Photoleap: AI Art Photo Editor Reviews

by ALERT!!!!!!!!

I used to use Photoleap for all of my collage artwork and I absolutely used to love using it… until the 2.2.37 update a few months back made everything in Photoleap a complete nightmare to work with. I hate that you can’t use the two-finger pinch to change the size of the picture anymore (you have to drag the corners to the size you want and something the dots don’t even pickup my finger so I’m just sitting here for 20 minutes trying to resize the picture when before this update it took me two seconds lol). I also hate when bringing in a new picture, it doesn’t match the size of the original canvas, you have to (once again) fiddle with the corners for 20 minutes and hope that the pictures line up when you use the blend feature.

I’ve seen a lot reviews like this one and I understand you guys have a lot of positive feedback but this new update ruined my artistic brand and I haven’t been able to find anything else like the old version of Photoleap . I’ll email the support team but I doubt that’ll do anything because a lot of the negative reviews in recent months compare to this and nothing has been done :(

by Homegrownhunting

Loved Photoleap . I’ve used it for a couple of years. People like me who bought it when it was getting on its feet are the backbone of Photoleap . Now I’m being asked to subscribe in order to use new updates and some features that I have always used aren’t available unless I subscribe or pay a one time fee.

I feel I was duped and tricked. How can you sell someone an app , the paid full version, and turn around a couple years later and ask them to pay more money (actually an absurd amount for what other apps are now offering for free).

This is the first review I’ve ever wrote because I generally don’t rock the boat, but this is completely unfair. Shame on you for taking my money so Photoleap could grow and then take away what I paid for to start with and ask for more money for the initial features and future features. I’m sure I’ll get a response of “we’re sorry you feel this way.” When the response should be “Thank you for buying our app and your account is now open for you to enjoy all our features because if it weren’t for people like you who backed us when we were small , we would have never gotten off the ground.”

by Rogrrabbbit

There’s nothing Photoleap can do that their previous APP wasn’t able to do. Hold on! Let me take that back! Yes there is! After you’ve expired your 6 months of whatever they feel they’ve given you extra and they put you back on the (free wagon) you’ll loose all the advantages you would’ve normally gotten in their original (Enlight) App. Photoleap is really the exact same app as Enlight with the exception that they’re trying to survive on the monthly subscription residuals. Oh? And screw those who paid for the premium App they’re just going to discontinue.

They didn’t need to remake a new app, unless of course the only way they can force you to change is to cancel the old one and turn this junk into a monthly or yearly subscription. (Which is exactly what they did). I won’t upgrade after the 6 months. And if they discontinue their support for Enlight? I suppose they won’t even notice that they’ve lost one single customer. But I refuse to fall for their bait!

As far as Photoleap is concerned? The automated filters hardly ever work with the picture you load. They dumbed Photoleap down. Made it worse and it’s no longer a creative app. No thanks

by Showmekc

This used to be one of my top five apps on my iPad Pro. I was hoping the update for iOS 15 would include some new features which I feel were missing from Photoleap . Between amazing capabilities of the iPad Pro combined with iOS 15 there was a lot of opportunity missed to do some great updating on Photoleap. Instead they did 3 things! Added sticker, made layers, other then the one being worked with transparent so you can no longer color match among many other edits that require comparison to multiple layers, and broke the snap to frame feature which was so amazing. In the past when importing from photos the import would be made to fit the canvas it was being put it into. Now every photo is imported smaller than the canvas it’s being put on. This makes the snap to frame feature even more important. Instead each layer imported must be manually sized to the canvas it’s been add too. It takes several tries to get the image manually sized to fit the crop area. And usually then it still doesn’t fit perfect. So I’m constantly having to check to make sure there’s no gaps on the edges. If you trying to match up layers precisely forget about it. After five years I’m downgrading my rating from five stars to two and now in search of a new photo editing app

by Anonymouse293018

I am a proffesional photo editor and even though I do understand a lot of editing software does cost money, this is just too much.
Every single editing software I’ve used was less expensive than this, and offered more. If you are on a mobile device such as an iPhone, the free version is somewhat decent. However even the “pro” version lacks features that just a proffesional would want, but also just a rookie. If you are on iPad and are considering paying, Please, do not. There is much better software. Even Adobe Photoshop is less expensive than this and can actually produce good edits, unlike this poorly designed app.
Photoleap is truly a scam. It seems like it may be good at first, but then you find out that to do even the simplest of things, you have to pay tens of dollars, and you don’t even get proffesional features.
Please, refrain from even downloading the free version of this application, it does not provide a pleasant experience.

