For basic shooting, I really love the using the app Camera FV-5. If you're used to controlling your exposure manually on your camera, then you'll like this app a lot. Here is what the screen looks like as you are shooting – see all of the exposure and focusing options? Love it!
Okay, so the first editing app is kind of a no-brainer – I'm SO glad we finally have Instagram available for Android users! It's been a little addicting, but I love the social platform of it as well as the filters. Here are some of my Instagram faves. 
My very favorite editing app is Magic Hour. Again, if you like the creative control over your photos, you'll love this app. My favorite feature of Magic Hour is being able to change your color curves in photographs and save your own filters, and you can download other people's filters as well, but don't be afraid to play with the curves! Here's an example of editing with curves in Magic Hour, and also a few photos I edited!
Vignette is another app I love. My favorite functions that set the Vignette app apart are the options for light leaks as well as tilt / shift features. When you opt for your photo to have light leaks, you have no control over the leak and they're different every time, much like a real light leak! There are a lot of filter and effect combinations to play with in Vignette. It's worth spending a little time figuring out your favorite photo looks. Here are some different looks I came up with in Vignette. 
Another great photo editing app is Pixlr-o-Matic. You have a lot of light play options with this app, as well as tons of downloadable filters! Here's a few photos that I edited in Pixlr-o-Matic.
And then what are photos without a few fun add-ons, right? If you'd like to add some labels to your photos, Labelbox is a fun app to use. And if you feel like being artistic, a good app that I like is Sketch-N-Draw. You can paint whatever you like over your images! 
Don't be afraid to make photo cocktails! Try combining layering different apps by saving one version and then applying another filter over it. Here are three combinations I like…
And there you are! I know there are tons of great apps out there for Android, and I encourage you to try as many as you can to find some you can create your own unique look with. 🙂 If you follow me on Instagram (arrowandapple) I'll be posting new apps and effects that I find for us droid users as often as I can! What android photo apps are your favorites? xo. Sarah/Arrow & Apple 
95 Comments
Little photo is my fav
Hello!
I don’t have android, but I loooove using these effects. I usually use Pixrl-o-matic online, but I would like to try new things. Do you know if the other apps have web pages so I can use them?
Thank you! You are all so inspiring 🙂
Totally staring this in my GReader. So addicted to apps! My current favorites are Instagram (of course) and Cymera. I LOVE Cymera. So many fun filters, boarders, effects, etc. Plus it’s free!!!
Thank you so much for writing up this post, Sarah!
How fun! And so awesome that Android apps are finally catching up with iPhones ~*
http://aclosetintellectual.blogspot.com/
Favorites are fxcamera and Retro Camera!
These pictures make me miss Phoenix. Bad.
Thanks so much! I see so many iPhone app posts – glad I got some love for my droid :).
waaahh those are so gorgeous! It’s great they have ones for android now , too. Iphones shouldnt hog em all 😉
Rory
http://www.wearaboutsblog.com/
Oye. Desperately need a smart phone.
xoxo
http://natashafatah.com
This just made my day! Thank you. I have been looking for a way to jazz up my photos and get so bummed that I have an android. These look awesome :]
Ooo, thank you! I’m stuck with an Android for the rest of the year, so we don’t have the luxury of millions of photo apps.
– Angela Marie @ http://sunkissedivory.blogspot.com
Ahhhh thank you so much for this post! I have an android and I have been searching for great photo apps. Really great pos as always <3
cool. I love it. 🙂 http://lovesimplegreen.blogspot.com/
I have just got instagram crazy since it became available for android. But these are some other fun ones too. Off to download and try! Thanks. 🙂
Finally some suggestions for us Android girls. Thanks!
Vintagehoneybee.blogspot.com
yay! thanks for this post! another great one is Camera 360
Thanks so much for this post! I have an Android phone and I love finding out about cool new apps! Im definitely going to try them out!
I really wish I had an android phone 🙂 I’m stuck with an old Nokia brick, since my old phone died!
http://stainsofpaint.blogspot.com/
I love my Android for apps like these! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
http://vivikstyle.blogspot.com
love photo filters and all those apps! they really make a difference in photos and jazz up my blog 🙂
Cymera is pretty good too. It compensates for Android instagram’s lack of tilt-shift function. It has a lot more filters and several fake light leak effects. I use it a lot to take the photo and then just upload via instagram. I often find that instagram majorly reduces photo quality :S But it’s still so much fun 🙂
Thank you for this post, I discovered nice new apps! 🙂 I’m so jooked to instagram now that I have forgotten my canon.. Hehe.
