPhone and download it. However, you have to create an Adobe account to use it. There is also a monthly subscription available to get some advanced options.
Photoshop Express is one of the safest and most secure editing apps you can use. Read all about the security risks associated with photo editing apps.
Once you create your account, the app will ask permission to access your photos. You can either give access to all your pictures or a few selected ones.
The app is now ready to use.
The Photoshop Express app is an all-in-one app that has everything you need to edit your photos. Along with the standard functionalities like adjusting exposure, contrast, and colors, you have heavy-duty editing options like using layers, selective editing, isolating subjects, and changing backgrounds too. See how Photoshop Express compares to Lightroom for mobile.
To start editing, go to the Edit section, and choose the photo you want to edit.
If you want to take complete control of your editing, you have most of the options of traditional photo editing software under Adjustments.
You can play with light and color, include various effects, adjust saturation and vibrance, add vignetting, and even enable lens corrections. In addition, you have the option to select a portion of the image and make the edits selectively. You can also fine-tune colors in the HSL and Split Tone tabs.
For quick editing, you have many options under Looks. For example, you can adjust the warmth and coolness of your photo or turn it to black and white. There are also options like HDR, 90's Aesthetic, Pop, and Dual Tone.
There is also an option to change your white balance, which can be handy if the colors in your photo are off.
Other fun things include texts, borders, stickers, and so on.
Selective editing is one of the highlights of using Photoshop Express. If you want to do some edits to your subject without touching the background or vice versa, this is the mode to use. This type of editing allows you to edit certain areas of your picture by selecting them.
You can also achieve selective coloring with this. For example, you can have only your subject in color while leaving the background in black and white. Selective coloring with Photoshop involves a lot of steps, but it's simpler on Photoshop Express.
First, go to Edit, and select the picture you want. Then, click on Adjustments, and use the Selection Tools to choose the area you want to edit. You can either use Smartcut or Brush to do that.
When you do your edits, they will apply only to the selected area.
Changing background used to be one of those things that only a pro software could do. Not anymore. Photoshop Express's subject recognition does an excellent job of selecting and isolating the subject.
Choose the Replace Background option on the home screen. Select the photo for which you want to change the background. Next, you have to choose one of the default background options. You can also add your own background from your photos, Creative Cloud, or even from Dropbox.
You can adjust the size of your subject and move it around to place it in an appropriate position. Then, you can use the slider to tweak the opacity of your subject or background to get your desired look.
The changing background option will work seamlessly if you have a clear subject. However, if you have a busy photo, the software may isolate unintended elements. Here is how you can remove an image background on iPhone with Apple's Visual Look Up.
The Retouch tab has everything you need to edit your portrait photos. You can smoothen skin, heal any blemishes, add makeup, and reshape the face. You can also add a smile to a face with one click.
Use this option minimally to elevate your subject's look. Only go overboard if you want to create funny photos.
Under the Mix option, you can create various graphics for different social media accounts like Facebook, Instagram, and so on. For instance, you can create posters, collages, infographics, Instagram stories, and Facebook profiles. With the freedom to choose your subject and background, and add any other effects, the Mix option is your one-stop-shop for all your social media needs.
Click on Mix on the app's home screen. Using the Cutout option, you can isolate the subject. If you're not happy with the automatic selection, you can use the custom button to select your subject. Click on Background to choose your desired background. You can choose one from Patterns, Colors, or Gradient.
Now, add other things like stickers or text, and your poster is ready for sharing.
Once you have finished your edits, there are a few ways you can share them. Simply tap the share icon at the top. You can send the photos to Lightroom for further editing. You also have the options to share them on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Photoshop Express can be a perfect alternative if you're short on time or don't want to learn the desktop version. It can also be quick and handy if you take most of your pictures on your iPhone.
With so many options like selective editing, background changing options, and other fun elements, this is an app that deserves a place on your iPhone. So go ahead, download it, and enhance your photos.
Aarthi Arunkumar is a writer and photographer based in Toronto. Once upon a time, she was a software developer. After trying both corporate and creative jobs, she is now happy to be sitting at the sweet spot between art and technology.