Some people seem to naturally know how to take a good selfie. If you struggle to look awesome when you snap yourself, all you might need a few tips from the right guides, or to change the app you use.

If you haven't jumped on the selfie bandwagon yet, there are some great reasons to. It's time to forget about people who hate selfies and learn how to take better selfies that showcase the real you.

1. GoCam (iOS) and Snapi [No Longer Available] (Android): Hand Gestures to Click, No Taps Needed

When you're taking a selfie, it can be a struggle to hold your phone up at the perfect spot, and reach your thumb over to tap the shutter button. GoCam and Snapi make it easier to click by detecting hand gestures.

Hold your phone up with one hand, and present your other hand's palm at the camera. Turn your palm into a fist to trigger the countdown timer. Now you can move your hand away or do something else with it. Heck, you could keep your phone at some spot, trigger the timer, and finally get both your hands in a selfie!

The apps have a few features that differentiate them (like refresh rate, gesture-based gallery browsing, and so on), but they largely work the same way. They are, without a doubt, some of the best apps to take selfies.

Download: Snapi for Android (Free) [No Longer Available]

Download: GoCam for iOS (Free)

2. YouCam Perfect (Android, iOS): Real-Time Effects Before You Take a Picture

YouCam Perfect is a camera app made for those who want to take good selfies. To do that, it gives you a live preview of any effect you want to apply, like a filter or beautifying effects.

Using the right filters is a fundamental technique for good selfies, but the best photographers figure out the filter before they ever tap the shutter button. With YouCam Perfect, you can preview the filters beforehand, helping you decide how to frame your photo. It can make a big difference in how you compose your shots.

Of course, you can also add those effects after taking a picture, or even on a photo saved in the phone's memory. YouCam Perfect is a capable photo editor, but I would still recommend using FaceTune to touch up your selfies.

Download: YouCam Perfect for Android | iOS (Free)

3. FaceTune and FaceTune2 (Android, iOS): Best Profile Photo Editor

FaceTune has been around for some time and is even called the Photoshop for selfies, but its new avatar is the best one yet. The new FaceTune2 makes it easier than ever to edit people's faces for common beauty fixes.

FaceTune lets you whiten teeth, smooth out blemishes, reshape the jawline or face shape, remove red eyes, add patches, and blur the background. Of course, it also includes filters and frames to add some pizzazz. Each effect is as simple as it can be to apply and can be reverted to the original just as easily.

The app is named a little confusingly on the app stores, with FaceTune for Android users and FaceTune2 for iOS. Use the links below to download it for your device. It's one of the best photo editing apps for smartphones.

Download: FaceTune for Android (Free)

Download: FaceTune2 for iOS (Free)

4. SelfieGuide (Android, iOS): Best Positions on GPS for Travel Selfies

What's the best spot to take a selfie with the Eiffel Tower in the background? Where will the Grand Canyon look its grandest behind you when you stretch your arm? SelfieGuide has all the answers for the best selfie spots.

Download the app on your phone and grab the location pack depending on where you are. Go to the position on the map with your GPS. Open the built-in camera and line up your face and the picture perfectly. As long as you follow the instructions, you will get a stunning shot.

Naturally, SelfieGuide doesn't cover every single spot in the world. But whichever locations it has available are as detailed as they get for the perfect shot.

Download: SelfieGuide for Android | iOS (Free)

5. Do It Yourselfie (Book): 66 Rules for Good-Looking Selfies [No Longer Available]

https://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7251228/type/dlg/sid/UUmuoUeUpU41751/https://vimeo.com/106927268

Photographer Willem Popelier analyzed thousands of selfie tips, tricks, and styles to go viral, and came up with a concise list of 66 rules. The ensuing guide is Do It Yourselfie, and it will teach you how to take better selfies fast.

Popelier's book is a simple series of guidelines on one side of the page, and a picture demonstrating it on the other side. You'd think it would get old quickly, but it doesn't. You'll browse through the whole thing in a matter of minutes, but it's a handy guide to keep with you while you master the art of the selfie.

Do It Yourselfie is available as a paperback on Amazon for less than two bucks, but if you want the Artist Edition demonstrated in the video above, that will set you back by 140 euros.

Get It: Do It Yourselfie on Amazon

Know the Basics of How to Take a Good Selfie

While these apps and guides are excellent ways to level-up your selfie game, you still need to learn the best science-backed tips to take selfies. Those are the building blocks of self-portraits, so figure out how to use apps to improve upon these basics.