What Makes a Great iOS 18 Photo Editing App?

When evaluating the best photo editing apps for iOS 18, we considered these key factors:

  • iOS 18 Integration: Support for iOS 18 features like Live Text, Visual Look Up, and Widgets
  • User Interface: Intuitive design that makes editing easy for both beginners and professionals
  • Features: A wide range of editing tools from basic adjustments to advanced features
  • Performance: Fast editing with real-time previews and minimal lag
  • Creativity: Unique filters, effects, and creative tools that stand out
  • Sharing: Easy sharing to social media platforms and cloud storage
  • Updates: Regular updates with new features and iOS compatibility
  • Price: Good value for the features offered

1. Pixelmator Photo ($4.99/month or $49.99/year)

Pixelmator Photo is a professional-grade photo editing app that combines powerful features with an intuitive interface. It's perfect for both beginners and advanced users who want to take their photos to the next level.

Key Features

  • ML Enhance: AI-powered editing tool that automatically improves your photos
  • Advanced Adjustments: Complete control over exposure, color, contrast, and more
  • RAW Editing: Full support for RAW photos from iPhone 15 and other cameras
  • Magic Wand: Select and edit specific areas of your photos with ease
  • Healing Tool: Remove unwanted objects and blemishes
  • Presets: Hundreds of professionally designed presets
  • iOS 18 Integration: Widgets, Focus Mode support, and Shortcuts

Why We Love It

Pixelmator Photo offers professional-grade editing tools at an affordable price. The ML Enhance feature is particularly impressive, often improving photos with just a single tap. The app's intuitive interface makes it easy to use, even for beginners.

2. Snapseed (Free)

Snapseed is a powerful free photo editing app developed by Google. It offers a wide range of features that rival many paid apps, making it one of the best free photo editing apps for iOS 18.

Key Features

  • 29 Tools and Filters: Including Healing, Brush, Structure, HDR, and Perspective
  • Selective Editing: Edit specific areas of your photos with precise control
  • Tune Image: Adjust brightness, contrast, saturation, and more
  • Curves: Advanced color and exposure adjustments
  • Double Exposure: Create artistic composite photos
  • RAW Support: Edit RAW photos from iPhone and other cameras
  • iOS 18 Integration: Compatible with iOS 18 and works with Widgets

Why We Love It

Snapseed is completely free and offers professional-grade editing tools. The selective editing feature is particularly powerful, allowing you to make precise adjustments to specific areas of your photos. The app's interface is intuitive and easy to navigate.

3. Darkroom ($3.99/month or $19.99/year)

Darkroom is a minimalist photo editing app with a focus on speed and simplicity. It's perfect for users who want to edit photos quickly without sacrificing quality.

Key Features

  • Minimalist Interface: Clean design that puts your photos first
  • Powerful Editing Tools: Exposure, color, contrast, and more
  • RAW Support: Full support for RAW photos
  • Presets: Hundreds of beautiful presets
  • Batch Editing: Edit multiple photos at once
  • Album Management: Organize your photos within the app
  • iOS 18 Integration: Widgets, Focus Mode support, and Shortcuts

Why We Love It

Darkroom's minimalist interface makes it incredibly fast and easy to use. The batch editing feature is a game-changer for users who need to edit multiple photos quickly. The app also offers powerful editing tools despite its simple design.

4. Affinity Photo ($19.99 one-time purchase)

Affinity Photo is a professional-grade photo editing app that brings desktop-quality editing to your iPhone. It's perfect for professional photographers and serious enthusiasts.

Key Features

  • Professional Editing Tools: Layers, masks, brushes, and more
  • RAW Editing: Full support for RAW photos with advanced adjustments
  • Selection Tools: Precise selection tools for complex edits
  • Retouching Tools: Healing, cloning, and other retouching tools
  • Filters and Effects: Professional filters and creative effects
  • Text and Shapes: Add text and shapes to your photos
  • iOS 18 Integration: Compatible with iOS 18 and supports Widgets

Why We Love It

Affinity Photo offers desktop-quality editing on your iPhone. The app's layer system is particularly powerful, allowing you to create complex edits with ease. While it has a steeper learning curve than some other apps, it's worth it for the professional results.

5. VSCO (Free with Premium: $19.99/year)

VSCO is a popular photo editing app known for its beautiful presets and minimalist interface. It's perfect for users who want to create a consistent aesthetic for their photos.

Key Features

  • Presets: Over 200 beautiful presets inspired by film photography
  • Editing Tools: Exposure, color, contrast, and more
  • RAW Support: Edit RAW photos from iPhone and other cameras
  • Community: Share your photos with the VSCO community
  • Video Editing: Edit videos with the same tools as photos
  • iOS 18 Integration: Compatible with iOS 18 and supports Widgets

Why We Love It

VSCO's presets are some of the best in the business, making it easy to create beautiful photos with just a few taps. The app's community is also a great place to discover new editing techniques and get inspiration.

6. ProCamera ($8.99 one-time purchase)

ProCamera is both a camera app and a photo editing app in one. It offers advanced camera controls and powerful editing tools, making it perfect for users who want to take and edit great photos.

Key Features

  • Advanced Camera Controls: Manual focus, exposure, ISO, and white balance
  • RAW Photography: Capture and edit RAW photos
  • Night Mode: Enhanced night mode for low-light photography
  • Editing Tools: Comprehensive editing tools for post-processing
  • Presets: Professional presets for quick editing
  • iOS 18 Integration: Compatible with iOS 18 features

Why We Love It

ProCamera is the best of both worlds - a powerful camera app and a great editing app in one. The advanced camera controls allow you to capture better photos, and the editing tools help you enhance them further. It's perfect for users who want a complete photography solution.

