Hey friend! Are your selfies missing a certain wow factor that will make them stand out? You‘re not alone. While smartphone cameras keep improving, most lack built-in effects to take self portraits next level. Lucky for you an entire category of selfie editing apps exists – packed with filters, virtual makeup, stickers and pro editing tools to make you and your photos look incredible!
But with so many options on iOS and Android, how do you even begin to choose the right selfie app? This guide walks you through the top 10 selfie apps available and key capabilities to evaluate. Read on to find your perfect selfie companion app! We‘ll compare critical features, show awesome editing examples and reveal downsides to watch out for.
Why Selfies Rule Social Media
Let‘s start with why selfies became an unstoppable phenomenon across all our social feeds. According to researchers, we snap over 1.3 trillion selfies per year as of 2022. An incredible 30% of all smartphone photos are self portraits!
So what explains the selfie obsession? A few reasons beyond basic vanity:
- Our brains are wired to constantly self reflect and evaluate
- Social media rewards profile photos and personal updates
- Front facing cameras got way better (boosting photo quality)
- Peer pressure – everyone else seems to be posting glam shots
With self expression intertwined with culture itself, selfies will clearly remain popular if not accelerate. And specialized apps now satisfy our desire for looking great with tools that go beyond what cameras provide out of the box.
Key Capabilities of Selfie Editors
While everyone loves taking and sharing selfies, we don‘t always love how we look in unedited shots. Worry not my friend! Selfie apps bring all the adjustments and enhancements you need before breaking the internet with your posts.
Here are the most popular features selfie apps offer:
- Facial Adjustments – Smoothing skin, concealing blemishes
- Beautification Tools – Whitening teeth, enlarging eyes
- Artistic Filters – B&W, HDR, vibrant color splash
- Fun Overlays – Emojis, captions, shapes, textures
- Collage Frames – Creative grids, backgrounds, layouts
- Face Reshaping – Adjust eye size, jaw angle, nose shape
- Body Slimming – Trim waist, longer legs, muscle tone
- Virtual Makeup – Eyeshadow, eyeliner, lipstick
Advanced apps utilize facial mapping algorithms and AI to intuitively apply adjustments specifically around key face points. For example expanding your eyes while keeping other areas untouched.
Let‘s now showcase the top 10 selfie camera and editor apps starting with the very best professional editing suite…
1. Facetune 2 – Most Powerful Editing Suite
Considered the gold standard for selfie refinement and enhancement, Facetune 2 brings advanced cutting edge tools normally found only in expensive desktop software. Yet everything works intuitively just by fingertip taps and swipes. I easily achieve magazine cover model level shots without complicated additions.
Facetune 2 first enhances my skin beautifully clearing up any blemishes using AI powered scene detection. Jaw and eye refinements better accentuate my natural facial structure. Teeth whitening sheds years off my smile. All with precise control instead of overdone airbrushing which looks obviously fake.
I particularly love Facetune‘s magical lighting filters that still look realistic. Matte, Lens Flare and Backlit casts my selfies in a breathtaking glow. Plus over 100 overlays like Floating Hearts, Butterflies or abstract textures inspire my artsy side.
Pro Tip: Pay attention when applying edits near the forehead, eyes, nose and mouth since going overboard looks very unnatural. Facetune‘s smart face detection keeps your humanity intact.
Availability: iOS and Android
Cost: $36 per year subscription
2. Visage Lab – Streamlined Beauty Enhancer
For rapid selfie perfecting I turn to Visage Lab and its one tap tools taking years off my looks with zero effort required. I don‘t even need a manual mode since results look great automatically.
Smooth Skin, Under Eye Fix and Brighten immediately improve tone, erase dark circles and perk up dullness from my face. Visage excels at keeping skin improvements subtle while reducing lines around my eyes and mouth. I also appreciate the realistic hair and eyelash touch ups.
My favorite part is testing theLooks. Goddess, Golden Hour, Studio and more adds an instant glam filter adapting to my facial features. I toggle Looks to view the transformations in real time until finding my favorite!