by Juliuskempster

I started using Photoleap before it’s drastic update, and it’s pricing variant came about; I used it for everything under the sun. While it was free, I grew very comfortable with what was being offered to me, I knew the ins and the outs, and without a doubt I’d finish in 10 minutes or less by simple proficiency. Now that it’s been changed and revised for a ‘smarter’ use, and everything I once used for free became “you must pay to use”, I didn’t find much drive for it. If it was the same app and I had to pay from the start, maybe, sure I don’t see why not. The changes aren’t in favor for me, and honestly I use it far less frequently than Photoshop on mobile. I wish it was the same app, but it isn’t. I’d give 5 stars, but perhaps if you didn’t turn what was once free into a must pay to use what we gave to you once before freely kind of app, I’d have an incline to return. We all must make money, I understand that. But taking things given for free and then making us buy what was given to us isn’t the path to go. Many new users wouldn’t understand that, but I know.

by Cyntrifical

I’m sure Enlight Photofox is great and all, but I enjoyed the original Enlight and back then I could just use it after paying $4.99 and that was that. Now they will be dropping support and removing it from the appstore so if i have to reset my phone I lose an app I paid $4.99 for and now like most developers in this age of micro transactions its subscription only so how is that a fair trade? If I’m being strongarmed to eventually upgrade then as a previously paid customer either the pro features should be free or at the bare minimum the subscription HEAVILY reduced. I love Lighttricks apps, don’t get me wrong, but I’m feeling a bit screwed over and gonna get ripped off for $4.99 in the end. If this is the common business practice these days there’s always more reasonable apps to switch to with a one time paid price. I get the whole “subscriptions incentivize new features” thing but what was included with enlight version 1 should be made available to users like me and any extra features I could buy in app as a add on...

by Tigereyes222

This was* my favorite app, I used it for everything. I paid $4.99 for it at the time of download and had access to everything. Then out of nowhere I get some notification that they’re changing it to this, Enlight Photofox, and that the original Enlight is being removed from Photoleap Store. The new app is priced at $7.99 a month. I can’t even use the old app because it barely works anymore. I’m really disappointed because this isn’t what I signed up for. I would’ve really supported this company had i not felt a little ripped off. Good thing is that the free version includes MOST of the same features as the old version. You can use the other features in different apps that don’t charge monthly, it’s just disappointing to have to pay a subscription price after the $4.99 and using Photoleap , suddenly for it to be revoked. Otherwise, Enlight was a great app and this one has most of the same features.

by FrigidValley

So, I subscribe to their One-Time Purchase (since I'm a long live Enlight user before Photofox arrived), and for me Photoleap is such a mess. Here's why:
1. With the updated version, I'm no longer be able to transform Elements (ex: transform circle into oval, etc, since there's only 2 options which is flipping and rotate). There's no corner points, just like to transform a photo. (Update: to transform the elements, you must convert the elements to be a photo, I think its not a pretty clean process 😅)
2. IT IS A SCAM!. When you use "One-Time Purchase" as a term, it means that I pay to use Photoleap with unlimited access for lifetime. But your app tells me that all the access only available for 10 years. Is that means I should pay again after 10 years?.

New Update: I'll give Photoleap a 5 star, if they can resolve the second problem, to make sure that Its not a scam for everyone. Take a note that I've paid the full version of Videoleap, and there's no problem from its end. (Yeah I'm that Mobile Creator, sorry 😅).

by Coreywebbmusic

dear lighttricks, i think you have a great app but there are two HUGE problems that have made it unusable for me.

1) you STILL can not duplicate a project. unless maybe i am missing something? i'd love to know your reasoning behind this. it seems ridiculous for a photo editing app. is it to encourage us creatively? lol. so basically it is impossible to have two alternates of the same project unless you literally build both projects from scratch. please help me understand why.

