My new favorite camera app

Snapseed 4.0 is now available on Android after a couple of months of waiting. For long-time users, it’s more than just a simple update with bug fixes and performance improvements. Google went to work, completely overhauling the user interface and experience. It also added plenty of new features, enough to satisfy avid shutterbugs.

The timing of Google’s renewed interest in Snapseed couldn’t be better. Smartphone photography has advanced steadily, but editing tools lag behind. Adobe Lightroom is fantastic for enthusiasts if you have the time to learn, but I’d love a tool with enough features to keep hardcore users happy while being easy to use for a novice like me.

Snapseed 4.0 strikes that balance, and you’re missing out if you’re not using it to edit (and take) your photos.

If you’re used to previous Snapseed versions, it’s going to take a minute to get your bearings. You can still import photos, but you’re now greeted with the camera function. It’s one of the biggest changes in Snapseed 4.0, and it can completely overhaul your editing workflow.

The camera feature offers many options and works well. I had access to all of my Pixel 10 Pro XL’s camera sensors. There’s also a Pro mode you can switch to, allowing you to manually adjust focus, exposure, and shutter speed.

However, Google didn’t stop there. You can add pre-existing filters to your image before the snap to get an idea of how your photo will look. You can also apply saved looks to achieve an even effect across a series of related photographs — or if you just nailed an edit and want to use it more often.

I appreciate the addition of several real film filters to Snapseed 4.0. I wasn’t toying with an SLR 30 and 40 years ago, but I don’t need to know the difference between aperture and stop metering to find an effect I enjoy. It also adds much of what smartphone photography has lost. Don’t get me wrong, computational photography has been wonderful for smartphones. It’s enabled us to capture images we never would have, making the most of the light (the data) that comes through the lens.

Still, the images are a little too good, especially low-light snaps. I recently went back to my Nokia Lumia 1020 and was scrolling through old photos. Sure, the detail and color accuracy weren’t amazing once the lighting got spotty, but the ambiance was spot on. Snapseed 4.0 lets you bring some of that feeling back into your photos again.

I mentioned being able to add the same filter and edits to multiple photos at once, which saves plenty of time, but that’s not the only thing added to Snapseed 4.0. I learned quickly that it’s hard to mess up a photo. I’m never more than two clicks from my original image, no matter how much I distort the perspective or add an effect I didn’t intend. Nothing is final until I want it to be, which is a welcome feeling when I’m experimenting.

Masking is now easier when I want to edit different parts of an image separately. I can just roughly glide my finger over the area I want to choose, and Snapseed will do the rest. It works fairly well, even though there were a few times when it thought I wanted to edit more area than I did. I find it useful for editing YouTube thumbnails. I often will want a phone I’m reviewing to stand out from the background, and now it’s easier to highlight that area and create the contrast I want.

You can do much more with color in Snapseed 4.0. I can adjust hue, saturation, and luminance to make an image really pop. I had a wonderful image of a cherry blossom blooming in the park, and I was able to highlight the beautiful blue sky behind it with a simple edit. Dehaze helps remove distortion on a hot, humid day, giving you the clearest picture of landscapes.

It’s amazing how many robust features are included in a free program, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed. I was a little overzealous at first, adding every since effect to my toolbar, but it’s best to take them one at a time and experiment with what they do to your photo. I was able to create some pretty cool images in just a few moments. Sure, Google offers natural language edits with the Pixel 10 Pro XL series, but I have to know what I’m asking for. With Snapseed 4.0, I can play with effects in real time and learn on the fly.

If you were used to flying through edits, scrolling up and swiping over, there are going to be some growing pains. That muscle memory isn’t going to do you much good in many of the new features, and your old workflow most likely won’t fit. The new UI isn’t going to be for everyone, and if you’ve been using Snapseed for years and it worked well, you’re going to be more frustrated than anything.

The improvements outweigh the short-term pains. Snapseed 4.0 is a powerful update that comes just at the right time. Smartphone cameras are excellent, but it’s hard to add variety to photos. I can’t stand programs like Lightroom, so an app that delivers pro-grade tools with user-friendly toggles is precisely what I’m looking for.

Snapseed 4.0 is worth a look for new and old users alike, and you can download it now.