If you are someone who is just trying out PicsArt for the first time and are overwhelmed by the many features, worry not for we have a nifty guide here. In this post, we have compiled a list of the best filters, effects, and settings of PicsArt to up your photography game. So, let’s get started.
1. Play With the Glitch Effect
Glitch — well, the name says it all. When applied properly, this effect can change the look of an overall image or video. The play of pink, yellow, and blue enhances the overall images and helps it to stand apart among similar-looking images. To apply Glitch, open the image and tap on one of the Glitch filters under Fltr. If you are satisfied with the looks of the filter, tap once more on the Filter Button to tweak the horizontal and vertical shift. Drag the sliders left to see the magic unfold. Cool, right?
2. VHS – Take a Leap Back
Another filter that I adore is the VHS filter. This one slaps a retro-ish look on your image. As you may have come to expect, they look straight out from the early 90s. For the 90s kid in me, it’s gold. The VHS filter is available under the FLTR tab. And like the above filter, you can tweak the settings a bit. Want the noise to be a bit more? Drag the slider for Noise towards the right side.
3. Play With Focal Zoom
Background blur is a normal feature in most phones these days. Unlike the good old days, you do not need to spend time on Snapseed to apply background blur on images. So now the question is — how can you make the ‘blur’ effect stand out? How about applying the Focal Zoom effect? This effect, which is usually attained by specialized lenses on DSLR cameras, gives a zoomed out appearance to images, with only the object in stark focus. With the PicsArt app, you just have to navigate to Effects > Blur and scroll horizontally left until you find the said effect. There will be a handy focus icon on the image. You will have to drag it to the point where you want the focus. Next, just adjust the level of Blur, Size, and Fade as per your preference, and you will have an Instagram-ready image in no time. Yes, you can thank me later.
4. Apply Selective Filters and Effects
One of the features I like about PicsArt is the nifty Eraser tool. Unlike Snapseed, where you need to go to View Edits to selectively remove filters and effects, PicsArt has a simple Eraser tool. Once you have applied a filter, select the Eraser tool, and touch over the area where you do not want the effect applied. Indigenous, right?
5. Make a Cool Sticker
Yep, you read that right! With PicsArt, you can make a sticker from photos and images. And the best thing is that the app is intelligent enough to determine the object borders on its own. There are neat options at the bottom, such as Person, Hair, and Background. You need to pick one of those as per your requirement. To go about it, select Cutout and select your object. Selected objects are displayed in Red. Having adjusted the edges, tap Save, and you will have a neat-looking sticker on your hand.
6. Replace Background
So you have created a sticker. Now what? For starters, you can choose to replace the background of that image. From changing the hue of the sky to light pink or giving an artistic background to the photo of your furry friend, there’s a lot you can do with this nifty feature. And yeah, I forgot to add. Stickers also make great material for memes (wink wink). To replace the background, open a sticker from the Stickers tab. Next, tap on the Fit option. Pinch in to adjust the size of the sticker. Next, select the Background from the list of available images. The outcome looks spooky, right? The only thing you have to keep in mind is that you need to be careful with edges when you make the selection.
7. Play With the Color Curve
The color curve is one of the basics of photography and represents the area of darkness and lightness of an image. The top of the image is for the highlights. The middle portion denotes the mid-tones. The bottom of the curve is for shadows. With PicsArt, you can not only play with the tonality of the image, but you can also choose where to apply that particular effects. After you have made necessary changes, tap on the Eraser icon to remove the effects from some of the locations. After that, draw on top of the object where you want to apply the new effect.
8. Explore Cool Shape Masks
Another feature of PicsArt, which I absolutely love, is Shape Masks. From a simple circle to neat-looking octagons with intricate patterns, there are a variety of shapes that you can choose to overlay on your image. What makes this feature special is that you can choose the color or the patterns to fill these shapes with. To apply one to your images, scroll right until you see Shape Masks, and pick one from the lot. Next, tap on the Bg pattern icon to select a background. Once done, tap on the tiny Inverse button to see the pattern fill the mask. Magical.
9. Add Cool Callouts
Does your image need a voice? Perhaps, a tiny little sign? Well, you should certainly try out the callouts in PicsArt. After you have done all the necessary edits on your image, head over to the end of the Tools bar. Now, pick a callout sign and a font that goes with it, and there you have it. A voice. And yeah, cute little dogs sometimes meow.
Say Hello to Smartphone Edits
With apps like PicsArt, you no longer need a complex editing app to do small edits and minor modifications. Of course, the initial edits may not be up to your standards, and there may be a vast difference between reality and expectation, but trust me, you will get there. Practice makes a man perfect, they say. Next up: Did you know you can have a Photoshop-like experience on your browser? Read the following article to find out how. The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.
