Last updated on August 15, 2017

Gone are the days when editing photos was something only professionals or tech savvy people could do. These days you don’t even need Photoshop or a powerful computer to touch up photos as long as you have a smartphone or tablet (now you can even have professional photo editors on demand – check out RetouchMe).

There was a huge surge in visual content creation in 2016, and the same trend seems strong in 2017. With phones having cameras as great as the Galaxy S8 and Google Pixel and iPhone 7 Plus, it is only natural that people will be taking a lot more photos and we’re updating this post to include the top 11 best photo editing apps for Android which can be downloaded for free to touch up, edit and add multiple filters and effects to your memorable photos.

You should also read: 10 Best Android Apps for Taking Selfies

#1. Autodesk Pixlr – photo editor

The competition for the top spot was tight but both number one and two are photo editing apps from Autodesk. Pixlr, which was called Pixlr Express earlier is a feature-filled photo editor which works great for both Android phones and tablets. There are tons of filters, effects and design templates to help you touch up photos quickly while other great features include live previews of effects and social sharing of photos. You can also create a free account and download more resources for editing your photos with.

#2. Pixlr-o-matic

A close second and my personal favorite, Pixlr-o-matic is also an app developed by Autdoesk and just like Pixlr, it has a ton of filters, overlays and resources for photo editing. You can download complete sets of filters, lighting effects and frames/border and they are quite sufficient for your needs, especially given how the app is free. The major difference between Pixlr-o-matic and Pixlr is that of personality and the general theme of resources. While Pixlr is a clean-cut app with good effects, Pixlr-o-matic definitely has more personality and is great for adding vintage and retro effects to your photos.

#3. PicsArt Photo Studio

PicsArt is probably the most popular photo editing app for Android devices and has a huge community base. Apart from great filters and effects, the app also has photo galleries, a great collage maker and an actual drawing tool with brushes and layers. Free resources include thousands of frames, overlays and clipart and there are also photo editing contests. All in all, this is an app you have to try.

You might also be interested in: How to Turn Off the Camera Shutter Sound on Android Devices

#4. RetouchMe – body & face Photo Editor

RetouchMe is not your standard photo editing app. It is more of a service for people who want professional touchups for their photos. The app is backed by a team of designers 24/7 and you can easily submit your selfies and pictures for editing.

The designers can work on your body and your face, making you look thinner, muscular, taller and blemish/acne free. It is a great service and if you’re someone who posts a lot of photos on Instagram, you might want to avail RetouchMe’s professional photo editing services.

#5. Photo Editor by Aviary

Photo Editor by Aviary is a great editing app for, especially for photographers. Quick fixes which earlier meant I had to connect my Android to the PC and transfer photos to edit them in Photoshop, can now be done directly on my phone. Remove red-eye, whiten teeth, adjust contrast and brightness, crop photo, modify color tones and temperature – you can do it all in a few taps. Apart from this there are filters you can use and you can even draw on photos or add text to customize them. Another photo editing app you must try.

#6. Cymera – Photoeditor & Camera

Cymera is both a photo editor and a camera app. The latter is actually good for taking selfies and has features like portrait mode, timed shots and anti-shake. On the editing front you get the ability to make collages, use stickers, add texts and overlays along with using a good number of filters and lighting effects. Sharing photos over social networks is easy and you can also create your own albums to share with friends and family members.

Another cool thing about this app is the ability to create memes from your photos by inflating heads and adding speech bubbles or beautify them using tools like face slimmer. If you take a lot of photos, especially selfies, this is an app you should definitely download and use for editing those photos.

#7. Photo Editor Pro

A powerful photo editing app for Android, Photo Editor Pro brings tons of stickers and filters, including the ability to create collages. Some of the standard features include auto picture enhancement, color balancing, cropping and brightness, temperature and saturation adjustment.

You can also add blur effects or sharpen photos if needed. Drawing on photos, using stickers and adding text is also possible, plus you can create memes from your photo collection and share them with your social media friends.

Over all this is a very decent free photo editor that is worth a download.

#8. Prisma

How can we forget Prisma? It’s the app which took the world by storm when it came out. We don’t really categorize Prisma as a pure photo editing app because you don’t have a lot of control on the outcome, but if you’re looking for an automated app that can convert your photos into awesome works of art, Prisma has you covered.

Even if you’re remotely curious as to how your photos would look like if they were painted in various styles, this is a great app, and the results are much more complicated than anything produced by applying simple photo filters.

#9. Adobe Photoshop Fix

Adobe Photoshop needs no introduction and while the Android photoshop app is not as feature-filled and powerful as the original PS, it does decently when it comes to photo retouching.

Basic features like heal, smooth, liquify and lighten are available along with enhancements specific to the mobile version. You can for instance edit facial features very easily along with removing any skin imperfections or blemishes.

Creating a depth-of-field effect is also possible using the blur feature and all your edits can be exported to Photoshop’s desktop version as a PSD file.

#10. PhotoRus – Photo Editor

PhotoRus has a lot of options for people wanting a decent photo editor that can create collages, convert photos to art, beautify pictures, use frames, filters and and create photo grids.

Stickers are also available and the app also lets you take selfies with beauty features like slim nose, blemish free skin and more. If you take a lot of pictures, especially selfies, this is a great editing app.

#11. PhotoDirector

A very powerful photo editing app by CyberLink, PhotoDirector has some advanced features apart from the standard color correction and touch-up options. You can add or remove lighting effects, create HDR effects, edit in layers and even remove unwanted elements from your photos.

PhotoDirector can be a little overwhelming for some people, but if you’re looking for a relatively advanced photo editor, this is one to try.

While you will find many other photo editing apps on the Play Store, we’ve listed 11 of the best photo editors for Android in 2017 here.

All of these are free to download and use, and should more than meet all your photo editing requirements. If there are any other editing apps which you’d like to recommend, please comment below!