2) there is an ad/suggestion for videoleap in this app now. i have videoleap. i love videoleap. i would love to not have an ad/suggestion to import my photo that i'm working into videoleap. i can do that myself. honestly i wouldn't mind it that much if it was at the end of the list, or even halfway. but as the very first item in my list of tools... it's infuriating. if there's some way to get rid of it for people that already have and use videoleap, PLEASE DO. I miss using Photoleap but my 1st issue makes it impossible to use it for real work on the go, and my 2nd issue just annoys the crud out of me, which is not how i like to feel when i'm editing.

if anyone from lighttricks took the time to read this, thank you. i hope you can pass on my critique to someone who is willing to listen. you've created something great, and it's a bummer for tbe rest of your team that your dedicated users are needlessly frustrated.

by Jazzepants

I love Photoleap, it’s the best, best photo app I have ever used and have had but I want to use a lot of the stuff you can use but u have to get the pro or whatever it’s called to have all the editing buttons, so I was like ok I’m going to upgrade my app to have all the stuff and then I saw how much money it is!!!!!😵😵😵😵😵🤯🤯 for a photo editing app!!!!! I get it Photoleap is so great but if u changed it to where u can get it all for 5 bucks, more people and I would definitely would upgrade Photoleap, but if all u want is money 🤑 that much money then no thanks I will just keep my little bit of editing buttons but over all it’s great but I would definitely change the fact of how much money🤑🤑 u want from us to upgrade Photoleap, that’s the only reason I gave it a 4 but if u change that one thing about money, it would definitely be a 5 or even higher

by Jessclay1983

Love Photoleap! I use it just as a simple photo editor. I haven’t got into much of the combing photos together features, etc so this is really just for editing basics.

I did notice my phone memory was very low and couldn’t figure out why. Comes to find out each project you open in Photofox is Saved in Photoleap . I had 670 projects saved in Photoleap - after I also saved each individual photo on my phone. Photofox doesn’t have a way to multi select projects and delete in bulk so I had to individually delete each of the 670 projects one at a time. It would be great if you could add a feature to multi select those projects and delete. After deleting each project I added 50% of memory back to my phone. So it does take up a ton of space if you don’t remember to delete the projects when you’re done.

Other than that, I love it 😊

by Abutting Query

It's a great app, I use it all the time for serious graphic design work on the go. But it's missing a few key features I'd really love to see. Guys, can you please give us the ability to turn snapping on and off?!? Can't tell you how much time I've spent wrestling against the snapping feature try to place a layer where I want it to go. Seems ridiculous it's still not an option. Have you tried your own app? Because I can't imagine using Photoleap even once without experiencing the frustration I'm referring to.
Also, it's missing some important blend modes like linear burn, add (although plus lighten comes close, misses sometimes), linear light, difference and exclusion.
And although the heal tool works great most of the time, it won't work on any surface that's pure black. This aspect of the tool is more limiting than enabling, though I get why they did it this way. Maybe an additional stamp/clone tool to compensate would be in order?
Also, the "urban" art feature is cool, except all the background images are in lo-res. C'mon guys, really ?? Very least it should be possible to import your own hi-res images to be used as the background.
Lastly, you should be able to use a layer as a mask, or even import a photo that's converted to b&w and used as mask, the way "Union" by Pixite does it.
Add these features and it's the perfect platform worthy of any price!!

by **Randa**

So I use Photoleap a lot with my Page I manage and it helps out a lot! It is one of my favorite apps out of all of them! But since the new update I am unable to Text and press the done buttons! When I go in to edit, it lets me type but it will not let me push the done button and go back to the picture to finish the project! I am extremely disappointed because this is the only editing app I use and I feel I am going to have to download a new one to use! I’m not a fan of the other ones because this one has more I can do with it and I also know Photoleap better than the rest, which makes it easier and quicker for me to finish my project! Please help me figure out this problem and get it resolved so I don’t have to download and learn a whole new app! Other than that Photoleap has been great and easy to use! If I could just figure out what is going on I will continue to use this one!

by T-Real33

I use Photofox for more than just photo editing and I personally believe it is the best app on the market for editing. I don’t like the fact that in the update I can’t start a new project with a blank canvas instead I have to start with a picture and then go Darkroom settings and alter the Offset setting just to make a white or black canvas. That’s very annoying. It seems like you reverted that part to the basic Enlight app settings and I don’t appreciate it. I feel like your trying too hard be a photo editing app when you can just be an overall editing and graphic design app. Don’t try and please people by taking away parts of Photoleap that make it unique. Please add back the feature where I could start a project with a blank canvas and choose the size of that canvas. SMH.

by ChiroBat

All the other phone photo editors I could find before were very limited in what they could do. Just preset filters with stickers and minimal effects. When I found Photoleap, I was skeptical to be sure, but hopeful. To my upmost delight, it has layers...and masks, even without paying a cent! There’s a decent amount of things you can do, but like all good programs, it’s better if you pay, and I definitely appreciate that there’s different plans to fit different budgets. However, there’s probably no need to pay if you’ll only be using it casually. There’s still plenty to do without it. I’ve only started to dabble in the possibilities, and I’m excited for what I can make. It’s no desktop photoshop, but it’s the best program I’ve been able to find for iPhone, and I plan on using it for years to come.

