I swapped my Pixel 10 Pro's camera for Snapseed, and I should have done it sooner

I’ll be the first to admit I’m not a photographer. I’ve never quite grasped the concepts of white balance, framing, and the idea of editing photos. The idea of editing photos terrifies me.

I experiment from time to time, but after a few half-hearted adjustments of the various dials and sliders in Google Photos, I give up.

My photography friends keep telling me that anyone can master the basics of photography and editing, and the results will be instantly visible.

Perhaps I’ve never considered them trustworthy, but I’ve never really tried to put their advice to the test. But with the long-awaited arrival of Snapseed 4.0, I decided it was time for another go.

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Posts 4
By  Sanuj Bhatia

Why Snapseed 4.0 is so important to me

It makes editing and advanced photography accessible at last

One of the first pieces of advice I was given was to use Snapseed. This was when I was exploring product photography in 2022, and I was told it was the absolute best app for beginners like me.

However, it wasn’t until the recent launch of Snapseed 4.0 that I began to understand and use it. I knew it was already a fantastic app, but now it’s more intuitive than ever.

The most significant aspect of the 4.0 update is the in-app camera. I’ll touch on some of the editing tools later, but for me, this mattered most.

I recently reviewed the Mudita Kompakt, an E-Ink smartphone with probably the worst camera I’ve ever used. It was also my favorite camera I’ve ever used, as the rough, washed-out colors made my photos feel more lifelike than those from my Google Pixel 10 Pro.

Snapseed’s in-app camera comes with a selection of filters, but these are a far cry from Instagram’s atrocities. These are real film filters, and thus add authenticity to your subjects without sacrificing quality. It’s the fun of the Kompakt with the quality of my Google Pixel 10 Pro.

But it’s the Pro features that awoke the slumbering photographer in me.

I’ve used many phones with fantastic camera tools in the past, but there’s nothing worse for a beginner than having everything thrown in your face at once.

Snapseed’s Pro mode enables three options: exposure, shutter speed, and focus. This is the perfect amount of tools for a beginner to play with.

Indeed, much of the advice I was given by photographers is to adjust no more than one of these options.

Admittedly, the camera doesn’t have the same capabilities as most standard camera apps, but that’s okay. I’ve already switched to Snapseed as my default camera, and if you’re a beginner like me, that’s all you need to do.

All the camera controls are incredibly intuitive, and you don’t need to do more than scratch the surface to improve your photography.

However, it’s the editing tools that are truly magic.

How I use Snapseed’s editing tools to improve my terrible photos

Fixing my awful subject shots with a couple of taps

Let’s use this silly photo taken of this enormous bag of tea (insert your British joke of choice here). It’s not a good photo (regardless of the subject’s beauty), but it serves well to demonstrate Snapseed’s capabilities.

Open a photo in Snapseed, and tucked to the left is a button labeled Tune Image. In here is the tool I’ll be using most.

Where my photography falls short is in placing the subject against a suitable background.

Until now, I’ve overused Portrait mode to draw the eye, but it’s not a great solution. In this menu is the masking and layer tool. Snapseed is excellent at identifying the subject and background using a tool similar to Magic Eraser.

Here, I can adjust various options like brightness, shadows, and warmth, like in the camera app. But the effects only apply to the masked area, so tapping the Auto button adds the necessary touches needed to make my subject stand out without editing the whole picture at once.

It’s mind-numbingly easy to use, perfect for someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing.

Snapseed’s full editing suite is packed with all the tools I could imagine

But I only need a fraction of what’s available

Tapping the Tools button brings up a host of editing options, most familiar, some new. Snapseed has conveniently organized them into three categories: Refine, Fix, and Style.

If, like me, you find yourself overwhelmed by the vast array of editing tools, you can select one of these at a time.

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Style involves more advanced versions of the tools in the camera. It’s also where you’ll find more dramatic filters like Grunge and Noir.

Refine covers the most complex editing tools; I wish Snapseed offered a quick guide to these.

The final, Fix, contains the tools needed to edit problems with your photos. This is how I created the more dramatic shot of my tea bag, but there’s also a lot of potential for fixing awkward selfies in the Portrait mode.

Snapseed is the perfect go-to for non-photographers

I have neither the time nor the interest to work on improving my photography beyond a basic level. All I want is to improve my poor photos, and that’s why I love Snapseed.

Snapseed 4.0 is incredibly intuitive and makes it easy for beginners like me to grasp the basics of photography and editing.

I’m seriously impressed, and I plan on using it for all my photography and editing going forward.

But for the more advanced photographers out there, Snapseed is now better than ever and worth returning to.