Sharing an Instagram filter selfie is so 2012. It’s 2018 and what you want is a 3D, preferably animated effect that changes as you move your face. Out with the boring pout faced filtered selfie. In with the rainbow-from-your-open-mouth effect. Snapchat was one of the first apps to popularize face filters but now there’s a whole cottage industry that specializes in turning your plain old face into anything that you can imagine. Want to put on cat whiskers? Sure. And that’s just the beginning.
Related: Best Camera Apps for iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus
Best Fun Photo Editing Apps for iPhone
1. YouCam Fun
Have you ever wondered what you would look like if you were a 25-year-old French woman in the early 70s? Well, you can find out with YouCam Fun. YouCam Fun is all about fun filters.
The app’s UI is similar to Snapchat’s Lens interface. You can switch between a camera mode and a video mode. Just swipe and you can switch between the filers as well. Move your head, open your mouth and stuff happens on the screen. YouCam Fun has an extensive collection of face filters. You can be anything you want in this app. Everything from a cat (of course) to Japanese lady, complete with a floral kimono. Once you’ve clicked your perfect selfie, you can save the image to the camera roll or share it directly to your preferred social media account.
Download: YouCam Fun (Free)
2. B612
B612 is one of the most exhaustive filter apps out there. It has more than 1500 stickers and filters. There’s a feature to distort your face (basically to make your face slimmer or your eyes bigger) and an AR mode as well.
B612 is famous for its beauty filters feature but there’s a lot more to the app than that. You find a plethora of awesome stickers and filters that all react to your expressions and surroundings. From the classic heart filter to cat whiskers, it’s all in there. And you can always use the slider to quickly tone your face.
Download: B612 (Free)
3. Snapchat
You might not use Snapchat anymore now that Instagram Stories offers the same thing in a much better package. But Snapchat’s lens game is still strong. Actually, it’s better than most apps out there, even third-party apps like YouCam Fun.
Related: How to Use Snapchat on Your iPhone: The Ultimate Guide
And if you’ve got an iPhone X, you can access a special selection of AR face filters that sit right on your face without any weird gaps. It uses the same technology that Animoji uses and the results are amazing.
Download: Snapchat (Free)
4. Photo Lab Filters
Photo Lab is all about style. More so than it is about fun filters. The app has more than effects. More than enough to capture all your moods and styles.
Photo Lab takes a slightly different approach from all the photo editing apps. Instead of starting with a camera view, it starts you with a feed view. You first pick an effect, then you take a picture. And when you’re viewing an effect, the app will automatically find and list the recent selfies that you can use with the effect. You can also click a new picture.
Unlike other face filter apps on the list, the app doesn’t have a live preview feature so you’ll have to wait for a second or two while the app processes the image and adds the effect for you. The app uploads the effect to its servers for processing. If you don’t want to share your pictures with the service, you should stay away from this app.
Talking about the effects, you’ll find all the usual suspects here – art backgrounds, double exposure, emotion changer, props, stylized effects, drawing effects and much more.
Download: Photo Lab Filters (Free)
5. Enlight
Enlight is a professional grade photo editing software with a wild side. It has an amazing set of features which let you remix your photos is a myriad of awesome ways. You can create awesome double exposure images, graphic art, merge images into text, and use presets to basically turn your photos into art pieces, including your selfies.
Enlight is not an easy app to use and there’s a bit of a learning curve. But once you master it, you’ll be able to stand out from the crowd with some amazing visuals. If you’re looking to up your Instagram game, Enlight is way worth the $4.99 price of admission.
Download: Enlight ($4.99)
6. Fatify
Here’s something you’ve never heard of – an iPhone app to make you fatter! Yes, it exists. And it’s actually a lot of fun. Using a simple slider, you can see what you would look like if you were 10 kgs heavier or 100!
The app basically expands your cheeks and adds double or triple chin, but it’s damn fun. And of course you can record video! Add a hefty voice to the mix and you’re off to the races!
Download: Fatify (Free)
7. Prisma
No fun image editing list is complete without a mention for Prisma, the app that popularized the genre of fun and art filters. Prisma transforms your photo into artworks from famous painters. The app uses its AI algorithms to turn your photos (including selfless) to look like pieces of modern art, like a famous painter like Picasso drew them.
And that’s still the appeal of Prisma but recently the app has added a lot more functionality and different filters to the app. Other than the classic styles, you get access to few daily styles as well. The app also comes with a feed so you can browse some of the best photos create by Prisma users.
Prisma has a cool new feature where it can detect your selfie and just add effects to the background while leaving your face unedited. It makes for some really cool selfies.
Download: Prisma (Free)
8. MSQRD
MSQRD came right on the heels of Prisma. The app was acquired by Facebook and hasn’t been updated in a long time. But you can still use it on the iPhone and it still has some of the best video life filters. Hands down, it’s the best way to put up a joker mask on your face.
Download: MSQRD (Free)
9. Facetune 2
Facetune 2 is the best selfie editing app on iPhone. It’s famous for its beauty feature but you can do a lot more with the app. Facetune 2 is made by the same developers who create the Enlight app. There are one tap tools for airbrushing your face.
You can whiten your teeth, widen your eyes, smooth out skin flaws and more. The Magic Camera tools give you access to live filters as well.
Download: Facetune 2 (Free)
10. Pop Camera
Pop Camera brings you the joy of using an old-timey toy camera without any of the hassles of actually owning one. The app gives you a digital equivalent of a film camera. You’ll get the whole package – the vignettes, light leaks, over saturation, grain, everything.
You can switch between a one-shot to a 16 shot camera. The app will take a sequence of images and will combine them to give you the perfect #throwback look.
Download: Pop Camera ($1.99)
Your Favorite Filter App?
What are some of your favorite filter apps for jazzing up a dull selfie? Share with us in the comments below.
