Editing photos right after you take them, then posting them to the web, is one of the greatest conveniences of our time.

Forget ride sharing apps, on-demand entertainment, and wearables that might save your life. Being able to show millions of people what you had for dinner is what technology is really about.

Snark aside, knowing how to edit and improve your photos before sharing them with the world is a valuable skill. Here are a few tips to help you do that.

1. How to Edit a Photo on iPhone

iphone photo editing - edit link

Once you've taken a photo using your iPhone's camera app:

  1. Launch the Photos app and find your image.
  2. Tap on Edit in the top-right corner.
  3. Use the controls to make any changes you need (more on this shortly).
  4. Tap Done to save your work.

Remember that your edits are non-destructive, which means you can always revert to the original photo. To do this, tap Edit and then Revert to ditch your changes.

You can edit your photos using a range of apps, but today we'll focus mostly on the built-in Photos app provided by Apple. Check out our list of top iPhone photo editors for something a little more powerful.

2. How to Crop and Rotate Photos on iPhone

iphone photo editing - Crop and Rotate

Cropping means to cut a photo down to size, or discard parts of the frame you no longer need. To crop an image:

  1. Launch Photos and locate the image you want to crop.
  2. Tap Edit then hit the crop and rotate icon (box with two arrows) from the row of controls at the bottom of the screen.
  3. Manipulate your image by grabbing and moving the corners of the frame. You can also pinch to zoom in and out.
  4. Tap the Orientation button in the bottom-right to restrict your crop to a particular ratio or shape.
  5. Tap Done to save your changes.

Rotating an image can mean making subtle adjustments to fix a wonky horizon, or rotating the image by 90 degree increments to correct an orientation issue. To rotate an image:

  1. Launch Photos and locate the image you want to crop.
  2. Tap Edit then hit the crop and rotate icon from the row of controls at the bottom of the screen (far left).
  3. Select and drag the wheel at the bottom of the screen for minor adjustments.
  4. Press the 90 degree rotate (square with arrow) icon in the bottom-left to rotate the entire frame.
  5. Tap Done to save your changes.

3. How to Apply Filters to iPhone Photos

Silvertone iPhone Filter

Applying a filter frequently involves an app, but there are ways you can add instant style to your images using the basic Photos app:

  1. Launch Photos and locate the image you want to edit, then tap Edit.
  2. Tap the Filters icon (three circles) at the bottom of the screen.
  3. Scroll through the available filters. Choose one, then hit Done to save.

This only provides access to Apple's filters (above), which look great but are somewhat limited. To add filters from compatible third-party apps:

  1. Launch Photos and locate the image you want to edit, then tap Edit.
  2. Tap the ellipsis icon (a circle with three dots) then hit More.
  3. Enable any compatible apps by toggling them On, then hit Done.
  4. Tap on an app's icon to load the various photo editing controls and filters.
  5. Make your changes, then hit Done to save.

Many apps, like Instagram, won't play ball with Apple's extensions in the Photo app, so you'll have to open the app instead. Check out a few of our favorite photo filter apps if you're in need of inspiration.

4. How to Convert iPhone Photos to Black and White

iphone photo editing - convert to Black and White

If you don't want to rely on a filter, you can convert to black and white manually and modify the intensity, contrast, and grain individually:

  1. Launch Photos and locate the image you want to edit, then tap Edit.
  2. Tap on the adjustments icon (a knob dial) at the bottom of the screen.
  3. Select B&W then Intensity, and adjust the slider to modify the effect.
  4. Tap the list icon (three lines) on the right-hand side of the screen to reveal other controls: Neutrals, Tone, and Grain.
  5. Adjust the various settings till you're happy, then tap Done to save.

Note: Any changes you make to the Light controls (contrast, highlights and shadows, and so on) will be retained when working in B&W mode.

5. How to Mark Up or Draw on an iPhone Photo

iPhone Markup Tools

Sometimes you may want to scribble on an image, obscure an address or face, or draw attention to something with an arrow or circle. You can do this with the Photos app:

  1. Launch Photos and locate the image you want to edit, then tap Edit.
  2. Tap on the ellipsis icon (a circle with three dots), then tap Markup (see note below).
  3. Use the various tools to make changes to your image. Tap the plus icon to reveal options for adding text, a signature, various shapes, and a magnifying loupe.
  4. Tap Done to save your changes.

Note: If you don't see Markup under the menu, tap on More then enable markup from the list of apps.

Apple provides a decent array of tools. From left to right there's a: standard pen tool, highlighter, pencil, eraser for removing your markup, selection lasso for moving your markup, and color picker.

6. How to Edit a Live Photo on iPhone

Edit Live Photo iOS

You can edit a Live Photo on your iPhone like any other, with a few added options. To change the Live Photo animation:

  1. Launch Photos and locate the Live Photo you want to edit. Select it and scroll down to reveal a new set of options.
  2. Choose between the various Live Photo animations: standard Live, Loop, Bounce, and Long Exposure.
  3. Scroll back up to preview the effect.

If you tap Edit in the top-right corner, you'll see a film roll at the bottom of the screen. Here you can pick a new key image from the Live Photo data. Tap a frame to select it, then tap Make Key Photo.

7. How to Remove Red Eye From iPhone Photos

Duplicate Still Photo on iOS

Red eye is less common with slower LED flashes, but it can still happen. To fix red eye for still (not Live) images:

  1. Launch Photos and locate the image you want to fix, then tap Edit.
  2. Tap the red eye tool icon in the top-left corner.
  3. Touch each affected area to heal the image.
  4. Tap Done to save your changes.

If you're trying to correct a Live Photo, you'll first need to duplicate it as a still image. You can extract a different image, based on the key photo (see "How to Edit a Live Photo on iPhone" above). To extract a still:

  1. Launch Photos and locate the Live Photo you want to convert.
  2. Tap the Share icon in the bottom-left corner, then choose Duplicate.
  3. Select Duplicate as Still Photo when prompted.
  4. Use the instructions above to remove red eye using the Photos app.

8. How to Remove Geotag Data From iPhone Photos

Share Photo Without Metadata using Koredoko

If you've approved your iPhone camera access to your location, your photos will store location data based on where your images were taken. You might want to remove this information if it poses a privacy risk. To do so:

  1. Download Koredoko from the App Store, launch it, and grant access to your photos.
  2. When prompted, enable Extention (sic) features. You can also do this from the app's Settings.
  3. Tap the list icon in the bottom-left of the screen to view your photos, with the most recent at the bottom of the list.
  4. Find your photo then tap the small blue i button next to it.
  5. Finally, tap the Share button in the top-right, then choose Share without Metadata.
  6. Choose whether to share the image directly to a service of your choice, or save the image to your Camera Roll for later use.

Note: Stripping the image of metadata will remove not only your geotag, but camera information like manufacturer and the settings used to capture the image.

To stop your iPhone from geotagging images altogether:

  1. Launch Settings, then tap Privacy.
  2. Tap Location Services, then select Camera.
  3. Change Allow Location Access to Never.
  4. Repeat as necessary for any other camera apps you use.

iPhone Photo Editing Basics Covered

With these tricks under your belt, you should be prepared to undertake most common photo editing tasks on your iPhone. If you want to take your images to the next level, consider shooting and editing RAW files which consume more space but provide more scope for adjustments in post-production.