100+ of the best visual content creation apps to help boost your creativity

It's never been a better time to be a content creator. Consumer technology has made such amazing advancements that you now have a powerful camera and computer combined right in your pocket!

There are a lot of creative apps on the market aimed at helping both amateur and professional creators. Mobile and web apps are a very cost-effective way to experiment with different tools to produce eye-catching photo and video content. With so many apps on the market, it can be tricky to find the best one for you and your skill level, luckily we are here to help with that!

We are often asked what the best apps are for creating content and have curated the ultimate list of 100+ best visual content apps that you can use to get creative. Whether you want to learn and look for inspiration, improve your skills, or practise your art, these apps will help you take your content creation skills to the next level.

Camera and Photography

Take your mobile photography to the next level with third-party mobile applications. These apps offer advanced tools and features that give you more control of your phone camera settings for impressive results.

  • Focos - An iOS app that uses computational photography to allow refocusing and adding bokeh effects to images after they've been taken, simulating DSLR-like depth of field.
  • Camera+ - A powerful iOS camera app offering advanced manual controls, RAW capture, and extensive editing tools to help users take and process professional-quality photos.
  • Halide Mark II - A premium iOS camera app featuring intuitive manual controls, RAW and ProRAW support, depth capture, and powerful tools for both casual and professional photographers.
  • Obscura Camera - A sleek and user-friendly iOS camera app that combines professional features with beautiful filters and intuitive gesture-based controls.
  • FiLMiC Pro - A professional-grade video camera app for iOS and Android that provides full manual control over video settings, including frame rate, bitrate, and audio options.
  • ProCamera - A comprehensive iOS camera app offering professional-level photo and video capture capabilities, advanced editing tools, and support for various shooting modes and formats.
  • Slow Shutter Cam - An iOS app that enables long exposure photography effects like light trails, motion blur, and low light capture on iPhone and iPad.
  • Dazz Cam - A retro-inspired iOS camera app that simulates vintage film cameras and offers various nostalgic filters and effects.
  • Pixel Camera - Google's official camera app for Pixel phones, featuring AI-powered modes like Night Sight, Portrait, and Motion Photos, along with advanced video stabilization.
  • PhotoPills - A powerful planning and photography assistant app for iOS and Android that helps photographers calculate sun/moon positions, depth of field, time-lapses, and more.
  • ProCam X - A feature-rich Android camera app providing manual controls, RAW capture, and advanced video recording options for smartphone photography enthusiasts.

Photo Editing & Colour Grading

The perfect photo does not only end with a simple snap of your camera. Photo editing apps give you creative opportunities to enhance your overall image with manual editing, photo filters, effects, and more.

  • Ultralight - A versatile photo and video editing app offering powerful tools, stunning filters, and an intuitive interface for organizing your photo collection.
  • Lightroom for Mobile - Adobe's professional-grade editing and camera app that allows you to capture, edit, and share high-quality images with advanced manual controls and powerful editing tools.
  • VSCO - A comprehensive creative platform offering advanced photo and video editing tools, curated presets, and a thriving community for inspiration and connection with fellow creators.
  • Affinity Photo - A professional-grade photo editing app for iPad and desktop, featuring a full suite of advanced tools, non-destructive editing, and customizable effects for high-end image manipulation.
  • Pixlr - A versatile online photo editor providing a comprehensive set of editing tools, AI-powered features, and a vast library of filters and effects for both beginners and professionals.
  • Snapseed - Google's powerful and user-friendly photo editing app offering a wide range of professional-grade tools, filters, and precise controls for mobile image editing.
  • SnapEdit - An AI-powered photo editing app that excels at object removal, background replacement, and intelligent image enhancement for quick and impressive edits.
  • A Color Story - This photo editing app specializes in adding vibrant color effects and filters to create fresh, trendy looks for your images.
  • Lightleap (formerly Quickshot) - An intuitive editor app that streamlines your editing process with AI-powered tools, pre-set filters, and creative effects for quick, professional-looking results.
  • Polarr - An advanced photo and video editing app featuring AI-powered tools, customizable filters, and a sleek interface for both mobile and desktop platforms.
  • Photoshop Express Photo Editor - Adobe's streamlined mobile editing app offering one-touch transformations, AI-powered tools, and quick fixes for effortless photo enhancements on the go.
  • Capture One - A professional-grade photo editing and tethering software known for its superior RAW processing, color grading tools, and customizable workflow options.
  • Afterlight - A feature-rich image editing app offering a wide array of adjustment tools, filters, textures, and frames to enhance and transform your photos with precision.