7. Afterlight 3 ($2.99 one-time purchase)

Afterlight 3 is a creative photo editing app with a focus on filters and effects. It's perfect for users who want to add a unique touch to their photos.

Key Features

  • Filters: Over 100 handcrafted filters
  • Adjustments: Basic and advanced editing tools
  • Textures: Over 50 textures to add depth to your photos
  • Frames: Unique frames and borders
  • Crops: Custom crops and aspect ratios
  • iOS 18 Integration: Compatible with iOS 18

Why We Love It

Afterlight 3's filters and textures are unique and high-quality, allowing you to create photos that stand out. The app's interface is simple and intuitive, making it easy to create beautiful photos quickly.

8. TouchRetouch ($1.99 one-time purchase)

TouchRetouch is a specialized photo editing app that excels at removing unwanted objects from photos. It's perfect for users who want to clean up their photos quickly and easily.

Key Features

  • Object Removal: Remove unwanted objects with a single tap
  • Line Removal: Remove power lines, wires, and other linear objects
  • Clone Tool: Copy and paste parts of your photos
  • Blemish Removal: Remove blemishes and imperfections
  • Quick Repair: Fix small issues with a single tap
  • iOS 18 Integration: Compatible with iOS 18

Why We Love It

TouchRetouch is incredibly effective at removing unwanted objects from photos. The app's algorithms work seamlessly to fill in the gaps, making it look like the object was never there. It's a must-have app for anyone who wants to clean up their photos.

9. Enlight Photofox (Free with Premium: $3.99/month)

Enlight Photofox is a creative photo editing app that offers a wide range of artistic tools. It's perfect for users who want to create unique and creative photos.

Key Features

  • Artistic Tools: Double exposure, light leaks, and other creative effects
  • Blending Modes: Blend photos together with different modes
  • Textures: Add textures and overlays to your photos
  • Filters: Creative filters and presets
  • Editing Tools: Basic and advanced editing tools
  • iOS 18 Integration: Compatible with iOS 18

Why We Love It

Enlight Photofox is all about creativity. The app's artistic tools allow you to create unique photos that stand out from the crowd. Whether you want to create a double exposure or add light leaks, Photofox has the tools you need.

10. Lightroom Mobile (Free with Premium: $9.99/month)

Lightroom Mobile is the mobile version of Adobe's popular desktop photo editing software. It offers powerful editing tools and seamless syncing with the desktop version.

Key Features

  • Professional Editing Tools: Exposure, color, contrast, and more
  • RAW Support: Full support for RAW photos
  • Presets: Hundreds of professional presets
  • Syncing: Seamless sync with Lightroom desktop
  • AI Tools: AI-powered editing tools like Auto Enhance
  • iOS 18 Integration: Compatible with iOS 18 features

Why We Love It

Lightroom Mobile offers the same powerful editing tools as the desktop version, making it perfect for professional photographers who want to edit on the go. The seamless syncing with the desktop version is also a huge plus, allowing you to start editing on your iPhone and finish on your Mac.

How to Choose the Best Photo Editing App for You

With so many great photo editing apps for iOS 18, it can be hard to choose the right one. Here are some tips to help you decide:

1. Consider Your Skill Level

If you're a beginner, you might want to start with a simple app like Snapseed or VSCO. If you're a professional photographer, you might prefer Affinity Photo or Lightroom Mobile.

2. Think About Your Needs

Do you need basic adjustments or advanced editing tools? Do you want to remove unwanted objects or create artistic effects? Choose an app that meets your specific needs.

3. Try Free Apps First

Many great photo editing apps are free, so there's no need to spend money right away. Try Snapseed, VSCO, and Lightroom Mobile's free version to see what works for you.

4. Consider Your Budget

If you're willing to spend money, apps like Pixelmator Photo, Affinity Photo, and ProCamera offer excellent value for their price.

5. Look for iOS 18 Integration

Make sure the app you choose supports iOS 18 features like Widgets, Focus Mode, and Live Text to get the most out of your iPhone.

iOS 18 Photo Editing Tips

To get the most out of your photo editing apps, here are some iOS 18 photo editing tips:

1. Use Live Text for Better Edits

iOS 18's Live Text feature allows you to copy text from photos. Use this to add text to your photos or make sure text in your photos is readable.

2. Try Visual Look Up

iOS 18's Visual Look Up feature can identify objects in your photos. Use this to get more information about your subjects and make better editing decisions.

3. Use Widgets

Add widgets for your favorite photo editing apps to your Home Screen or Lock Screen for quick access.

4. Take Advantage of Focus Mode

Use iOS 18's Focus Mode to minimize distractions while editing photos.

5. Edit in RAW

If your iPhone supports it, shoot in RAW for better editing flexibility.

Conclusion

The best photo editing apps for iOS 18 (hidden gems) offer a wide range of features to help you take your photos to the next level. Whether you're a beginner looking for simple edits or a professional photographer needing advanced tools, there's an app on this list that's perfect for you.

For free options, Snapseed and VSCO offer excellent features. If you're willing to spend money, Pixelmator Photo, Affinity Photo, and ProCamera are worth the investment. No matter which app you choose, the key is to experiment and find what works best for your style and needs.

With these apps and iOS 18's powerful photo features, you'll be able to create stunning photos that will impress your friends and family.