When it comes to taking photos with our smartphones, the quality of the lens often plays a significant role in the final outcome. While most smartphones come with decent cameras, some users may find the need to enhance their lens capabilities for better results. This is where lens apps for Android come into play. With a variety of options available in the market, users can choose from a range of lens apps that can enhance their photography experience. In this article, we will explore some of the best free lens apps for Android, that can help you take your images to the next level.
The lens apps we have selected for this article offer a range of features that can help you capture better photos. Some of these apps offer manual controls that allow you to adjust the focus, exposure, and other settings to get the desired results. Others come with pre-set filters and effects that can add a professional touch to your images.
We have compiled a list of 9 Best Free Lens App For Android for your consideration, which have undergone rigorous testing and evaluation by our team of experts.
Table of Contents
9 Best Free Lens App For Android
Navigation Gestures is an app that allows users to add swipe gesture controls to any Android device. It replaces the navigation bar buttons with gesture controls and can completely hide the stock navigation bar without root access. Users can customize the gesture pill and choose from a variety of gestures, including taps, swipes, and split pill. The app offers both free and premium actions, such as launching apps, pulling down notifications, and toggling WiFi. The app also provides appearance and behavior customization options, and troubleshooting tips are available on the XDA forum thread and GitHub page. However, the app is not compatible with Android 11 and later, and users should be aware that navigation gestures will not be receiving any more updates.
2. MotionCam: Camera & RAW Video
MotionCam is a camera replacement application that utilizes advanced computational photography algorithms to generate natural looking images. Its unique capability to stack multiple images helps in reducing noise, and it also allows for the capture of true RAW video at full sensor resolution on a high-end device.
One of the features of MotionCam is its ability to capture true RAW video with support for Cinema DNG. Additionally, it enables users to go back in time and pick images from the past. MotionCam also provides full customization of post-processing, including white balance, tone mapping, and sharpness, along with customizable advanced image stacking algorithms to reduce noise. Further, it allows full manual control of shutter and ISO.
It is important to note that MotionCam requires a high-end device with complete Camera2 API support to function correctly. For more information and support, users can visit https://github.com/mirsadm/motioncam.
3. Snapseed
Snapseed, developed by Google, is a comprehensive and professional photo editor that offers users 29 tools and filters, including Healing, Brush, Structure, HDR, and Perspective. The app is compatible with both JPG and RAW files, and users can save their personal looks and apply them to new photos later. The selective filter brush allows for precise control over all styles, which can be tweaked as needed.
Snapseed’s tools, filters, and face-enhancement capabilities are vast and include RAW Develop, which enables users to open and tweak RAW DNG files and save changes non-destructively or export as JPG. The Tune Image tool allows users to adjust exposure and color automatically or manually with fine, precise control, while the Details tool brings out surface structures in images. The Crop tool allows users to crop to standard sizes or freely, and the Rotate tool enables rotation by 90° or straightening of a skewed horizon. Perspective corrects skewed lines and geometry of horizons or buildings, while the White Balance tool adjusts colors for a natural look. The Brush tool allows users to selectively retouch exposure, saturation, brightness, or warmth, while the Selective tool uses Control Point technology to position up to 8 points on the image and assign enhancements. The Healing tool removes unwanted elements from pictures, and the Vignette tool adds a soft darkness around the corners. The Text tool adds stylized or plain text, and the Curves tool provides precise control over brightness levels.
4. Google Camera
Google Camera is a mobile app that enables users to capture high-quality photos and videos, thanks to its advanced features. With Portrait, Night Sight, and video stabilization modes, users can take pictures and videos of their experiences with ease.
One of the app’s most notable features is HDR+ with Exposure and White Balance Controls, which enhances images taken in low-light or backlit scenes. Additionally, Top Shot automatically recommends the best pictures by selecting the perfect moment when no one is blinking and everything looks just right.
Another standout feature is Night Sight, which brings out details and colors that may be lost in the dark, making it unnecessary to use the flash. Super Res Zoom sharpens pictures when zoomed in, while Motion Mode captures life in motion and takes professional quality Long Exposure and Action Pan photos.
Finally, Long Shot allows users to take casual, quick videos by pressing the shutter key in the default camera mode. However, it’s important to note that the latest version of Google Camera only works on Pixel phones running Android 12 and above, and some features may not be available on all devices.
