Afterlight: Photo Editor Reviews

by Mistygio

No crashing. No freezing. It works great. But it works great for the features that it has... that is almost nothing. You cannot save an image to override the original. And although it has a Photos app extension, the extension is extremely limited. I was hoping I could use the extension to edit with Afterlight that way it would override the original photo. Only to find that the extension didn’t have the filter that I FAVORITED. If there is an extension, a limited feature set is justifiable if it offered quick access to FAVORITES. At the very least. Goodness I’m angry because I haven’t found a single app in Afterlight Store that is actually good. To devs of Afterlight: Afterlight is also stupid and ridiculous just like any other. Congrats you didn’t do anything different than anyone else.

Again, no option to override original.
But that’s why it’s a good thing there is an Apple photos extension, but then the extension doesn’t allow me to do SH**. What retards.

by Blitzaras

I’ve been using Afterlight as my go-to mobile photo editing app since about 2012, before there was any native photo editing in iOS. I happily paid for it back then and it’s absolutely felt worth it, the features are great, it’s served me well. This morning I tried to open Afterlight and got an error: I need to upgrade before it’ll work on this iOS. Imagine my surprise I re-download from Afterlight store and am bombarded with “free trial” buttons that won’t disappear enough for me to use the top portion of the screen and a constant reminder that if I want to keep using Afterlight, I’ll have to pay for it, again and again, forever. Unfortunately I already do that with Adobe for work, so I guess I’ll have to switch over to Lightroom. I would have been willing to pay another flat fee once for upgrades, but not to buy into another subscription. Really disappointed, I really liked Afterlight.

by Jocelynkathleen (:

I love this app. I really do. Its been one of my primary iPhone photo editing apps for years, mainly for the filters. I really love the color overlay in this new version, as well as all the new filters. They’re awesome!

What I’m disappointed in, is that this app (1) always tended to be on the slower side. Not just compared to other photo editing apps, but even compared to other apps in general. I was really hoping that would change with Afterlight. But saving photos causes it to freeze, picking filters sometimes makes it freeze. It’s not close to the end of the world, but it is frustrating.

You guys rock. I’ve been Afterlighting for years and I’m going to stick with it

by Photographersteven

I’ve been using this app for quite a while, it is definitely my #1 app that I use for editing. I love it so much so that I actually gifted my mom Afterlight as well so she can have a simple, yet amazing app to edit her photos with. It is super easy to navigate! But there are a few things that I think the developers should put into consideration…
When using Afterlight from the photos app on iPhone… It sometimes turns black, the photo disappears and it is starting to get a tad bit annoying at this point… I am unsure if this is just me or what, but if someone from the this app Dev team sees this, I need you to try to do this… Go to the photos app, choose a photo, press “edit” on the top right of the photo, press the three dots (...) that is just left of the red “revert” button. If this app isn’t showing on the tab that popped up, then go to “more” on the very right, then toggle this app “on” , then press done, open this app from the photos app (don't go to the actual this app app), then try editing, mess around with different tools and see if the picture you’re editing randomly turns black or disappears, and if it does then can you guys please issue a fix for it? Either that or make it to where I can modify the original photo from the this app app so i don't have a duplicate.

by Am_momodu

out of all the photo editing apps I use, I find I’m always editing through this app. It’s a really good app, keeps the picture quality, lots of filters to chose from, love the history portion of editing (drop down menu tells you everything you’ve touched up on the pic). My 2 issues are, 1- after a few edits in, Afterlight will randomly freeze and crash 😩. 2- I truly HATE the fact Afterlight starts over when you press the home screen and go to another app. There should DEFINITELY be a section on Afterlight that automatically saves pictures being editing and holds them in a folder. It’s very frustrating having to re-edit a picture 3 and 4 times just because I went to a different app.

by DigggyDoggg

I’ve been a fan of this app since its early debut. I was an early user back in 2012 or so. this app stood out to me with its utility and photo customization, and it gave me what I needed and a little more with fun filters, photo flip options and some whacky frame shapes. I was really satisfied with the UI design, but I feel out of love with Afterlight a few years ago as my interests in phone edits dwindled, then it became filler in my home screen.

Now, that I’m back on Instagram with a new phone, this app seemed like the best fit for a one hit K.O. But at first I couldn’t download Afterlight because this app 2 had come out in the midst of my hiatus; which was only valid for the new 10, so AppStore didn’t recognize my previous purchase. Afterlight is now free with a series of in app features that are accessible through expensive memberships (for apps). Although it’s a change that was probably better for the team I was surprised to see how much it was. Despite the price I truly appreciate Afterlight and its utility.