Thank you very much, elsie.. This is definitely what I’m looking since i don’t own an iphone 🙂
Tried some although didnt find sketch and draw. found picasso instead <3
Great post! It gives a very good overview. Tank you!
http://lecoursdeschoses.blgospot.com
Great ideas and I love that you answer the requests of your readers by providing this. Thanks.Rx
http://sandersonsmithstory.blogspot.co.uk/
Thank you for addressing this platform. I like that Elsie’s answer to the inquiries about Android is “I don’t know, but I will find someone who does” instead of just ignoring the questions. I really admire you for making the effort to include everyone. I like the apps lomo camera as well as retouch free (not really the same kind of app but useful)
this is so so helpful – thanks!
Been waiting for a photo like this! Finally I don’t have to feel jealous about iphone apps 😛 x
I don’t use Android but the photos look amazing!
Excellent excellent excellent!!! Thank you for this post, I am now downloading sketch n draw to have a play. I didn;t realise there were so many good ones for android phones 🙂 Big cheesy grin
Chantal
great post! I just recently got an HTC phone and I’m an instagram addict. It’s good to know there are so many apps available – Pixlr-o-Matic looks very promising!
just downloaded Magic Hour! Thankss!
Great! I have to prove them all! It’s good to have a post with android app too. Thanks! Now I’ll be able to enjoy more my phone camera 😉
how cool! thanks for sharing!
Yay! Thanks for this! I don’t have a phone yet (I know, I know!) but we are all about open-source over here at my house and Instagram was the first thing that made me sad that we swing that way. Anyway, I’ll be getting a new phone this week and I can’t wait to start taking photos with it! I’m looking forward to trying your suggestions Sarah!
Oh my, finally! I’ve been drooling over the past photo posts so this Android feature is jus awesome. 🙂
http://theclothesmuse.blogspot.com
Little photo is an amazing app for android. You can mix how many effects as you like on one photo and even choose how much of the effects you like! I’ve got an iphone now but really miss Little photo for these lovely features.
awesome suggestions! how are people making their instagrams collaged or just one photo next to the other, is there an app for that?
FANTASTIC! Thanks for sharing! I’m super stoked to know I already have and use all the apps that you recommended!! ~now following on instagram 😉
Lovely post! Love the filters!
http://pinkscriptblog.blogspot.com/
The editing apps that you use for your pictures after you take the photo, are you using them on your phone, or are you putting the pictures on your computer and then using them? Seems like it would be hard to edit pictures on a phone but I am going to try it in a little while! Thanks for all the info!
I went to magic hour and the stupid thing said it was free but once i dl it it wanted me to purchase everything. Very dissapointing. Free apps should be up here.
Very pretty pictures… I don’t have that kind of phone, but I’m ok with just my camera 🙂
Val
http://valentinaduracinsky.blogspot.com/
Thank you do much for sharing this girls! You don’t see posts like this very often. My droid thanks you!
I use pixlr-o-matic. But I really don’t like Instagram, so standardizing!
http://missbobino.blogspot.com
Thanks for sharing it!
http://robertascoolestplaces.blogspot.com.es
Just yesterday I bought my first smartphone with android and now you write this article. Too bad it’s an Xperia X8, and it’s not compatible with Instagram :c
Thanks for the tips!
Thanks for the Droid post! These are few and far between. Hurray! 🙂
so much fun!
thank you! 😀
Absolutely brilliant! great help, now I will have beautiful photos! ta xxx
Amazing PICS…in love with your collages Elsie. =)
Have a nice weekc my dear.
XOXO from MUNICH
La Vie Quotidienne
You can check my new DIY: HEADER WATERCOLOUR BLOG in: http://www.laviequo.com …i have 2 pieces more in my SHOP. =)
nice! made me start up my own instagram, always thought it was just for the iphone! 🙁 glad it’s for android too now, yay
Sarah, what model Android do you have and also how many megapixels is the camera? I have a Droid but the quality of my photos are just awful.. especially the ones indoors. I would love to know what you use to compare! thanks for the app tips! 😀
Thank you so much for this post! Another great Android photo app is Pudding Camera, I downloaded it 4 days ago and have taken dozens of photos that I really love using that app combined with Instagram and pixlr-o-matic. I can’t wait to make new photo cocktails with these new apps, thanks again!!
THANK YOU!!!
(android user.)
i was so excited about instagram and then realized that my particular phone doesn’t support it 🙁 sadness.
Thank You So Much!!! I hate how iPhone users get all the cool stuff! So glad we finally get a share of the cool!! Thanks for the heads up about these great apps!!
havent even read it yet but THANK YOU.