Creative and Composite Editing

There are many ways to make your images look unique and add conceptual elements. These photo editing apps that specialise in photo overlays and visual effects can transform your image into a larger-than-life composition.

  • Pixelmator - A powerful and intuitive image editor for Mac and iOS that combines professional-grade tools with an accessible interface, featuring AI-powered features and non-destructive editing capabilities.
  • Photoleap - An all-in-one photo editing app offering advanced layering capabilities, AI-powered tools, and a vast library of effects for creating stunning photo manipulations and artistic edits on mobile devices.
  • Lens Distortions - A premium photo and video editing app providing high-quality, cinematic overlays and effects, used by professionals to add atmospheric elements and enhance visual storytelling.
  • Prequel - A trendy photo and video editing app featuring a wide array of aesthetic filters, effects, and AI-powered tools, catering to content creators looking to achieve popular social media styles.
  • Motionleap - An innovative photo animation app that allows users to add realistic motion effects to static images, creating eye-catching cinemagraphs and 3D-like animations with ease.
  • Prisma Photo Editor - An AI-powered photo editing app that transforms ordinary photos into artistic masterpieces, using neural networks to apply styles inspired by famous artists and art movements.
  • PicsArt - A comprehensive creative platform offering a suite of photo and video editing tools, design features, and a social community for sharing and discovering user-generated content.
  • Lumii - A photo editing app specializing in artistic filters and effects, allowing users to create dreamy, ethereal images with a focus on light and color manipulation.
  • Bazaart - A versatile photo editing and graphic design app that combines powerful editing tools with an extensive library of templates and assets, enabling users to create professional-looking designs and photo collages.

Creative Video Effects

Looking for a way to make your video clips more impactful? These applications allow you to transform still image to video or add special effects to your clips to make them more unique and artistic.

  • Glitch Cam - A creative video editor offering a wide array of glitch effects, vaporwave aesthetics, and retro filters to transform ordinary videos into eye-catching, nostalgic masterpieces.
  • Werble - An innovative photo and video animator that breathes life into static images by adding subtle to dramatic motion effects, creating captivating cinemagraphs and animated artworks.
  • Filmm - A sophisticated video editing app featuring an extensive collection of professional color grading filters, authentic film textures, and dynamic lighting effects to elevate your footage to cinematic quality.
  • Filmr - A user-friendly video editor that empowers creators to transform ordinary clips into polished videos with a rich selection of filters, effects, and seamless transitions.
  • VIMAGE - A powerful cinemagraph creation tool that allows users to animate still images with subtle moving effects, filters, and overlays, bringing photos to life in unique and mesmerizing ways.
  • Loopsie - An advanced app that enables users to create stunning video motion effects and cinematic clips using AI-powered tools and a variety of professional cinematography effects.
  • Lumyer - A versatile photo and video editor boasting over 200 realistic animated effects, allowing users to add fun, dynamic elements to their content for enhanced visual appeal.
  • Story Z - A comprehensive photo and video maker that specializes in adding motion effects to still images, enabling users to create professional-looking cinemagraphs with an array of video motion and overlay effects.

Video Editing

If you're using your phone to edit videos, these applications that offer editing tools and features let you create professional-looking videos.