Pro Tip: Turn on Automatic Shortcut Icons under Settings. Now common touch ups show as handy icons along the bottom for 1 tap access before sharing selfies.
Availability: iOS Only
Cost: Free or $5 monthly VIP version
3. B612 – Selfie Community Hub
Far more than a camera and editor, B612 fosters a community all about taking and sharing amazing selfies. Along with expected adjustment tools, I discover new viral effects through hashtags and by engaging friends.
B612‘s daily, weekly and special lenses lets my creativity run wild. Multi-colored Smoke, animoji Alter Ego or sparkling Fairy Wings selfies awe my social feeds. Real-time skin smoothing keeps me looking fresh faced without feeling fake.
I love contributing my original looks into the collective. Recording my decorated selfies as video clips inspires others just starting out. We all get better selfie results through collaboration!
Pro Tip: Save your best snaps as either Private Memories or to a Custom Story. I compile my top awkward, artistic and super cute #selfies to share as a collection highlighting my favorites from the week.
Availability: iOS and Android
Cost: Free
4. Snapseed – Pro Level Photo Editor
Developed by Google, Snapseed delivers precision photo editing beyond selfies but with plenty to offer self portrait enthusiasts. 29 powerful Tools precisely adjust color, detail, perspective and more. Face Pose correction even helps me determine my best side.
I mainly rely on Snapseed‘s Healing tool which magically removes temporary blemishes using a clever AI algorithm. Rather than obliterating skin texture like other apps, small imperfections neatly vanish. Faces stay realistic and clear. I also use Color Brush to subtly heighten my eye color. Stunning!
Double Exposure creates an artistic overlay combining two selfies for a cool effect. And I finish off Snapspeed edits with a Filter like Drama or Grunge for moody vibes. My edited photos gain a timeless quality perfect for profiles or prints.
Pro Tip: Use Selective filter instead of Panoramic to limit effects to only faces instead of the whole image. This prevents over processing backgrounds.
Availability: iOS and Android
Cost: Free
5. SNOW – Fun Effects for Friends
When goofing off with my besties, I access SNOW‘s insane library of stickers, emojis and text as laughter therapy for rough days. Our wacky collabs always end up posted across each other‘s Instagram.
SNOW‘s real advantage comes from making photo play social. We challenge each other to progressively up the silly factor through creative additions.Duet video filters like the warped perspective bend effect kills in terms of reactions when shared online!
For solo shots, SNOW handles the expected skin smoothing and blemishes removal along with teeth whitening. But this app offers more of a free spirited creative outlet rather than obsessed facial editing. I appreciate the refreshing perspective.
Pro Tip: Use Timer mode to perfectly capture group selfie moments. SNOW snaps a burst of stills and strings together an animated gif!
Availability: iOS and Android
Cost: Free
6. Perfect 365 – Virtual Makeup Artist
I tap into my inner beauty guru using Perfect 365‘s makeup effects typically requiring brushes, contour sticks and eyeshadow pallets in real life. This app makes drag queen level looks achievable through slick UX design.
I start by selecting every detailed makeup component – brands, palettes, exact tones. Perfect 365‘s color detection algorithms adapt eyeshadows and lipstick colors to beautifully contrast against my skin. Lash extensions and bold eyeliner complete my instant makeovers.
Effects like fairy dust or rainbow freckles lend whimsy that I love for festivals. And all can wash away in a single click. Limitless looks entertain my friends and I for hours! Perfect 365 works magic sans mess, expensive or skill.
Pro Tip: Use coupons toward premium effects packs unlocked with weekly rewards. The Poses pack delivers sultry model shots automatically.
Availability: iOS and Android
Cost: Free with in-app purchases
7. Retrica – Animated Filter Inventor
I reminisce by transporting selfies through eras into the past with Retrica‘s throwback filters. But this app innovates beyond nostalgia. Retrica pioneered animated lenses transporting moods now ubiquitous across social media.
