With many of us now using our smartphones as our cameras, the camera capabilities on newer devices are improving. One of the first things on the list of specs that many people look for is what kind of camera a new smartphone has installed, and manufacturers are constantly working to produce handsets with improvements and new features for this aspect. However, it is important to remember that regardless of your camera's capability, you can improve your photography results by using some of the third-party apps on Google Play Store.
Many Android camera apps will improve and maximize your enjoyment of smartphone photography. However, it is important to know that some of the features available will only work with supported devices or depend on the version of the operating system your device is running. There are so many apps to choose from that it's hard to know where to start. Well, if you want to start capturing great images or adding effects, why not take a look at our selection of the best camera apps.
Best Third-Party Camera Apps to Add More Features and Functionality to Your Smartphone
1. SNAP CAMERA HDR
Snap Camera offers a veritable treasure trove of camera extras for both amateur and professional device users to give you the best shots. This trial version offers a chance to check out most of the features of the paid version of Snap Camera, before deciding if you want to upgrade. The app offers a fast HDR camera experience, with just one tap allowing you to capture images and videos.
The user interface is simple to use and offers features such as touch to focus, swipe and pinch to zoom, while controller settings include silent shutter, color and contrast, burst mode , self-timer, pan mode, exposure, Lines grid and more. In addition to this, there are many additional settings, a few of which are image and video size, scene mode, self-timer, focus and video image modes, effects, ISO and audio settings.
Your images can also benefit from improved contrast, detail, color effects, histogram editing and more using the photo editor. Images can be shared with other apps including Google+ and Facebook with an easy share icon, and there are so many other features that this is an app that should be checked out, all the more new features are added all the time.
2. FOOTEJ CAMERA
Footej is one of the newer camera apps and it will allow you to improve your photographic results. It offers a balloon-free user interface with a built-in gallery and slider, and lots of configurable options before taking a photo. Other features include animated GIFs, slow video capture, burst mode, manual ISO, RAW format, snapshot in video recording and more. It is a free app although in-app purchases are available for a premium plan that offers extras. These include improved JPEG quality, anti-banding at 50Hz and 60Hz, over 5 minutes of video length, photo histogram and more.
3. FRAMELAPSE LAPSE CAMERA – TIME
This app will help you create time-out videos and hyperactive videos and it has an attractive and intuitive interface. You can set a video duration to automatically stop recording at a certain point, and it offers various zoom and autofocus options, frame interval for setting speed, front and rear camera support and instant playback without rendering time. Other features offer color effects, white balance, self-timer, exposure compensation, dynamic preview, video frame rate and storage directory, and you will also get output videos in a high quality mp4 format. There's a lot to enjoy with this free app and it's worth remembering that for time-lapse photography it's a good idea to use a stable surface or a tripod to get the best results.
4. GOOGLE CAMERA
The official android camera app from nexus devices is now available on playstore as a standalone app for google play edition devices. The best part of anti goggle camera is its simplicity with some remarkable features such as Lens Blur for SLR photos, spare photo for 360º, HDR and Panorama views. The app works on Android 4.4 devices.
5. AFTERFOCUS
It is another good choice and, in particular, it is one of the best camera apps to achieve background blur. All you need to do is select focus area to get DSLR style background blur image and motion blur effect is also offered. AfterFocus makes it easy to select a precise focus area by simply drawing lines around the desired area. You can also choose from different filters such as Cross Process and Bokeh effects. Your impressive results can then be shared via SNS as well as emails.
6. FOCAL (BETA)
Directly from the Android custom cyanogenmod, Cyanogenmod, Focal opened its doors to the Android market. Cam app still in beta, but shows how Android camera should be designed. Focal offers the most possible features one would expect from a smartphone camera app. The Holo-inspired UI design is very simple and changes several settings before taking pictures quickly.
7. CANDY CAMERA – PHOTO EDITOR
Candy Camera is one of the best choices for selfie lovers and those who really love sharing their results on social media. It may lack RAW support and manual modes, but in fact, the makers of this app boast that every day there are 7 million people who use this app to take selfies. It offers real-time filters, collage options, and beautify filters, and it's a great way to have fun with friends. Beauty editing tools include adding concealer, lipstick, lipstick, eyeliner and mascara, and you can even make yourself look slimmer or whiten your teeth!