5. Picsart Photo & Video Editor
Picsart is an all-in-one editor and collage maker that provides users with a platform to showcase their creativity. With over 150 million creators around the world, users can create professional-level collages, add stickers, remove and swap backgrounds, apply popular filters like Golden Hour, Mirror Selfies, and retro VHS or Y2K filters. Picsart offers various features, including a photo editor, video editor, collage maker, sticker maker, photo effects and filters, drawing tool, and replay.
The photo editor includes various features like trending filters, background eraser, Remove Object tool, millions of curated images, designer fonts, hair color changer, makeup stickers, AI-powered smart selection tool, and the option to add stickers. The video editor allows users to create and edit videos with music, add trendy filters, trim videos, use smart video merger to blend videos, design a slideshow maker with music, and create a video collage. The collage maker provides users with the freedom to create on-trend photo collages, meme generator, scrapbook, and frames for pictures.
The sticker maker offers over 60 million Picsart stickers, the option to add stickers to pictures to turn up the fun level on your edits, download any sticker for free, and create unique custom stickers. Users can also apply photo effects and filters, such as sketch effects, canvas effects, dripping effect stickers, and magic effects.
6. Photoshop Camera Photo Filters
Adobe Photoshop Camera is a free photo editor camera app that allows users to add filters and effects to their photos before capturing them. The app boasts over 100 aesthetic, popular lens effects and filters inspired by artists and influencers. Photoshop Camera is equipped with AI-powered features that enable users to take great selfies, food and scenery shots, portraits, and more. The app offers real-time Photoshop effects and auto-tone photo effects to enhance pictures. Additionally, the content-aware recommendations feature selects the appropriate photo effects, lighting, and focus for each shot. The app provides Portrait Controls, including Bokeh, Face Distance, Face Light, and Face Relighting, that improves the overall quality of portrait photos.
Photoshop Camera enables users to apply fun camera filters and effects with a single tap. The app has a diverse library of custom filters for pictures and popular lenses like Studio Light, Interstellar, and Neon Pulse. Additionally, the app’s Influencer-Inspired Lens Options feature allows users to experience the creative vision of their favorite creators. Photoshop Camera is suitable for social media sharing and allows users to capture and share their photos effortlessly. Photoshop Camera is an Adobe product, and its use is governed by Adobe’s General Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
7. Google Lens
Google Lens is a visual search tool that allows users to search by using their camera or a photo. One of its features is the ability to translate text, including complex codes and paragraphs, and save them for later use. Additionally, users can identify plants and animals, explore local landmarks and businesses, and find similar clothes and home decor. The app also provides details on popular dishes in restaurants and can quickly scan QR codes and barcodes. It should be noted that some Lens features may not be available in all languages or regions, and an internet connection is required for certain functions.
8. Professional HD Camera
Professional HD Camera is a comprehensive camera application that enables users to quickly and easily capture photos and videos. Boasting intelligent face detection capabilities and top-notch selfie camera performance, users can take advantage of a variety of real-time filter and color effects to enhance their images. The app features stylish HDR that improves image quality in low-light and backlit settings, and offers manual focusing distance, ISO, and exposure time controls as well as the ability to capture RAW (DNG) files. Additionally, the app provides configurable volume keys, continuous shooting, and auto-stabilize functions to further improve the user experience.
Please note that Professional HD Camera is based on Open Camera code and is licensed under the GNU General Public License. For more information on the source code and licensing, please visit the provided links.
9. Open Camera
Open Camera is a free camera app that provides users with various features. These features include auto-leveling to ensure that pictures are level, camera functionality support such as scene modes, color effects, white balance, ISO, exposure compensation, selfie with screen flash, HD video, and more. The app also comes with remote controls, timer, auto-repeat mode with configurable delay, and a feature that allows users to take photos remotely by making a noise or using voice command cheese.
Other features of Open Camera include configurable volume keys and user interface, an upside-down preview option for use with attachable lenses, overlay grid and crop guides, GPS location tagging, and the ability to apply date and timestamp, location coordinates, and custom text to photos. The panorama feature is also available, including for the front camera.
Additionally, Open Camera provides support for HDR with auto-alignment and ghost removal, exposure bracketing, Camera2 API with manual controls, burst mode, RAW (DNG) files, slow motion video, log profile video, noise reduction, dynamic range optimization modes, on-screen histogram, zebra stripes, and focus peaking. The app is completely free, and there are no third-party ads in the app.
Note that not all features may be available on all devices as they may depend on hardware or camera features, Android version, etc. Open Camera is an open-source app, and the links to source code can be found on the website.