by MadManMark

I am a medical doctor and have no relationship with and have never met anyone associated with PhotoFox. PhotoFox is about as significant as Photoshop and easier to use. If new user follows the tutorials, they will become proficient in the use of PhotoFox very quickly! As a graphic hobbyist, I am as enthusiastic about PhotoFox as I was when I first learned to use it. I highly recommend PhotoFox Pro as it uses layers to alter photos and drawing to create beautiful photo projects. It is these layers that make PhotoFox-Pro an extremely powerful in the world of photo manipulation. I say this as an owner of every other photo manipulation software out there (Photoshop, Paintshop Pro, Polarr, Pixelmator, DTF... you name it I have it.) Enlight PhotoFox and PhotoFox Pro are the ones that I use 98% of the time. You are missing out out if you haven’t used PhotoFox. I love it!

by ThePoillon

I've owned several dozen apps for photography, but this is the one I always, *ALWAYS*, come back to. I wish I could put examples up on here of before and after images, but suffice it to say it can transform even the blandest image I've taken by mistake with the camera app open into an image worthy of wall space. I rarely review apps and even rarer still recommend apps, so I hope it speaks loudly enough to it's abilities when I say that I've got a bachelor of fine art with a concentration in photography, and I've had work displayed in two Smithsonian Museums as well as the SF Museum of Modern Art...and this is Photoleap I'd give up all other 3rd party photo apps to keep. It really is nothing short of brilliant, and while most apps are limited by a users' imagination, I've found that this gem is powerful enough to greatly expand even that.

by Radbrent

This is hands-down the best photo editing app I’ve used on iOS. It’s powerful like photoshop on your computer. I’ve been using it for years and I absolutely love it. You can do practically anything you want and it comes with a great selection of presets and filters. It gives you the ability to customize practically any photo.

A few things that I would change:
1.) the opacity of the eraser tool feels like it goes from “100%———80% —0” so it’s hard to find the right middle-range opacity. It feels exponential rather than tapered.
2.) Don’t change he too much. I’m still getting use to the updated UI. It has been taking me a long time to find the the “add element” button (is it still here?) I liked how the layers worked in the last UI and how easy it was to add one. .
3.) Add more fonts. (The selection is good so far but also I would love some more Asian fonts and stuff)
4.) Add “replace color” please!
5.) A way to lock the zoom. For example if I’m zoomed into a photo to edit small details I want to be able to lock it.

Don’t simplify it to make it easy. It’s seriously the best most powerful app for photo editing! I love it so much and like the smart cutout features you added for face, clothes, etc.

There is no better photo editing app.

by Wholetthishappen

I’ll be writing this review as, well basically a review of all of Lightricks Apps. They’re really just amazing. The level of customization you can get even for unpaid versions of all of these apps are just amazing. For Photofox, it is the constraints of the unpaid version that give you even more power, as you need to work around them and innovate and be creative to make the adjustments you need. The ability to make PNG’s yourself by cutting out backgrounds with the erase tool is worth the price of admission itself. I would absolutely, positively purchase the full version for an indefinite period of time if I could, money is just kind of tight right now, as it is with a lot of people. To the developers, thank you so much for making this amazing series of apps available to the public. We all love you.

by Yodelingpuppet

When you use Enlight for 4 years and are now forced into using Photofox, the UI makes no sense and does not transition easily.i don’t have time in my busy 65+ hour/week schedule to learn a whole new layout (an inferior one at that); the interface and ease of use was remarkably and significantly more intuitive in Enlight. You couldn’t have just improved Enlight by adding a few upgrades/features? How about just making “pro tools” available with subscription? Now, you’re abandoning an editing app that was a masterpiece in its category and are replacing it with something that has about half the features of the Enlight iteration of this new app for a free version? No thanks. Pure greed, getting users comfortable with all your tools and features for several years and then telling them if they want to continue using them, it now requires payment. What are you people, drug dealers? So incredibly unfair to get people hooked on a set of features only to strip half of them away and hold them hostage for $7 a month. You should be ashamed of yourselves. I’m not upset about you charging money... I’m upset paying money gains access to many features that were free before. By all means, charge a few dollars, but do it for newer, better, ADDED features. Also where’s the collage tools? Now that that’s missing I won’t even consider giving you my money. I’m utterly disgusted by this experience and want to vomit in your faces. You should be reported for acting so unethically.

