5 Reasons to Get Photoshop Express on Your Phone

Tags: : Photoshop Express.  Focus, Photography for beginners, Lightroom Mobile 

 

By: Ana Mireles

Adobe has developed many Photoshop apps, but none are as popular as the desktop version (Photoshop CC). That said, maybe it’s time for this to change, at least for one of Adobe’s apps: Photoshop Express.

In this article, I’ll tell you five reasons why I recommend you give Photoshop Express a try.

 

1. It’s free

Unlike the desktop version of Photoshop, you don’t need a Creative Cloud subscription in order to use Photoshop Express.

You can download the app for free, and you’ll get access to all the features and updates.

You do have to create an Adobe account, though (one that also allows you to use a limited version of Lightroom Mobile).

2. It’s social

A very important thing for a photo editing app is the social aspect. You want to snap and share photos with ease.

Adobe took this into account when designing the cropping tool. With Photoshop Express, you can crop your images using the array of predetermined sizes for Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Etsy, and most other major social networks.

For example: When cropping for Facebook, you can choose from the Page Cover, the Event Cover, the Profile Cover, the Profile, or the Ad.

Of course, you can then share your photo directly from the app. From there, you can also add a watermark, send the image to Creative Cloud if you are a subscriber, send the image to a printer, and more.

3. You control size and compression

Unlike many other editing apps, Photoshop Express lets you choose the size and quality of your file before saving or sharing it.

You can set a default JPEG Quality and a default Image Size in the Preferences of the app. To set this up, tap on the menu (in the top-left corner). Then go to Preferences and then Save Options.

You can also change size and quality in the final stage of your saving or sharing process. Before you choose the destination of your image, click on the settings below the thumbnail (so you can modify them).

4. You can work with RAW files

A RAW file is like a digital negative. It saves the information from the shot prior to processing; that way, you have much more to work with when you’re editing, and the quality will be superior.

Of course, this means that the file size will be bigger, so keep an eye on your storage space. If you have a camera, you probably know that each brand has its own RAW files. For example, Canon uses CRW/CR2/CR3, while Nikon uses NEF/NRW. A standard and open-source RAW format is a DNG file, which is what you get if you shoot using Lightroom Mobile.

On the left, you can see how a RAW file is clearly marked in the gallery. That one was shot using the camera from Lightroom Mobile. On the right, you see the post-processed version of that file (edited using Photoshop Express).

5. You can do all your post-processing

Last but not least, the editing capabilities of Photoshop Express are top-notch. After all, the app was created by a company that has been leading the post-processing market for decades.

That said, Photoshop Express won’t reach the level of editing that you can do with the desktop version of Photoshop. That’s why there are three apps.

However, if you consider that Photoshop Express is free and won’t take up all your phone storage space, it’s actually very good.

Snapshot made with a Redmi Note 8, later post-processed in Photoshop Express.

Also, Photoshop Express includes many presets for looks, effects, stickers, frames, etc. That way, you can do some serious post-processing, or you can just create fun posts for your social media feed.

With so many editing apps on the market, it’s difficult to make a choice; sometimes you end up downloading a different app for each purpose.

However, Photoshop Express has proven to be an all-purpose and well-rounded app.

And if you have an iPhone, you’ll get some additional features.

Share in the comments if you decide to try Photoshop Express, and let me know what you think.