@danielle thompson – hey! I have a samsung Galaxy S ii. I think it’s 8 megapixels. both front-facing and indoor quality tends to be a little grainy with my phone so I mostly take photos either outside or near a window, and if it happens to be low quality grainy (night time!), I turn it black + white. ha! 🙂
Thanks for the suggestions, I just downloaded a few of them. I’m glad to know Android is catching up with iphones.
pudding camera is one of my favorites!
check it out if you haven’t already 🙂
Fantastic! I’ve been using http://pixlr.com/ on my pc for a few weeks now and I love it! I wish Magic Hour was available for pc as well 🙂
thank you for this post, just so happy to have discovered pixlomatic and magic hour from you. I was happy that instagram became available for android but was a bit disapointed in the end result and not that user-friendly as that… the apps I’ve been using are retro camera and fx camera which are also fun but more limited…
are there any photo apps out there that give effects other than vintage??? I love beautiful modern photography….
I found one called one man and his camera, I think that’s it, I’m remembering not looking because my screen has smashed 🙁 But it’s really good, you get the old cameras and others, Diana, Holga, Lomo, Fish eye etc! Definitely check it out!
http://www.therandomchirpsofadizziebird.blogspot.com
another bit of love for ‘little photo’ – SO many built in filters (some terrible that i never use!) but lots totally amazing – can combine them to make unique filters too! i use it every day, love it way more than instagram 🙂
Thank you so much for this post! I’ve been getting into taking pictures with my android a lot more lately and I’m downloading these apps as we speak!
Yay! I’ve been really waiting for you to do an Android friendly post! I love all your app reviews. Thanks for thinking of us Android users!
great post – I also like Little Photo, great variety of filters
so awesome! thank you!!
Ooohhh I’m always on the lookout for android camera apps. I’ll have to check these out! My current faves are FX Camera, Lightbox and Camera 360 (and of course instagram). I love mixing diffenent effects together from different apps as well.
http://MyersMaison.blogspot.com
Thanks for sharing these apps. Do you have any suggestions for a good editing app to take out red eye? My eyes are always so red and I want to be able to fix them before I share them.
love this..i have the perfect floral fabric scraps in mind!
http://www.yourcheapshoes.com/
If you like adding word bubbles to your photos picsay is a fun one – you can add things like mustaches, and other props to your photos as well 🙂
I love using Lightbox and/or Camera360 in conjunction with my newfound love of Instagram (thank gosh we can finally use it on Android!). They both have great filter options, and are so much fun to layer with other apps, and still without getting overly complicated (I’m working my way up into the more complex….).
Thank You!!
Little photo is, by far, my favorite android app. I’ve never been disappointed with a single picture.
These apps are really helpful for those designers who used to develop the latest mobile applications for latest android smartphones.
You forgot about PicSay Pro!!! ive found that that is the absolute best with tilt shift and all else!
Have been wanting a post like this for a WHILE!!! Didn’t even know instagram was finally out (I’d given up on checking, haha). Thanks so much for this
This is a brilliant post! Thanks so much!! I am totally obsessed with Pixrl-o-matic and use it all the time but never thought of combining two different apps!! So exiting!! : )
Finally! Thank you! I downloaded them all.
Yay! This post is the best!
Downloaded three of them right away. Pixlr-o-matic and Instagram were already my favorites. But definitely gonna try the other ones.
Thanks for sharing 🙂
xo Sari
Do you know of any good “framing” app? For instance, apple users have “Dyptic frames” etc. I have been looking for some similar apps for Android but can’t seem to find a good one 🙁
Great post nice photos was searching for them something different.Awesome.
Thanks! I’ve got a Droid Bionic, which I love, but it’s always a little sad to see all of the iPhone apps out there…until now!! Yay!! Downloading a bunch of new toys on to my phone right now. 🙂
i was wondering there is a setting on some of these apps that lets you post pictures side by side, or in a quadrant of 4? or do you need a different program to post them that way? thanks for all the great tips on the apps too!
Vignette…HANDS down!!! FAB pix in this post!
kimi
http://www.californiapixie.com
Great photos on the instagram. I loves these type of photos a lot. Instagram works great at all into the iPhone and Android too.
Extraordinary photos with using the instagram app. I love to use the Instagram a lot.
nice, i’m an android user it really helping
Amazing sharing of Android Photographs. I love these photos very much and use them in my phone.
Oooh lovely! I use this app called Uber Iris on my Android Tablet. Has some really cool effects 🙂 Here’s the link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=air.com.xlabz.beta.UberIris
I downloaded all of the ones I did not have! Thank you so much for this.
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