You might have heard of the quote “the best camera is the one you carry with you”. In my case, I carry my DSLR with me all the time. It’s pretty much unavoidable since photography is my full time gig, so being able to ditch 45 lbs of gear at home and just use my iPhone for fun stuff is very appealing but there’s a catch; Like most of you, I find it really frustrating editing photos on my phone. I would load up my phone with several different editing apps just to get almost the same toolset as Lightroom and Photoshop, but switching between apps gets mind numbing and slows my workflow to a crawl. Luckily, there’s Picsart!

Picsart not only brings all the necessary tool set under one roof, but they have a very active user base and original content. This all-in-one app combines blog, editing tools, photo contests, social sharing and editing together. White other apps feature only photo sharing, Picsart encourages others to connect, inspire and even edit other photos to showcase different levels of artistic interpretations using their editing suite. The possibilities are endless - for example:

Shooting sunsets with my DSLR requires bringing along a graduated ND filter and eyeball the right setting to nail the perfect exposure.

With Picsart, all I have to do is take two shots; one exposed for the sky and then the landscape and bring them together using Add Photo.

Line them up as close as you can..

And start erasing the other layer. There’s a doorway popping out into the horizon in this photo, so masking it out took me a few tries.

Lens flare! Yes, it’s a very cheesy effect but when used correctly, it can enhance an otherwise plain looking sunset. Adjustable opacity, hue and blending modes makes it easier to make the flare more natural looking.

I like using color gradients to bring out colors that I actually see that weren’t quite captured with my iPhone camera. This can also be used to make unique artistic touches.

And here’s the finished product! Overall, it didn’t take long to translate my photoshop/lightroom workflow over to Picsart once you familiarize yourself with the tools and adjustments. For me, this brings back the fun in photography and being able to shoot and edit on the fly is pretty awesome. I’m able to create content faster and with additional accessories like the Olloclip, the possibilities are endless!