From my experience Afterlight works well.

by 66thstmike

There’s so many photo editing apps you could fill an entire tablet with them. this app 1& 2 are ones I keep and use regularly. They’re good but wouldn’t call them great. None of them are. All the apps I use have tons of features that overlap but each of them has that one or two special feature none of the others has. Or they have some great filters you just can’t cut out and add to one app to rule them all. Now that’s an app I’d love to have. One app that lets you use specific features from a bunch of different programs without having to get in and out of them. I also like they haven’t tried to make this program a subscription based. Who ever thought that is a good idea is fooling themselves. Who wants to pay $9.99 a month for ever? That’s $120 a year for an app you only use occasionally. They can screw off. I’ll keep supporting apps like this app who aren’t trying to get greedy.

by StarbucksDinosaur

First off, the good: nice UI, easy to navigate, and runs smoothly. No crashing, and interesting effects you can apply to photos and play with.

The bad: As with most apps nowadays it requires a subscription model to get the ‘meat’ of Afterlight . I know they’ll likely reply to this & indicate how they need it to be profitable; however I already have Photoshop & Lightroom, which already does everything Afterlight does and more. The only reason to use this is for “instant gratification”/ convenience where I can edit photos on my phone as opposed to uploading them to my laptop to edit. Why would I pay another annual/monthly subscription for the same thing, just for a small convenience? Probably not the only person in this scenario and it’s worth finding a solution for on the developers end, IMO.

Additionally, Snapseed already has some of the premium features of Afterlight for free which makes it a hard sell; while Afterlight does have unique and interesting features too, they all require a subscription to use outside a free trial period.

Personally, I don’t want anymore subscriptions and won’t have any interest in it, I’d rather either deal with unobtrusive banner ads or one time purchases.

Thank you and good luck with Afterlight . 🙏🏻

by Ahh Chet!

After using the 1st this app app for a few years I couldn’t wait to get the newest creation. I absolutely loved the 1st this app, using it over any other photo editing apps. That being said, the newest version of this app is very much the same except for the new “Fusion” and “Double exposure” features. While the features are nice and provide an additional touch to your editing they aren’t enough for me to justify the cost to get this newer version of this app. In my opinion, if you already have the 1st version of this app then you don’t have a need for this app 2. this app 2 does have an updated look and layout which is extremely appealing and easy to use. Overall it is the same app minus a few newly added features, which I feel shouldn’t have been a qualification for a new app and should have been an update to the original this app. FINAL THOUGHTS, I am an avid user of photo editing applications so I would absolutely purchase this app 2 again due to the overall experience and quality of Afterlight . this app is in my opinion the best photo editing application available for your smart devices!

by Su Baxter

Afterlight is awesome for photo editing for me. I was able to create my own preset and there are tons of great features to apply to projects.
The only critical feedback I have that I would REALLY like to see a solution to is that after a couple edit applications, Afterlight freezes, and then crashes without warning sending me back to my home screen. If there was a feature to save a project in progress or have a studio of projects in the process of being edited (think VSCO gallery but with this app) that would be incredibly beneficial. Getting really frustrated not being able to just apply four or five edits after my preset to my engagement photo and just have it in my camera roll. Resorted to applying an edit, saving... repeat until done. Which is lowering the quality I’m sure. Please fix this crashing issue. It is getting really bad.

by Ohliviad

I love Afterlight! It’s quickly become my go-to editing app on my phone. I love all the features & the selection throughout all the options.
However, I do have a couple reservations. It’s become an increasing issue when I’m in the middle of editing a photo, the screen will go black & Afterlight will just close. It’s beginning to happen more & more often, which is what pushed me to leave a 4 rather than 5 star review.
The only other issue I’ve had is when I got to select a photo & Afterlight will say there are no photo to select. But this issue is quickly resolved by closing & restarting Afterlight . Annoying, but not annoying enough to discontinue using Afterlight altogether.

Overall 4/5! Still recommend anyone to try & hopefully these are simple issues that will be resolved quickly.

by Vaderdader

I used this app for about 3 years since the first one and i loved it , i like the new one but it still cant beat the first one. Amazing features have been added with tons of filters and the tools are really fun to tinker with.

