6 Smartphone Camera Apps That Will Lead to Better Photos

Key Takeaways

• There are plenty of apps available for your smartphone that will help you take and edit better photos.
• 1998 Cam provides retro filters and effects for a vintage look, with a paid subscription for more filters and features.
• Other good camera apps include DAZE CAM and ProCam.

Make your pictures more interesting with these smartphone camera apps. Some of them will automatically edit your images, while others let you add unique filters. You can use most of these apps for free, and many have paid subscriptions if you want to upgrade.

1 OldRoll

OldRoll’s app resembles a film camera when you take pictures on your smartphone, and you can replicate the photography style of several devices (you’ll need a paid plan to unlock everything). One of the best features is the ability to change your white balance, which will give you more control over how warm or cool your image looks and help you get the perfect white balance in your photos.

When using OldRoll, you can also adjust the lighting in your image. Moreover, you have the option to turn the flash on or off. After taking your picture, you can change the contrast, saturation, and other aspects such as cropping your picture and adding blur, grain, and vignette.

It’s also possible to choose whether you want watermarks on your picture or not. Once you’ve edited your photos and exported them, you can share them wherever you wish. The app is available on tablets in addition to your smartphone. If you choose to upgrade to the full version, unlimited plans cost $2.99 per month or $9.99 per year.

Download: OldRoll for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases available)

2 1998 Cam

1998 Cam is another great app if you want to make your images look retro. You can choose from several filters for your images, which cover numerous styles—such as film and vintage. You can also use different grids to frame your pictures better, and it’s possible to edit the effects in your photo—such as whether you want bokeh—after taking them. 1998 Cam also lets you add timestamps to make the pictures look more old-fashioned.

The app has a paid version that offers access to more filters and other features, which costs $17.99 per month for an annual subscription. If you want to try out the full edition before committing to a purchase, you can get a 30-day free trial. At the time of writing in July 2024, the app is only available on iOS.

Download: 1998 Cam for iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

3 ProCam

ProCam lets you take pictures in RAW, TIFF, and other formats. So, if you want to do more editing later, you’ve got a lot of flexibility (note, however, that these bigger file sizes will consume more storage space on your smartphone).

You can change the ISO in your pictures, which gives you much more control than you’d normally have on most smartphone cameras. You’ll have more flexibility in situations with low light, and it’s also ideal for reducing the amount of light coming in on sunny days; I often find that smartphone images are particularly flat when it’s bright out.

Moreover, you’ll see what the white balance is like in your pictures and get a better understanding of your shutter speed. Even if you don’t change any of these settings, I recommend monitoring them so that you learn how lighting works. You can also look at this guide to the exposure triangle in photography for more context.

When using ProCam, you can change the focal length and set a long timer. The latter is especially helpful if you want to take long-exposure photos in low lighting conditions, and you can get creative by experimenting with it in different daytime conditions as well.

Download: ProCam for iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

4 Timestamp Camera Basic

Timestamp Camera Basic is an easy-to-use app that, as the name suggests, lets you add a timestamp to your pictures. You can include the date and even the location where you are. When using this app, you can also change your photo resolution and pick from numerous filters to get the exact style you’re looking for.

The app lets you pick from long-exposure timers of three, five, and 10 seconds. Moreover, you can use it for time lapses and videos. To ensure that you don’t burn through your battery, you can also make the most of battery-saving mode.

If you want to upgrade and get full feature access, you can do so for $4.99.

Download: Timestamp Camera Basic for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases available)

5 RetroCam

RetroCam is one of my favorite apps for adding film and other retro-style looks to my images. I use it for both smartphone photos and JPEGs that I import from my mirrorless camera. You can quickly add multiple filters for different lighting effects, and it’s also possible to include overlight effects to make your image look older. For each of these, you can adjust the intensity.

RetroCam also has basic filters that change the colors in your images and look similar to some of the best Instagram filters. You’ll find a significant range of filters for free, along with a number of paid options; in my opinion, RetroCam is one of the best alternatives to VSCO.

When using the RetroCam app, you also have access to various other photo editing features. For example, you can adjust each of the following:

• Brightness
• Contrast
• Vibrance
• Highlights
• Saturation
• Temperature

Some features, like adding a date, are available if you upgrade to the full version. If you want to do that, RetroCam costs $19.99 per year. You can get a three-day free trial before deciding whether to commit to a purchase.

Download: RetroCam for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases available)

6 DAZE CAM

Another smartphone camera app that I recommend for taking better photos is DAZE CAM. You can use this app to take film-style pictures and choose from different filters to pick the right effect for your image. Joshua Tree was one that I thought looked particularly good, but there are plenty of others (you can also adjust the intensity slider to better fit your style).

For some images, you can change aspects other than just the intensity—such as radius and sensitivity. It’s also possible to add a date and choose whether you want dust and other particles to appear in your image. Moreover, you have an option to add vignette if you feel like doing so.

If you have a free plan, you can develop up to five photos. Upgrading to a paid subscription will offer unlimited access, and doing so costs $19.99 for an annual subscription.

Download: DAZE CAM for iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

Whether you want to take or edit pictures on your smartphone, you’ll find plenty of apps that help you create better photos. Many of these have comprehensive free versions, and if you want to upgrade for full access, monthly and annual plans normally aren’t that expensive.