Favorite Blogging Apps - Pictures

There are a tons of different apps that I use for making my blog look presentable, or at least half-way presentable.

Today I'm going to talk about these three free picture editors because let's be real - not everyone has Photoshop.

PicsArt Photo Studio - Available for Android

All credit for finding this app goes to John. He was the one who first introduced me to it and the app is so full.of.stuff that I've never needed, or looked for, another app.

The app lets you edit, draw, and layer. You can add clipart, add pre-made quotes, stickers, and text. You can make your own collage or use their frames to put everything together. It is seriously the best photo app ever. The buttons and layout are very intuitive. Give yourself about ten minutes and you'll be a pro.

Even though the app is free you can purchase extra clip-art, fonts, and frames. I've bought a few of them when I get GooglePlay credit.  They have tons of different themed clip-art: baby, wedding, tattoo, Valentine's day, Christmas, hippie...there are tons to choose from. You can mix and match from different themes to make your photos come alive a little bit more.

These are just the selections in the Effects tab. If you were to click on each one of these, another menu would pop up below (like you see here) and every single one of the effects are customizable!

What makes PicsArt different than other photo apps is that you can create an account and join in on their community. It's similar to Instagram but obviously used with PicsArt. I don't visit their gallery as often as I do Instagram but I do use it to get some ideas and inspiration. It's really amazing what some people are able to do. If you're looking to challenge yourself, photo-wise, the community also does weekly hashtag challenges and contests.

Canva - Online. 

Canva is the best when it comes to designing...anything from scratch.

They already have pre-made templates and dimensions for most of your social media. No more wondering what size you should make your Facebook cover photo!

They also have a Stream tab that gives you inspiration and ideas from other Canva users.

And if you're like me and you're having a hard time understanding why something doesn't work, you can always check out their Design School tab. They have little mini tutorials on tons of stuff! Not only on how to use Canva but how to make your graphics stand out and be beautiful.

Using the web app is free if you use free elements (or upload your own). Some of their elements do cost a dollar per but I've been using it for a while now and I've never had to pay. Just get creative! It's pretty simple to use and has some awesome features like leading and kerning but it doesn't have a crop feature which annoys me. I'll end up making something and then just cropping it in MS Paint later. When you're finished designing you can download your project as a photo or a PDF file.

PicMonkey - Online

PicMonkey is an online photo editor and designer. You can edit a photo you already have, design a graphic from scratch, or make a collage. You can upgrade to become a Royale member and get some extra features.

What's cool about PicMonkey is that it allows you to use fonts that you have downloaded on your computer. I have a ton of fonts of my computer so if I need a specific font I have to go to PicMonkey to use it (Canva only allows you to use their fonts).

They also have a textures tab which can turn a boring background into something more interesting.

I feel like if you compare PicMonkey to Canva, you'll think it looks childish or amateur but it's all about how you use it. Again I say, get creative!




The more you mess around with these apps, the more you'll figure out what works best for a certain project. It is not uncommon for me to use all three just to get one photo. I love these apps and I use them on a regular basis.


Here are some examples of what I've done with them.

Effects, cropping, and both borders were done with PicsArt with the free features. 

Done on Canva with free elements. 

Done with PicMonkey with free elements. 

Now, how about you - do you use any of these apps? Which ones are you favorites? Which ones should I try out?