Shooting with a DSLR (digital single-lens reflex) camera can be difficult, frustrating and time consuming for casual photographers. Given the size and weight of DSLRs and their lenses it can be difficult lugging the camera around, especially for amateur photographers who want to take photos of things like an impromptu group gathering or child’s football game. Although smartphones do not produce the same quality images as DSLRs, they are more convenient with social sharing and creative filtering.

Here is a list of apps recommended by Desert View Aerial Photography to help photo enthusiasts recreate near DSLR-quality photos with their smartphone cameras (iOS and Android):

10. Phonto (Cost – FREE, iOS and Android) – Phonto is an easy-to-use tool for adding many different types of text and captions to your photos. The tool provides access to a wide range of fonts and colors, as well as an easy way to fade and intensify a swath of colors. Users no longer have to hassle with transferring images to a computer for edits; they can now easily express themselves with this app and share their creations with other social sites.

9. Touchnote Postcards (Cost – FREE, iOS and Android) – Send personalized postcards to your friends and family this holiday season with Touchnote Postcards. This photo app allows users to document their travels by turning their pictures into printed postcards via their phone. Using your own photos, you can design personalized postcards, add text and include a small map to each one to show where it came from. Then simply select a recipient from your phone’s address book and pick your shipping option (shipping cost is separate). Leaving a thoughtful personalized postcard in someone’s mailbox is sure to be a welcoming surprise.

8. Pudding (Cost – FREE, iOS and Android) – Similar to Instagram, Pudding offers a wide selection of configurable filters and special effects. It also lets you choose different angle of views for your camera, as well as see a real-time preview of the camera and filter when you take a photo. The app takes the creative experience one-step further by allowing you to also add emotions, activities and even music to your photos for sharing online.

7. PhotoGrid (Cost – FREE, iOS and Android) – Anyone can enhance, transform, and create beautiful collages of their photos with PhotoGrid. The app has a simplified editing approach for rearranging photos: just shake your phone! Users can also add special effects to their photos, such as stickers, text and decorative backgrounds.

6. Vapp (Cost – FREE, iOS and Android) – Avoid shaking your camera and blurry photos by installing the Vapp app. Vapp is a hands-free photo tool, so no need for a tripod. Simply set your camera where needed and snap a photo by making a distinctive sound. Vapp is an ideal app for those who obsessively retake selfies. With Vapp, you no longer have to rely on a delayed camera timer or someone else to take multiple photos of you until you get the perfect shot.

5. Big Lens (Cost – $0.99, iOS) – With Big Lens, photographers can now create a DSLR-level depth of field in their photos. Built in capabilities allow users to create an illusion of a large aperture with highly adjustable peripheral blurring options and background lighting controls. This type of app is much different than the tilt-shift movement found in other apps. Instead of just selectively capturing a circular or rectangular portion of an image and adjusting the angle of the blur, using Big Lens, users gain more control over the blur. Its camera-style tools allow you to control the intensity of the blur and the gradient amount, as well as the look of the blur. The precise control of this app makes it great for creating great focus effects.

4. 360 Panorama (Cost – $0.99, iOS and Android) – Get a wider view of your surroundings using 360 Panorama. This app stands out amongst others because it allows you to process panoramic photos in real time, so you can instantly preview your photo as your taking it. The app is integrated with other social media platforms, so your SLR like photos can easily be shared with others.

3. Pixlr Express (Cost – FREE, iOS and Android) – In addition to the usual exposure controls, this app comes equipped with a vibrancy control that allows you to give your images a color boost, as well as a touch up tool to brighten eyes and reduce harsh glares on a subject’s face. With more than 600 effects, overlays and frames at its disposal, and the ability to remove red-eye and whiten teeth, Pixlr Express is a must-have photo app. This fun little app also lets you go about your photo tweaking in a completely ads-free environment and instantly share your photos across various social media sites.

2. ProHDR (Cost – $1.99, iOS and Android) – Thanks to ProHDR, you can now capture an extraordinary range of contrast in a scene. The app enables photographers to produce high-resolution and perfectly executed HDR photos by combining one image exposed for the highlights and another exposed for the shadows. The app then blends the two photos together, giving the heavy saturation of colors and sharp details of a real HDR image. You can also tweak previously captured photos – one with the background properly exposed and the other with a properly exposed foreground – and turn them into dynamic HDR images. This is a is a fierce photo editing tool.

1. Snapseed (Cost – FREE, iOS and Android) – This app delivers powerful image optimization tools that provide flexible control of exposure, contrast, color, texture and sharpness, making it our top pick. There are also several filters and effects to choose from. More importantly is this app’s selective adjustment tool. The tool allows for high-quality editing abilities. Users have the option to tweak a portion or the whole part of a picture, turning your smartphone into a powerful, full-featured camera.

There is a plethora of DSLR camera emulator apps available for smartphone owners, and although they will not replace a fully-fledged professional DSLR photographer, they are suffice for the average user.

For more information on how Desert View Aerial Photography can take your photos to the next level, call 480.396.2409.

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