Skip to main content
Tech Radar TechRadar the technology experts
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
RSS
Asia
flag of Singapore
Singapore
Europe
flag of Danmark
Danmark
flag of Suomi
Suomi
flag of Norge
Norge
flag of Sverige
Sverige
flag of UK
UK
flag of Italia
Italia
flag of Nederland
Nederland
flag of België (Nederlands)
België (Nederlands)
flag of France
France
flag of Deutschland
Deutschland
flag of España
España
North America
flag of US (English)
US (English)
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of México
México
Australasia
flag of Australia
Australia
flag of New Zealand
New Zealand
  • Phones
  • Computing
  • TVs
  • AI
  • Streaming
  • Health
  • Audio
  • VPN
  • More
    • Cameras
    • Home
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Opinion
    • How to
    • Versus
    • Deals
    • Coupons
    • Best
Tech Radar Pro
Tech Radar Gaming
Trending
  • Amazon Prime Day
  • Back to school
  • Nintendo Switch 2
  • Best VPN
  • ChatGPT
  • NYT Wordle today
  • Best laptop
  • Best web hosting
Recommended reading
Two iPhones on a blue and green background showing the iOS 26 Camera app
iPhone iOS 26 is giving the iPhone's Camera app an upgrade I've been waiting years for
Android Photography
Phones Supercharge your Android phone photography with my 5 easy tips
Google Photos interface displayed on two phones on a yellow background
Phones These 9 Google Photos features will change the way you save, share, and edit images
An image of the iPhone 16 Pro Max Camera Control
iPhone I finally found a use for Camera Control on my iPhone 16 Pro Max, but in the weirdest way possible
A phone with the Google Photos logo on the screen
Phones Google Photos is letting you add Ultra HDR magic to your images after you’ve taken them
Two Android phones on a blue and green background showing the Google Photos AI editor
Websites & Apps Google Photos just got a new AI editor – and it brings the Pixel's best tricks to your Android or iOS phone
Apple iPhone 16 Camera Control
iPhone If you give it a chance, there's a lot to love about the iPhone's Camera Control button
  1. Phones
  2. iPhone

How to edit your photos on an iPhone or iPad

How-to
By MacFormat published 15 February 2016

Happy snaps

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Edit photos quickly in the Photos app

Edit photos quickly in the Photos app

Your iPad or iPhone's camera can be used to take amazing shots, but the fun doesn't end in the Camera app: you can apply a variety of adjustments and effects to live up your snaps using iOS 9's dedicated Photos app.

The tools you're likely to use most often are crop-and-rotate and, for portraits, Remove Red-Eye. The Auto Adjust option is also handy: one tap can improve many images.

For more control you'll want to get to know the new adjustment options. In Photos, you can manually adjust Light and Colour, and create custom mono conversions. There are also a range of photo filter effects, but the real stars of Photos are extensions, which enable it to plug into other apps and add a near-limitless range of new effects and filters.

Page 1 of 10
Page 1 of 10
1. Edit and Auto Enhance

1. Edit and Auto Enhance

Open Photos to review the shots you've snapped, tap on one, then tap Edit (top-right). The editing options appear; their location will vary depending on whether your iPad is in portrait or landscape orientation. Often the most immediately useful option is Auto Enhance (represented by the magic wand icon).

Tap this and Photos will attempt to improve the colour and contrast of your photo automatically.

Page 2 of 10
Page 2 of 10
2. Crop and rotate

2. Crop and rotate

Tap the Crop tool. If Photos detects a line in the image that it thinks should be horizontal, it automatically rotates the shot to suit. You can fine-tune using the wheel, or undo by tapping Reset.

To crop, drag the white frame border or its corners. Optionally, tap the aspect ratio icon (overlapping squares); a rule-of-thirds grid will be displayed to help you perfect your composition. Click Done to save your changes.

Page 3 of 10
Page 3 of 10
3. Using Photo Filters

3. Using Photo Filters

The Photo Filters option enables you to quickly add special effects to your photos. Tap the filters icon to reveal a row of effect previews.

Tap each in turn to see how it affects the image; tap Done to finish. You can remove an effect by tapping its preview again or by tapping None, and add further adjustments afterwards. You can revert to the unedited shot at any time, even if you've closed and reopened it.

Page 4 of 10
Page 4 of 10
4. Remove red-eye

4. Remove red-eye

Red-eye (caused by reflected camera flash) is a common problem in portraits. Photos has a built-in red-eye removal tool, which will appear if the app detects a face in shot.

Tap the tool (the eye-shaped icon), then tap on each affected eye. Sometimes you need to tap a few times for Photos to locate the red-eye; it can help if you pinch to zoom in first. Tap Done to finish.

Page 5 of 10
Page 5 of 10
5. Adjustments

5. Adjustments

The new adjustment options offer both simple and advanced modes. Tap the dial icon, then tap the option you want to adjust (Light, Color or B&W). You'll see a spectrum of small preview images.

Drag this to apply the adjustment (lightening or darkening the image, increasing or reducing colour saturation, and so on). Tap Done to apply or Cancel to reject it.

