my favorite photo editing app.

i've been asked by some of you readers what i use to take my photos and also what i use to edit them. everyone has their own preference for both of these, but i would love to share with you what works best for me and what is my favorite.

i love my iPhone. there, i said it. it's true. i use it for a lot of the photos you see on my blog. the camera on the iPhone these days is pretty advanced and gives me quality photos. for example, all of these photos were taking with my iPhone. i also have a Canon Rebel XS that i use. i love it, and there's something to be said for using an actual camera where you control all of the settings. i would  use my DSLR a whole lot more if it were easier to tote around on a daily basis. if i'm going on vacation, to an event, or doing a photoshoot, i definitely take my DSLR and use it for my photos during that time. all in all, i'd say my iphone vs. DSLR usage is about 50/50.

VSCO | y'all, i LOVE this app. it is truly my favorite of them all, and i use it to edit all of my iPhone photos. the app itself is well designed, free to download, has free preset filters available, and also has presets for purchase, which are not very expensive. the app allows you to adjust exposure, contrast, saturation, highlights, shadows, etc. it's basically all i could ask for out of a photo editing app.

VSCO is incredibly user friendly and easy to figure out, but i thought i'd run through the steps with you just for fun!

step one | open up the app! (i thought we'd start with something really easy.)

step two | select and open up your library. this will bring up photos you have already loaded into VSCO.

step three | you can find the little plus sign by swiping down on the screen. select the plus sign to import photos from your phone's camera roll or photo stream.

step four | once loaded into your library, double tap on the photo you would like to edit. the settings options will appear at the bottom of the screen. select the middle option..the paintbrush image. this will bring up all of your preset filter options.

step five | experiment with the various presets VSCO offers and see what you like best! i tend to use the S/Clean series the most. usually S1 or S3. i'll use other options now and then depending on what i feel like but the S series is my go-to. you can manage the intensity of the filter by double tapping on it. adjust as needed and select the check mark to save.

step six | to access your other editing options, tap the up arrow as seen in the photo above. then select the wrench image as seen below. this is also a good time to point out the "undo" options. the back arrow will undo actions one at a time. the one that looks like a u-turn will undo all actions and take you back to the original image.

step seven | select any of the editing options (exposure, temperature, contrast, rotate, crop, fade, tint, saturation, highlight/shadow, etc.) and adjust the scale as needed. tap the check sign once you are finished with each option.

step eight | once you are done making all of your wonderful changes, you can export your photo to your camera roll, instagram, facebook, twitter, etc.  it's as easy as that! give it a try and let me know what you think!

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PHOTO EDITING APP?

p.s. this afternoon i will be on a plane and on my way to colorado to see my best friend and a few of my other favorite people. i am SO ready for a mini vacation!! if you like, you can keep up with my colorado adventures on instagram!