Tap through the daily, weekly and holiday filter packs with delightful results. Retrica‘s cameras even capture motion creating living photos before Apple adopted the format! I showcase my constantly changing personality through these dynamic filters.
Overlay custom text messages directly onto selfies. Geometric shapes and symbols supply additional decor upgrades. Drawing tools scribble initials containing secret coded meaning onto masterpieces. Don‘t forget the flaws hiding stamps when embarrassing pics sneak through!
Pro Tip: Follow Retrica‘s Instagram feed for sneak peaks at trending sticker sets and filters before released in the apps.
Availability: iOS and Android
Cost: Free
8. Candy Camera – Beauty Enhancer
Every selfie receives an instant injection of glamour powered by Candy Camera‘s intelligent face detection. This app defines facial contours with dramatic enhancements according to personalized beauty preferences.
Eye enlarging and face slimming automatically determine sensible starting points before refining symmetry and proportions. I simply guide the subtle transformations towards most flattering results. Candy Camera actually listens!
Overlay stickers, glitter or lens flare effects on top of perfected complexions without over processing textures. My selfies smoothly integrate any background without looking obviously filtered. Candy Camera masters authentic beauty boosts.
Pro Tip: Set your skin tone, face shape and adjustable parameters exactly once for automatic optimization unique to you.
Availability: Android
Cost: Free
9. YouCam Perfect – One Tap Magic
YouCam delivers simplified editing through one tap presets and filters immediately improving selfies. Quick fix options auto adjust brightness, smooth skin, conceal eye bags, visibly lift droopy areas and brighten smiles. Results feel like professional photo touch ups minus the learning curve.
I style my updated looks trying out the virtual long hair and colorful makeup with instant previewing. Rhinestones, foliage textures and light leaks spice up my gallery. YouCam Perfect lets me playfully experiment over creating perfection. Editing stays snappy and responsive thanks to performance optimizations leveraging AI chips inside modern smartphones.
Pro Tip: Activate Pop Art filters under Effects for adding splashy 60‘s Warhol style color blocks perfect for retro Instagram posts.
Availability: iOS and Android
Cost: Free or $20 yearly VIP
10. Sweet Selfie – Streamlined Selfie Editor
Sweet Selfie sticks to straightforward adjustment tools benefiting all skill levels. Like Candy Camera, it defines ideal settings for my face shape, tone and features. I simply approve tweaks in the large vanity mirror preview.
Blemishes disappear with a few massaging motions while skin glow emanates from within. I look naturally healthy, not covered by a layer of foundation and concealer. Sweet Selfie understands that perfection lies in accentuating our real unique beauty.
Extra tools refine eye sparkle, sculpt jawlines and amplify lashes. Fun stickers, textures and text express my current mood. Sweet Selfie keeps editing targeted yet playful. The resulting photos project an authentic radiance shining from inside.
Pro Tip: Use Mirror Mode to view how selfies will appear on social media and make adjustments accordingly. Photos flip orientation just like how others see your content.
Availability: Android
Cost: Free with ads
Time to Download your Next Selfie App!
After reviewing these 10 powerful yet easy to use selfie camera apps, are you itching to upgrade your self portrait game? Remember to grab the right app for your mobile platform – whether iOS or Android. Check if your model offers a free version to test drive fun filters and handy adjustment capabilities.
We covered the signature strengths of each photo editing software. Compare to determine which special features matter most for your artistic self expressions. Do you require blemish blasting tools? Or virtual makeup for drag illusions? Perhaps collages to showcase your many moods?
Every app creates stunning share worthy shots over your native camera. But more importantly these selfie companions boost confidence in putting your best face forward. So break free from camera limitations, get creative and connect with friends on a deeper level through enhanced mobile photos!
I‘d love to hear which selfie apps you decide to download for achieving your ideal look. Maybe you have a sleeper hit recommendation I missed? Please give your favorites a shout in the comments friends! Let‘s make our selfies sparkle.
