5 Cool and Functional Photo Apps

Save Money Using these Free 5 Functional Photo Apps (That Are Also Really Cool and Fun)

Do you want to scan a document, capture an image of an old photo with your phone and digitize it, create a gif, implement slow shutter, or resize an image? You can do that with 5 free functional photo apps. Rather than go buy a scanner or expensive program, here you go! This post has five+ functional photo apps to try out. And bonus: probably save some money!

[Note: I use the free version of these. Some of them offer premium versions as well. This may be worth it depending on how much you may want to do.]

1. App to Scan A Document (Plus Apps to Fax and Sign a Document)

Try out Genius Scan for this.

• Available: get the app on the App Store for iPhone and iPad or on Google Play.
• Cost: Free. There is an option to upgrade for additional features.
• Rundown: This app lets you use the camera on your phone or tablet to capture a scanned PDF version of a document. It is super easy. It will guide you and once it has enough of the document in view, it will capture the document and convert it to a PDF. You can then email that PDF document to yourself (if you want to keep it for your own records) or to someone else.
  • NO PAID SCANNER REQUIRED WITH THIS APP!
  • Save your money and use this app instead. Upgrade to the reasonably priced premium version for features like cloud service.
• I love this app. It has made scanning papers so easy. Highly recommend.

P.S. Love this app and need to fax or sign a document? The same developers have you covered with Genius Fax and Genius Sign.

• Genius Fax – use an app to fax. Available on the App Store and on Google Play.
• Genius Sign – use an app to sign a document. Available on the App Store.
• I have not yet used these two apps and believe the fax one at least will cost some. However, I believe it will be cheaper than most fax options. And if you are in a bind, can be very helpful.

2. App to Scan an Old Photo and Make it Digital

This category differs from Genius Scan because while Genius Scan is more like a scanner and turns a document into a PDF file, this is for when you want to scan a printed photo and have a digital version of it to save.

PhotoScan

• Available: get the app on the App Store or on Google Play.
• Cost: free.
• Rundown: the capturing of the photo is similar to how you use Genius Scan. You use the camera on your phone or tablet and it will again guide you to position the camera for the app to capture it. It then saves a printed photo into your photos as now a digital one.
• This I think is an AWESOME way to make sure you do not lose any older photos that were taken before the world of digital cameras.

I used this app to capture this photo from my blogger awards post.

3. App to Apply a Slow Shutter Speed

Do you want to get a slow shutter for the pictures you take on your phone? You can apply this effect normally reserved for expensive digital cameras for free with this app.

Slow Shutter Cam

• Available: get the app on the App Store. I do not see the same app on Google Play, but there are other slow shutter apps on there available for free upon a search of “slow shutter” or “slow shutter cam”. I am welcome to suggestions if anyone has one!
• Cost: free.
• Rundown: Use it to capture a slow shutter effect of a photo you are taking with your iPhone. It then has some cool editing features. I have used it for some photos on my posts. This is one of them from my one day post.

4. Resize a Photo with an App

The photos from Slow Shutter Cam do come out very small. If you want to increase the pixels of a photo, it turns out you can with this app. Increase the size and pixels of a photo using the Image Size app.

Image Size

• Available: get the app on the App Store or on Google Play.
• Cost: free. Can remove ads for an additional cost.
• Rundown: this app offers a number of options for resizing a digital photo. It may take some playing around for those that are unfamiliar with it and with resizing photos in order to get the right size and dimensions. But it is not too hard to learn.

5. Create a Gif with an App

Want to turn a photo you have into a gif? You can with an app. Here is one I have used.

Momento

• Available: get the app on the App Store. I will update if a Google Play version is added. Here is the developer’s website.
  • Also, I am open to suggestions for apps to create gifs on Samsung and Android phones. Let me know if you have one.
• Cost: free. You can also get a paid version that includes extra features.
• Rundown: this app makes creating a gif using a still photo you have on your phone EASY. It also has a number of features to edit it and apply different effects. Super fun!!

I made gifs using my iPhone’s live photo and editing features, which I talk about in this post that has some snow gifs I made. This post talks about an option to convert your iPhone’s live photos into gifs if you do not want the watermark and do not want to pay. If it sounds complicated, well it is a makeshift way I arrived at through a lot of steps. It is more just doing a few steps until you get there (to the gif version of the photo that can be sent to other devices too). Warning: this option results in bigger file sizes.

Try out these apps with one of your photos!

Try one of these functional photo apps and let me know your thoughts. Also check out my tips for stock photo post for some other general tips on taking pictures.