  • Spark Camera - A streamlined video creator offering curated themes and intuitive controls for crafting compelling, visually stunning videos with minimal effort.•
  • Magisto - An AI-powered video editor and slideshow maker that automatically enhances your footage with graphics, effects, filters, and music to create polished videos.
  • iMovie - Apple's free iOS video editing app that transforms simple clips into cinematic experiences with Hollywood-style trailer templates and easy-to-use editing tools.
  • Splice - A powerful yet user-friendly video editor enabling creators to produce customized, professional-quality videos with advanced features and intuitive controls.
  • CapCut - A comprehensive video editing platform offering a wide range of easy-to-use tools, effects, music library, and AI-powered features for creating engaging content.
  • KineMaster - A feature-rich video editor boasting professional-grade tools and a vast library of downloadable content, perfect for creating stunning videos for various social media platforms.
  • VN Video Editor - A versatile video editing app offering a blend of powerful features and user-friendly interface, suitable for both beginners and advanced users creating content for social media.
  • Videoleap - An advanced video editing app providing professional-grade tools and AI-powered features to help users create high-quality clips quickly and efficiently.
  • Adobe Premiere Rush - An all-in-one video editor from Adobe, offering seamless editing capabilities, effects, music integration, and animated titles across multiple devices.
  • InShot - A user-friendly video and photo editing app that simplifies the process of adding music, text, emojis, special effects, and transitions to create engaging content.
  • GoPro Quik - A video editor tailored for action camera footage, allowing users to create cinematic edits with automated features and manual controls.
  • FilmoraGo - An intuitive mobile video editor offering a balance of easy-to-use interface and advanced features for producing creative, high-quality videos on the go.
  • LumaFusion - A professional-grade mobile video editing app featuring powerful tools and effects, designed for serious content creators and filmmakers working on iOS devices.

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GIFs, Cinemagraphs & Stop Motion Creation

Are you tired of boring stills and videos? These apps bring life to them by turning them into GIFs, cinemagraphs, and stop motions.

  • Flixel - A professional-grade app specializing in cinemagraph creation, offering advanced tools for seamlessly blending still images with subtle motion elements.
  • GIF Maker by Momento - A versatile app that transforms photos and videos into engaging GIFs, complete with customizable stickers, filters, and effects for added creativity and fun.
  • Stop Motion Studio - A comprehensive stop motion animation app featuring an array of user-friendly tools and features, enabling creators to produce high-quality animated videos with ease.
  • ImgPlay - A powerful GIF creation and editing tool that converts videos and photos into customizable GIFs, offering a wide range of editing options for perfect results.
  • Life Lapse - An intuitive app designed for creating professional-looking time-lapse and stop motion videos, equipped with numerous tools and features to enhance your visual storytelling.
  • Storybeat - A creative app that allows users to add music and sound effects to photos and videos, as well as create stop motion animations synchronized with audio tracks.
  • iMotion - A versatile iOS app for producing high-quality time-lapse and stop motion videos, with export options ranging from 720p HD to 4K UHD resolution.
  • GIF Toaster - A streamlined, user-friendly app that simplifies the process of converting videos or burst photos into GIFs, ideal for quick and easy animated image creation.

Inspiration & Learning

Stuck in a rut? Get inspired and make everything flow with these visual learning and inspiration apps.

  • Pinterest - A visual discovery engine that allows users to explore, save, and share inspirational content across various topics, from DIY projects to fashion trends and beyond.
  • Inkflow Visual Notebook - A digital notebook app that mimics the feel of traditional pen and paper, allowing users to capture and manipulate ideas with intuitive gestures and tools.
  • TED - An app offering access to thousands of thought-provoking TED Talks from experts across various fields, providing insights on technology, entertainment, design, and more.
  • Notability - A powerful note-taking app that combines handwriting, typing, and audio recording capabilities with intuitive organization tools for seamless digital note-taking and PDF annotation.
  • Milanote - A flexible note-taking and project management app that allows users to organize ideas, tasks, and media in a visually appealing, card-based interface.
  • Brainsparker - A creativity app that provides daily prompts and random creativity cards to stimulate innovative thinking and overcome creative blocks.
  • Inspiration Maps - A visual learning tool that enables users to create diagrams, outlines, and graphic organizers to enhance understanding and organization of complex ideas.
  • Behance - Adobe's creative showcase platform where users can explore, share, and discover innovative work across various creative fields, from photography to graphic design and beyond.
  • SimpleMind - A comprehensive mind mapping app that helps users organize thoughts, brainstorm ideas, and create visual representations of complex information for better understanding and recall.

Digital Painting & Drawing

The process of drawing and painting has been made easier. Thanks to these applications, you can create artworks on your phone, tablet, or iPad.

