I have enjoyed a photo tuning app on the iPad for a while and was happy to see that Snapseed is available now as a universal app, so onto my iPhone it went. Automated and Selective tuning with a unique finger interface gives is three checks in the ‘must have’ category.

Opening an image is much like other photo tuning apps, you see your image in the main area with the options to tune across the bottom of the screen. Move through the groups of adjustment options Snapseed offers from left to right. The first one ‘automatic’ is a nice choice if you know you have a couple darker or brighter spots in your image, the app will tune those out and you might be ready.

The second ‘Selective Adjust’ gives you the ability to call out a particular area of the photo to be tuned. Normally, apps apply filters to adjust the photo as a whole. Choosing this area on Snapseed allows you to pick a particular area to tune.

Next for Snapseed is it’s unique method for adjusting the photos. When you have chosen a option from the bottom, there may be a variety of fine tuning choices within that group. Sliding your finder up/down on the photo brings up those options and cycles through them. Just stop moving your finger when the one you want is highlighted. You do not need to tap the actual choice.

To use that tuning option, move your finger left/right for a -/+ application. Some of the groups of filters will have a variety of starting points that you then use to fine tune. When you have the photo as you like it, apply the changes. Just making the adjustment does not alter the image, you have to apply it. This makes Snapseed a handy app for me when I’m ‘playing’ a bit, I save an image changes within the app then dive into another group to tune a bit further. If it isn’t going in the direction I want I just back out a layer without applying and start over with the image already enhanced with the previous tuning.