There are stickers you can add to create unique photos, which can be resized and moved to your choice. The app also has a silent camera feature allowing for silent shots so everyone won't know you're taking another selfie!
8. VSCO CAM
VSCO Cam is another great free camera app for Android that can take amazing photos with its easy to use UI and lots of filters. The app also offers advanced editing tools to fine tune the exposure, temperature, contrast of your images. You can also compare the edited result with the original image in preview mode. You can also get inspired by the creations of other photographers in the Vsco community and read lots of tutorials and interviews. If you make up your mind to spend the money, VSCO Cam's preset packs are there to get you through in-app purchase. These presets will give your photos a specific look without playing around with different settings.
9. CAMERA ZOOM FX
This app is well suited for other expert photographers who want to enhance their smartphone photography experience with manual settings. It has a strong interface and offers full manual DSLR controls with RAW capture, combo shooting modes, and the ability to set ISO, exposure, shutter speed, focus, and distance. . You can create steady shots, collages, action shots and more, and also set hardware buttons for particular actions. It has fast burst mode, timer, voice activation, time shift and multiple flash modes.
There are hundreds of effects to choose from such as Bokeh, Holga, Retro and Vignette, as well as free camera packs including accessories, animations and frames. Camera Zoom FX also offers a widget for your custom photos and folders.
10. OPEN CAMERA
It's another one of our best Android camera apps for free, and while it's not updated too often, it's packed with features. The open-source app includes a home screen widget that can automatically shoot a photo after launch, and there's Camera2 API support for manual ISO, focus distance, focus time. exposure and RAW files. One of the useful features of this easy-to-use app is the handy remote control, including auto-snooze mode and timer. If you're so inclined, you can also choose to take a photo remotely by making a particular noise, like a whistle or using a voice command.
Other options are auto stabilization, GPS location tagging, volume key configuration, multi-touch zoom and single zoom, lock orientation, and shutter sound mute. The user interface can be optimized for right or left handed users and there is a lot more about this free camera app to enjoy.
11. CAMERA MX – PHOTO, VIDEO, GIF
This app is highly rated on Google Play Store and offers good features that allow you to create, edit and manage your photos. For example, you can turn your photos into GIFs or reset the clock for 3 seconds before capturing the image to get another photo. Handy touches include the ability to pause video recordings or activate the front-facing camera flash, and it also offers a rotating camera grid among its many features.
A recent update to this app brought new additions such as live photos and creating live wallpapers. The app is free, but some features like effect packs are only available through in-app purchases.
12. A BETTER CALERA
This app was created by combining premium Android apps for cameras including HDR Camera+ and HD Panorama+. You can make your images look more professional with the use of this application which offers a whole range of benefits including instant post-processing. For example, the multi-shot feature for group portraits and sequence shots lets you remove unwanted objects from images, while other features include pre-shot, timer, ISO option, balance of Whites, HDR, panorama, time shift for videos and photos, RAW Capture, timestamp and much, much more.
13. CAMERA360 ULTIMATE
Camera360 Ultimate is one of the most popular Android camera apps. It's unconventional, that doesn't mean it's too difficult to use. There are only a few additional features. All these additional features of this app will cost nothing. With so many features, you'll want to take more and more photos and record your gaming moments with its new video shooting mode. Camera360 Ultimate is the all in one camera replacement app for Android.
14. CYMERA: COLLAGE AND PHOTO EDITOR
Last but not least is Cymera, and the fact that this well-established app has had over 200 million downloads shows just how popular it is. It is a good choice for those who want to create collage photos and enjoy beauty editing, as it offers a large selection of filters (over 130), special effects, stickers and emojis, as well as beauty tool touch-ups, including hairstyles, softening, and slimming. You can even check your perfect skin change with just 5 steps.
The app also has different camera lenses such as FishEye and Lomo, silent mode and grids to combine up to 9 photos into a single collage. When you have your selfie just the way you want, you can share it with different social networks including Facebook, Snapchat, Twitters, WhatsApp and Instagram.
ViaGetandroidstuff
