Megan Ellis / Android Authority
I’ve been utilizing Canva for years, principally for easy designs. So after I noticed that Canva had rolled out a brand new photograph enhancing instrument, which is extra superior that the straightforward tweaks you may make in a design, I used to be all in favour of making an attempt it out.
I stumbled throughout a helpful characteristic that’s not in my favourite photo-editing app Snapseed, so I puzzled if Canva may truly change the free app’s place in my workflow. I attempted out the Canva app’s new instrument to see simply how efficient it will be at changing Snapseed, and whether or not a lot of its options have been locked behind a paywall.
What’s a very powerful characteristic in a photograph editor?
20 votes
My favourite Canva photograph editor characteristic is one Snapseed doesn’t have

Megan Ellis / Android Authority
I don’t hassle with generative AI on my smartphone, however there’s one AI characteristic I take pleasure in relating to picture enhancing: background choice and removing. I like Snapseed and its selective enhancing instruments, however I typically want I may simply choose the background or foreground with one click on.
After I tried out Canva’s new photograph editor for the primary time, I used to be excited to search out that it had these computerized choice instruments. Not solely have been they accessible without cost, however they have been additionally actually correct. Snapseed doesn’t have this sort of computerized choice, whereas I’ve discovered Google Images’ enhancing instruments to not be as correct as I would really like when blurring the background.
After I tried out Canva’s new photograph editor for the primary time, I used to be excited to search out that it had auto-select instruments.
I’ve discovered that I’ve needed to edit photographs much less basically as digital camera smartphones have superior, particularly now that I’m making an attempt out the vivo X200 Professional. However relating to photographs that I take advantage of for the web sites I work for, I typically want the background can be extra out-of-focus. The X200 Professional is fairly succesful at adjusting the main focus to hone in as regards to the photograph, however since I’m normally dealing with two telephones on the similar time for a picture, I typically battle to get the digital camera to focus accurately.
That’s what made me actually all in favour of Canva’s photograph editor and after making an attempt it out, I used to be actually impressed by the choice accuracy. Not solely can I take advantage of it to cut back the sharpness of the background, however I can regulate different points just like the distinction and saturation. This opens up a complete realm of artistic potentialities. Snapseed does have a lens blur characteristic, however this is applicable extra of a vignette and blur across the edges reasonably than making the foreground stand out from the background.
Nevertheless, if you wish to generate a brand new background or take away the background, you have to to subscribe to Canva’s premium plan.
May Canva replicate one of the best Snapseed options?

Megan Ellis / Android Authority
With my curiosity formally piqued, I made a decision to discover different options in Canva’s photograph editor to see if it may excel in the identical areas as Snapseed. Identical to Snapseed, Canva lets you edit a spread of picture attributes. This consists of brightness, highlights, shadows, temperature, and sharpness.
Identical to Snapseed, Canva lets you edit a spread of picture attributes.
I choose having these kinds of fine-tuned controls, since they’re easy sufficient for a newbie to familiarize yourself with with out being as overwhelming as curve enhancing. On the similar time, Canva additionally has loads of preset results and filters that make enhancing a breeze for individuals who choose one-tap enhancing.
That stated, Canva does lack a few of the extra superior options of Snapseed, like adjusting coloration curves. However this isn’t a characteristic that I take advantage of in Snapseed anyway, so its absence in Canva isn’t a difficulty. You may also do a coloration edit in Canva, which I feel is a bit simpler to make use of than adjusting a curve.
I additionally like that Canva has a brush editor, so you’ll be able to particularly choose areas that you simply wish to fine-tune. I discover this convenient for choosing components of an object to focus on, or decreasing the presence of shadows.
Canva fails in a single key space

Megan Ellis / Android Authority
With all the pieces that works in Canva’s favor, there’s a serious caveat — since Canva is primarily used by way of the net platform, its cellular app isn’t as optimized it needs to be. Don’t get me improper, Canva’s Android app has considerably improved through the years. There was a time I refused to make use of it, however this aversion isn’t as sturdy because it was once.
That stated, I nonetheless discovered the usability of the app to be missing. Generally bugs would forestall my contact enter from registering. In the meantime, urgent the again button on my smartphone typically exits the app reasonably than merely exiting a characteristic throughout the photograph editor.
I discovered the usability of the app to be missing.
One other factor I dislike in regards to the app is that even when it has entry to your digital camera roll, it’s going to re-upload a picture you choose to edit. This meant that after I unintentionally exited the app by urgent the again button, then chosen the photograph I wished to edit, it will re-upload the photograph once more. I needed to study to go to my Tasks tab, then the Uploads folder, to edit a picture I had uploaded.
The enhancing workflow is a little more intuitive within the Canva net app, however I might say that it nonetheless wants some enhancements — similar to making it a lot simpler to entry current uploads.
Canva will probably be my go-to editor for PC
After making an attempt Canva’s photograph editor, I’ve determined to make use of it when enhancing photographs on my PC. Since Snapseed doesn’t have a desktop model anymore, which means it’s not changing the app’s place in my workflow, however reasonably complementing it.
It really works out effectively for me as a result of after I regulate the pictures I take advantage of for web sites, I choose to edit them on my PC reasonably than my smartphone. However Canva’s cellular app quirks signifies that I received’t be utilizing it to edit my social media photographs on my smartphone. For that objective, I’ll be sticking with Snapseed, which I nonetheless think about one of many finest photograph editor apps for Android.