Unleash the full potential of Snapseed (Blog #35)

Welcome to my latest blog, which this week is a deep dive into my favourite photo-editing app, Snapseed. I have been using this powerful app for around four years, but a bit like someone who has invested in an all-singing-and-dancing camera but has never got out of auto mode, it suddenly occurred to me that Snapseed had so much more to offer than the few tools I was using. A true light bulb moment.

Before we get going, here's a short history of where Snapseed started. The app was originally developed by Nik Software, but was acquired by Google in 2012. It was initially released in 2011 for iOS devices and later for Android in 2012. Snapseed gained fame for its user-friendly interface and powerful editing tools, including filters, adjustments, and selective editing features. Google continued to update and improve Snapseed after the acquisition, adding new features and refining its capabilities. I think it's fair to say that Snapseed remains one of the most widely used photo-editing apps, appreciated by both amateur and professional photographers alike.

Snapseed has 28 editing Tools, 29 if you include Developing for RAW format images, but within each of these Tools there are suites of other sub-menu tools, with horizontal and vertical sliders, which in total gives you a vast range of editing options to go at. That's just in the Tools menu; there are also 11 Looks filters on top of these, which give you additional global editing options. This vast array of editing options can all at first be very daunting to a new user, but having said that, the app's user interface is very user-friendly, and what is really good is that Snapseed's editing process is non-destructive, so if you make a mistake or carry out an edit you later decide you don't like, you can undo it. 

 I must admit to being one of those who has probably only scratched the surface of Snapseed, but this was a habit I was determined to break. So I set out on my search for a comprehensive tutorial YouTube video. I wanted one that was going to demonstrate how every bit of Snapseed could work, not just a quick run through of the most-used or most popular tools. I was fortunate in that one of the first videos I came across filled the brief. This video is titled 'Snapseed - ULTIMATE GUIDE | All tools and sliders explained | Mobile Phone Editing.' and is presented by NavEdits, who is Nagesh Vasu, and who is on Instagram as @navedits_. This presenter makes big claims for his video, but I was not disappointed, it really is the ULTIMATE GUIDE! 

Each function is carefully explained visually, graphically, and verbally, with lots of examples. I was familiar with the majority of the Tools, except for one, the Curves tool, which once its pro-level features had been demonstrated, made me realise what I had been missing out on. Two other editing features I had noticed other presenters had skipped over were Masking and Layers. Not this YouTube presenter. Again, they were two editing features that I had not really looked into, but once explained, and explained very well, I became confident enough to add them to my photo editing armamentarium.

I have watched enough YouTube videos, not just ones about photography, but also about travel, and technology product reviews, to be aware that the quality of videos can vary enormously. 'Snapseed - ULTIMATE GUIDE | All tools and sliders explained | Mobile Phone Editing.' is a professionally produced video that lies at the higher end of the quality scale. In just under 50-minutes the viewer will be guided through every part of Snapseed so that by the end they should have the knowledge and the confidence to be able to take their photo editing to a new level. To consolidate my understanding I have watched this video several times, you should do the same.

To be absolutely transparent, I have no connection with NavEdits other than following him on Instagram. 

Here's the link to the YouTube video: 

https://youtu.be/UzZ1zEdSSdc?si=6tcpGPEnT1s4cZwT

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© Mike Young 2024.