  • Procreate - A powerful digital illustration app for iPad, offering hundreds of customizable brushes, advanced layer system, and intuitive tools for creating professional-grade artwork.
  • Tayasui Sketches - An elegant drawing app featuring a range of realistic tools and brushes, coupled with advanced features for creating stunning illustrations and artwork on mobile devices.
  • Adobe Fresco - A versatile drawing and painting app that combines vector and raster capabilities with an extensive collection of digital brushes, catering to both traditional and digital artists.
  • Clip Studio Paint - A comprehensive digital art software specializing in tools for illustration, comics, and animation, popular among manga artists and professional illustrators.
  • ibis Paint X - A feature-rich drawing app boasting over 2000 brushes and materials, suitable for creating detailed paintings, illustrations, and comics on mobile devices.
  • Adobe Capture - A versatile mobile app that transforms images into vector graphics, color themes, and custom brushes, seamlessly integrating with other Adobe Creative Cloud applications.
  • Sketchbook - A professional-grade sketching and painting app offering customizable tools and an intuitive interface for creating high-quality digital art across various devices.
  • Adobe Illustrator Draw - A vector-based drawing app designed for mobile devices, providing powerful tools for creating scalable artwork compatible with Adobe Illustrator.
  • MediBang Paint - A free digital painting and comic creation app featuring a wide array of tools, cloud storage integration, and cross-platform compatibility for seamless workflow.

Augmented Reality and Web Design

Augmented reality gives users a more realistic and engaging experience. These applications can help you to build artistic AR and VR experiences.

  • Adobe XD - A powerful vector-based design tool for creating interactive prototypes, wireframes, and screen designs for digital products, offering seamless integration with other Adobe Creative Cloud apps.
  • Figma - A cloud-based, collaborative interface design tool that enables teams to create, prototype, and share designs in real-time, with features for design systems and developer handoff.
  • Pantone Studio - A color management app that allows designers to create, explore, and test custom color palettes on designs and 3D-rendered materials, syncing with the Pantone Color System.
  • Snap AR - Snap's augmented reality platform that enables creators to build immersive AR experiences, lenses, and filters for use on Snapchat and beyond, with intuitive tools for both beginners and professionals.
  • Giphy World - An augmented reality app that brings GIFs and stickers to life in your real-world environment, allowing users to create and share fun, animated scenes through their camera.
  • Adobe Aero - An intuitive augmented reality authoring tool that enables users to create immersive AR experiences without requiring extensive 3D design or coding knowledge, integrating seamlessly with other Adobe products.
  • Marvel - A comprehensive design platform offering tools for prototyping, user testing, and collaboration, allowing teams to create interactive app prototypes and manage the entire design process in one place.
  • ZapWorks - A robust augmented and virtual reality development platform providing tools and SDKs for creating immersive AR and VR experiences across various devices, suitable for both designers and developers.

Graphic Design

Want to create professional graphics ready to be shared across socials? These apps give you access to thousands of templates, stock images and videos, and other elements to make designing a breeze!

  • Canva - A user-friendly graphic design platform offering a vast library of customizable templates for creating social media graphics, presentations, and marketing materials, suitable for both beginners and professionals.
  • Visme - An all-in-one visual content creation tool for designing professional presentations, infographics, and interactive content, with features for brand management and team collaboration.
  • Mojo - A mobile app specializing in Instagram story creation, providing over 300 customizable templates and tools to create engaging, animated social media content quickly.
  • Impresso - A powerful Instagram story maker offering a wide range of animated templates, rich text options, and music integration for creating eye-catching social media content effortlessly.
  • Boosted - An intuitive video creation app featuring ready-made templates and easy-to-use tools for producing professional-looking marketing videos and social media content on mobile devices.
  • Adobe Express - A simplified creative app from Adobe that enables quick creation of social media graphics, web pages, and short videos using customizable templates and AI-powered tools.
  • GoDaddy Studio - A comprehensive design tool (formerly Over) offering a range of templates and features for creating professional marketing materials, social media content, and branded assets.
  • Snappa - A streamlined graphic design software providing pre-made templates and an intuitive interface for quickly creating professional-looking graphics, ads, and social media content.
  • VistaCreate - A versatile design platform (formerly Crello) offering a vast library of templates and tools for creating various marketing materials, from social media posts to animated content.
  • PicMonkey - A comprehensive photo editing and graphic design app featuring artist-crafted templates and advanced editing tools for creating polished visual content for social media and marketing purposes.

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