Why You Can Trust CNET PicsArt Photo Studio for iOS review: PicsArt has it all, but is it too much?
PicsArt Photo Studio has been a go-to photo editor on Android for some time. This update to the iOS version brings it to feature parity with the Android app, but the amount of features -- while useful -- can get overwhelming.
PicsArt Photo Studio is a popular, feature-rich photo editor that was formerly for Android phones only, but it's now available for iPhone.
PicsArt Photo Studio for iOS
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
There are several apps that let you add effects and edit your photos, but PicsArt Photo Studio does those things and quite a lot more. In fact this app has so many features it can get a little overwhelming -- particularly with the number of interface elements on the screen.
Like most photo effects apps, you can snap a new picture or pull one from your photo library. With an image onscreen, you can use the buttons on the bottom of the interface to play with the main features of the app. A tools button lets you do things like crop, rotate, and resize the image, with extra tools including one that lets you crop to a specific shape. You have another button for effects with several categories such as Artistic, Paper effects, ColorSplash, and simple color corrections. From there you can use the drawing button to draw on your image with a fully customizable paintbrush, add text, add shapes, and even overlay another photo on top of your original image. Next you can throw a mask on your image and add a frame. Finally, an Add button lets you add things like clip art, callouts, more frames, and text. Frankly, the number of things you can do with your images is exhaustive.
Having tons of features is a great thing, but with this app, I wonder when it becomes too much. In my testing, I sometimes noticed that my screen was being taken over by controls and sliders, all of which could be useful in specific situations. But maybe the problem I have with it is less about what the app can do than it is about the UI design. Whatever it is, there are moments where I think the controls are taking over my entire screen.
When you're done tweaking your image, you can send it over e-mail from within the app, or you can share with Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, on Dropbox, or display for other users of PicsArt. The PicsArt community has thousands of images to explore, so it's a great place to browse if you're looking for new ideas. It also has the familiar like and comment buttons, and you can check out and follow specific users' images.
Overall, PicsArt Photo Studio gives you a ton of ways to play with your images, with tools to fit almost any situation. There's even more to download (such as free clip-art libraries) if you think you need more, but I think you'll find that PicsArt has quite a lot to work with straight out of the box. Anyone looking for a comprehensive photo editing and effects app should definitely give this app a try.