Page 6 of 10
Page 6 of 10
6. Expert editing

6. Expert editing

Want more control? Either tap the menu icon that shows three horizontal lines or swipe the preview slider to reveal further controls (such as Saturation, Contrast and Cast).

You can use these sliders to adjust each specific setting and fine-tune images with precision. Either swipe back to the basic slider, or tap the threeline icon and hit the main icon to return.

Page 7 of 10
Page 7 of 10
7. Install and activate extensions

7. Install and activate extensions

Extensions are a new addition to the Photos app, and they change everything. First you need to install a photo editing app that supports extensions, such as Pixelmator, ProCam and Camera+.

After installing the app you'd like to use, open Photos, pick a shot and tap Edit. Now tap the Extensions icon (the circle with three dots), tap More and then activate the extension for the relevant app.

Page 8 of 10
Page 8 of 10
8. Access Extensions

8. Access Extensions

Your chosen app now appears in the list that pops up when you tap Extensions in Photos. Tap it (you might have to OK an alert the first time) and you will see a bunch of new editing options, depending on the extension app that you have chosen.

Pixelmator, for example, offers a range of 14 different effects, while Camera+ contains a whole suite of more traditional photo editing options.

Page 9 of 10
Page 9 of 10
9. Add effects

9. Add effects

Here we're adding some cool graphical effects using and app called Fragment. When finished, tap Done to return to Photos, then Done again to save all your changes.

Reselect the image and tap Edit, then tap and hold one finger on the image to view the original. This enables you to compare it with your edited version. To remove all edits, tap Revert, then Revert to Original. You can do this at any time.

  • Enjoyed this article? Get more tutorials, guides, and tips on how to get the most from your Apple devices inside MacFormat. Take advantage of an exclusive offer in our sampler today.
Page 10 of 10
Page 10 of 10
TOPICS
Apple
MacFormat
See more Phone How Tos
Read more
Two iPhones on a blue and green background showing the iOS 26 Camera app
iOS 26 is giving the iPhone's Camera app an upgrade I've been waiting years for
Android Photography
Supercharge your Android phone photography with my 5 easy tips
Google Photos interface displayed on two phones on a yellow background
These 9 Google Photos features will change the way you save, share, and edit images
An image of the iPhone 16 Pro Max Camera Control
I finally found a use for Camera Control on my iPhone 16 Pro Max, but in the weirdest way possible
A phone with the Google Photos logo on the screen
Google Photos is letting you add Ultra HDR magic to your images after you’ve taken them
Two Android phones on a blue and green background showing the Google Photos AI editor
Google Photos just got a new AI editor – and it brings the Pixel's best tricks to your Android or iOS phone
Latest in iPhone
Apple iPhone 16 Review
This ‘meh’ iPhone 17 Air camera tip might give us more insight than meets the eye
Apple iPhone 16 Review
If the iPhone 17 misses this display upgrade once again, I've had enough
Brad Pitt looks over his right shoulder with 'F1' written behind him
Apple is advertising its F1 movie through the Wallet app, and I think that's a terrible mistake
Apple iPhone 16 Plus Review
The foldable iPhone’s cameras might leave it trailing behind the Galaxy Z Fold 7
Apple iPhone 16 Review
With iOS 26 on the way, I think Apple should rename the iPhone 17
Apple iPhone 16 Pro on sky blue background with don't miss text overlay
Verizon just brought back its best iPhone 16 Pro deal ever – a free device, iPad, and Apple Watch without a trade-in
Latest in How Tos
Google Chrome logo on desktop and mobile
How to private browse in Chrome on Windows, Android and ChromeOS
Coco Gauff practicing for Wimbledon 2025
How to watch Yastremska vs Gauff at Wimbledon 2025 on BBC iPlayer (it's free)
Emma Raducanu preparing for Wimbledon 2025
How to watch Raducanu vs Xu online: live stream Wimbledon 2025 tennis FREE
A woman dances on a friend's shoulders at the Glastonbury Festival held at Worthy Farm, in Pilton, Somerset on June 29 near Glastonbury, England. The festival, founded in 1970, has grown into one of the largest outdoor green field festivals in the world.(Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
How to watch Glastonbury replays on BBC iPlayer (it's FREE)
Max Verstappen leads the pack at the beginning of the 2024 Austrian GP.
How to watch Austrian Grand Prix F1 on ORF On today (it's free)
Jake Paul and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in their face off for their fight on 28 July.
How to watch Jake Paul vs Chavez Jr live on DAZN tonight – best PPV prices, start time
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. 1
    I tested LG, Samsung and Sony's elite 2025 OLED TVs side-by-side – here's the one I'd buy with my own money
  2. 2
    3 new Apple TV+ shows you should stream in July 2025
  3. 3
    The best Prime Day OLED TV deals are live - save up to $1,400 on our favorite displays
  4. 4
    Don't wait for Prime Day! This record-low cheap Sony soundbar deal is a limited-time offer, and you don't want to miss nearly 50% off
  5. 5
    Steam's new performance overlay feature will help you monitor how your games are running

TechRadar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Web notifications
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...