Several new and innovative photography apps launched in 2025, responding to growing demand for AI-powered editing, creative expression, and social interaction. Here are some notable apps released that year.
1. Edits — Instagram's New Video-Editing App
Meta launched Edits, a powerful video- and photo-editing app aimed at Instagram content creators. It offers features including AI animation, green-screen effects, a music catalog, real-time analytics, and direct integration with Instagram Reels. With more than five million downloads in its first week, it quickly became a direct competitor to CapCut.
Meta introduced Edits as a standalone app designed to simplify the creation of Instagram Reels. Users can record, edit, and export videos of up to 10 minutes in high quality without a watermark, with timer and countdown features.
User Experiences
Positive feedback highlights the user-friendly interface and smooth performance when editing longer clips. Some users note that the app lacks essential editing tools, such as reversing clips or applying certain filters, and see it as underdeveloped compared with competitors such as CapCut.
Exports also sometimes fail, and some users dislike their own edits being used for targeted advertising.
Price
• Currently completely free to use, with no watermarks or hidden fees.
• Instagram has said that premium features may be added in the future, such as advanced AI tools, which could carry a fee.
• Free to download on iOS and Android.
2. Artisse AI
This app uses advanced AI to turn selfies into hyperrealistic portraits. Users can visualize themselves in different settings, outfits, and hairstyles, with adjustments to lighting and mood. Artisse AI is popular among influencers and content creators who want to create unique, personalized images.
User Experiences
Users praise the app for making it easy to create professional, personalized images. Some report frustration with the interface and subscription model, noting that achieving the desired results can take several attempts.
Price
• The first 25 generated photos are free.
• After that, the price is about $0.20 per photo, or subscriptions start at $7 per month for 25 to 370 photos.
• Free to download on iOS and Android.
3. Lushfoil Photography Sim — Virtual Photography Simulator
Although technically a game, this simulator offers a distinctive experience in which users explore virtual environments and take photographs using realistic camera controls. It is an innovative way to practice photography skills and experiment with composition and lighting.
The game features ten carefully recreated locations, ranging from waterfalls in Iceland to beaches in Australia.
User Experiences
The simulator is praised for its accurate photography mechanics, which resemble those of real cameras, and for offering a meditative experience. Some users note that the lack of an emotional connection to virtual locations makes the experience feel less authentic.
Price
• One-time purchase of $14.99.
• Available on PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
Other Noteworthy Apps
• Imagen 4 & Veo 3 (Google): advanced AI tools for image and video generation, respectively, introduced at Google I/O 2025. These tools offer creative ways to generate realistic images and videos from text prompts.
• Adobe Photoshop for iPhone (2025 version): a mobile version of Photoshop with many desktop features, including generative AI tools and Adobe Creative Cloud integration.
Read more: The Ten Best Photography Apps for Your Smartphone.