On the bad side, most of the new features and filters (and old which was free) is now required within the paying membership

I remember it was just pay for the pack of filters and boom thats it , no more payment. Previous filters like relic(my fav) is now not accessible for me to use in the new app....i still have the first app and go back to just to see what am i missing exactly in the new app. Honestly disappointed on that side but hey great app, hopefully you take this into consideration

by Jeriellen

I love this app and have been using it to edit photos for years. I recently upgraded to this app 2. All of the fine tuning tools are great and in my opinion, now rival any of the major editing apps there are to choose from. But as a long time user of this app, I found that a lot of the legacy filters that I’ve been using to give my photos their quintessential look for years are different in the new edition. Why even include them if they aren’t the same? I’ve been processing photos between multiple apps for years which completely ruins the file integrity, and I really thought this would be the solution, yet even still I’m going back to the original this app for my final filtering.

by Queen Of Indie

I’ve tried nearly all photo editing apps and have yet to find one that is worth its bang for buck. This one came recommended by someone from
Instagram after I saw their great quality photos. I took a leap and purchased it right before a vacation. It changed the game! Easy to navigate and use. My photos look incredible after I’ve spent some time on them with Afterlight. All I wish that they offered is a resizing option similar to VSCO. I don’t mean cropping, but an actual option to reformat the shaping for instagram sizing. Overall- worth every penny and then some!!

by Opinionated Millennial

I have the iPhone 6S (model A1688), and in recent weeks I’ve been experiencing more crashes while using Afterlight . Typically when I’m toying with the “gradient”, and “color overlay” filters. Aside from that minor inconvenience, the first this app was great, this new this app 2 is amazing, nearing perfect. Two years ago I had 5 photo editing apps, but because of this app 2’s new features, it’s rendered three of those apps useless. The ONLY thing keeping me from deleting my second photo-edit app is it’s “focus/tilt-shift” tool, and it’s “blur” tool. That would be the only thing I could possibly imagine you doing to improve this incredible app!

by JosieAthens

I had the original this app for a month or so and used it along-side VSCO until I deleted this app cause I didn’t like it. I finally decided to buy the new one to see what it is all about. I highly, and I mean HIGHLY recommend Afterlight. I just got it today and I’m obsessed. The new features are amazing, and THE FILTERS. I have so many themes I want to do for my Instagram now. I can’t express how much I love Afterlight. I absolutely love all the tools and especially the Selective Saturation, game changer. I went back and edited some of my old photos and they look litterally 110% better. Again, as you can tell, HIGHLY recommend this, worth every penny and more.

by Missteallouise

I started using the first this app several years ago, and never used anything else until their newest launch of this app 2 came out. What I love about Afterlight is that it allows me to create a seamless color theme on my Instagram, but beyond that, the pre curated filters are so stinking beautiful. They don’t look overdone and they don’t minimize the quality of the photo. They add the perfect artsy flair. I also love all the new effects added to Afterlight, and the fact that it’s a one time purchase. They keep adding more cool effects and i don’t have to continually purchase them as they’re released. I recommend Afterlight to literally everyone. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

by Lightasammo

The more I use Afterlight the more it has become a part of my editing workflow. There aren’t too many apps that do things different but the ability to overlay gradients and colors is an amazing way to improve the lighting in your images. Selective dodge and burn by painting on the adjustments is a welcome feature as well. I hope there is more fine tuning added to all of the touch adjustment features in the future because I think they are the best part of Afterlight. Let’s be clear, none of these are never before seen features but the way they are implemented into Afterlight + having them on my phone / iPad are crucial. This has replaced photoshop for my final adjustments.

by THXEY

I love Afterlight. After manually editing digital photos the past 15 years, it’s nice to throw a photo in Afterlight and run some quick adjustments for a great outcome. It’s now my go-to app when photo editing. So much so that it’s replaced my use with Lightroom and other apps with 90% of my images.

I do think there are a few opportunities, however. I wish the individual hue adjustments had negative value sliders in addition to positive value sliders. I often find it difficult to achieve the exact hue i’m looking for with certain colors because i can’t pull the slider backwards.

I wish the adjustments weren’t permanent after you apply them. For example, I add a filter, then i’ll add some individual adjustments. Then maybe i want to change the filter but keep the individual adjustments. There is no way to do this. The history tool only allows you to go back one action at a time. It would be nice to be able to remove a specific adjustments further back in history without having to sacrifice other adjustments that took place afterwards.

Also, I wish there was more dynamic RAW support. I feel the RAW data could be utilized better with exposure related adjustments.

by DavidFoster

Finally a developer recognizes that they can provide a revenue stream the old fashioned way - by building in new features and capabilities BEFORE reaching into their customers' pockets. The new this app isn't a breakthrough product, but it assembles features that might otherwise require several separate apps. And it isn't just that convenience -- they are competently wrapped into a new shiny package.

If you have the original this app, and found it useful, I recommend buying the upgrade for no more reason than as a tip to the developers for a job well done. If you never used the first version, I heartily recommend adding it to your post-photo session tool kit.

And to developers going out of their way to slice their apps up into half a dozen in-app purchases or even worse, subscriptions, this app 2 shows that there is a more respectable way to make a living.