by Lohla Lohla

It’s clear that the Enlight team puts a lot of work into making some of the best editing software for phones, but I feel like they did not do a lot of market research into how most users are using their software. The original app was one of the best and most robust apps for quick editing and retouching, as well as making simple macros — which is how I’ve mainly used it. Just downloaded photofox and it’s clear there’s a lot more power here but the UI is grating and not intuitive. For example — I’m trying to zoom on a single layer to use a brush. It keeps RESIZING THE WHOLE LAYER. I can’t lock it, so I can’t get precise detail working on the image. I’m not spending 15 more minutes figuring it out because that’s not what I used enlight for. It’s not photoshop — I don’t want to take a tutorial, I want to quickly edit something. Needs a lot of work especially since they’re asking for a sizable subscription. I have no confidence buying it outright since I know they’ll just drop support for a prior app that users paid for once they’re done with it and want to get some more cash flowing.

by Altair Abdul Khabir (Kyle)

I’m sure Enlight Photofox is great and all, but I enjoyed the original Enlight and back then I could just use it after paying $4.99 and that was that. Now they will be dropping support and removing it from the appstore so if i have to reset my phone I lose an app I paid $4.99 for and now like most developers in this age of micro transactions its subscription only so how is that a fair trade? If I’m being strongarmed to eventually upgrade then as a previously paid customer either the pro features should be free or at the bare minimum the subscription HEAVILY reduced. I love Lighttricks apps, don’t get me wrong, but I’m feeling a bit screwed over and gonna get ripped off for $4.99 in the end. If this is the common business practice these days there’s always more reasonable apps to switch to with a one time paid price. I get the whole “subscriptions incentivize new features” thing but what was included with enlight version 1 should be made available to users like me and any extra features I could buy in app as a add on...

by Katnip17

I loved the first Enlight app so I downloaded this as soon as I saw it on Photoleap Store. I’m sad to see that photo editing apps have followed gaming apps down the path of the “freemium” model. I would definitely recommend Photoleap as it is for the layers and filters but the price of the pro version seems crazy. I’d pay that for a computer photo editing program for professional high res photos from my camera but not for an app on my phone where I just “play” with personal photos.

Also, this is a minor thing but to see the generic photos that come on Photoleap you have to search a keyword and hope that something comes up. It seems bizarre to me that you can’t just scroll through all of the pictures and see what’s there without making a specific keyword search. It makes it hard to use Photoleap unless you have a specific goal for the photos you want to blend in mind.

Overall, for free this is a good app but it seems a bit limited compared to Enlight so I know I’ll use the first app more than I use this one.

by Nick😃😃😃

Last year, or little bit longer, I edited my review from positive to negative because the update changed a lot of feature I got very comfortable with. Realistically, I was getting upset about something I could’ve gotten used to…and I have. Not to mention during the time I was undergoing a lot of stress, but thankfully it was short lived.

Photoleap is the absolute best for creating and editing photos, no other app does it better. It helped me make some REALLY impressive pictures I never would’ve thought I could make without Photoleap. Sometimes I just make a picture for no real purpose other than to see if I can actually make it. I feel like with Photoleap I’ve peaked at my editing skills; I started with a simple eraser app to this absolutely brilliant piece of art making genius. This review may sound a bit pretentious or exaggerated, but that’s how I feel about Photoleap. People can definitely make pictures they couldn’t have been able to before and now I’m grateful that it exists.

by Loganberry777

Ok so I got Photoleap because I liked the idea of changing pictures. I also got it for a PhotoJournalism class. Any way, when I first opened Photoleap I thought “Here we go... another app that downloads free but is subscription based and if you don’t pay the subscription then you only get the lame features..” but then I actually started messing around with it and found that you can still do a WHOLE LOT on it even without the pro. Now I’m not saying you don’t need the pro because there are a lot of really cool features there too but, I can still do what I need to do without having to pay a lot of money. Photoleap is really great. Sometimes it makes me a little mad because if I want to change or move something after it’s done I can’t. This drives me nuts because I want to see what it looks like without the focusing circle I can’t until after it’s set in stone. Anyway sorry about the super long review but if you made it this far that means you’re interested and if you’re interested I can honestly say as someone who does not like to pay for apps that you should GET Photoleap!!!!