Advance mobile technology has allowed us to get the most of our smartphones and tablets. Aside from sending SMS, calling and browsing, smartphones can now be used as digital camera substitutes. A lot of people who own tablets also use their devices to take photos. Although these gadgets cannot really compare with high-end point-and-shoots and SLRs in terms of photo quality, there are apps that allow users to come up with pictures that are more than the ordinary.

Here are seven apps that smartphone and tablet users can use to improve their photographic experience. The apps are divided according to their function or main feature.

Editing and Filtering Apps

The most popular photo apps are the ones used for editing and/or filtering pictures. These apps give anybody the chance to come up with a photo that he or she can be proud of.

1. Instagram (Android, iOS)

Probably the most popular photo editing app in the market, Instagram is favored by many smartphone and tablet users because it is multi-functional. Aside from allowing you to take photos and filter or add effects to them, this app also acts as a social network. You can easily post and share your photos to friends and followers. You can connect your Instagram account with your Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Instagram has filters (both custom and standard ones) that are the simplest to use. The filters allow you to add special effects to your photos so they’ll have more depth. You’ll find its “selective focus dropper” quite useful, too.

Aside from smartphone and tablet, Instagram can also be accessed through a computer.

2. Hipstamatic (iOS)

iPhone users shoot square photos using the digital photography app Hipstamatic. Photos can then be edited to look rustic, as if they were taken using an antique camera type. This is possible because of software filters and effects. The app has three kinds of flashes, four lenses and three types of film that you can choose from. Additional effects can be purchased if you are not contented with the free ones.

People who like analog-like photos use Hipstamatic.

3. Snapseed (iOS and Android)

Launched as Snapseed Mobile for the iPad back in 2011, this photo app allows users to edit a portion or the whole part of the picture. It’s easy-to-use: there’s an auto-correct function that can work wonders on your photo’s brightness, contrast, color, texture and other similarly important elements of photography. There are also filters and effects you can choose from.

Snapseed allows you to upload your photos on Google +. However, you’ll have to shell out some dollars for it because it’s not for free like other photo editing apps.

Replacement or Alternative Camera Apps

If you want an alternative to your smartphone’s standard camera, you’ll need to find a good replacement camera app. Here are two of them.

4. Camera + (iOS)

Meant for the iPhone and iPad, Camera + is the ultimate replacement camera for iOS users. It offers a variety of features that will turn your photographic experience into a success. Its most exciting feature is the Touch Exposure and Focus, which gives you complete control over how your photo should come out. Should it be as dark as night or as light as day? You’ll have the freedom to adjust the focus and exposure separately.

Moreover, you can choose different shooting modes (like burst and point-and-shoot) and then improve your photos with just a tap of your finger. Like Snapseed, it doesn’t come free.

5. Pudding Camera (Android)

Android’s camera replacement phone app is the Pudding Camera. Featuring nine quality camera types and eight films to use, this app allows you to take photos with different effects. You can take motion shots using a retro film or a panoramic shot with a vintage film.

The Pudding Camera has no video features, but it’s free, so it’s definitely worth trying.

Other Photo Apps for your Smartphone and Tablet

There are a variety of apps that offer features like photo collages and panoramic cameras. Here’s one of each:

6. PhotoGrid (iOS, Android and Windows Phone 8)

PhotoGrid is an app used specifically for photos on Instagram. It allows users to cerate a variety of collages that they can share not only on Instagram, but also on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Picasa, among others.

You can choose from different modes, collage styles and frames or grids. Rearranging photos on a grid is easy: just shake your phone! Other add-ons include stickers, decorative backgrounds and fonts you can use for inserting text into photos.

7. 360 Panorama (iOS and Android)

Take panorama shots of your favorite sceneries with the 360 Panorama app. What makes this program great is the fact that it processes photos in real time! This means you’ll see your panoramic shot unfold as you take photos. No need to wait for each frame to be processed.

Like most of the photo apps in this list, 360 Panorama allows sharing to social media networks like Facebook and Twitter. You can also email your photos to others.

These are just seven of the top photography apps for smartphones and tablets. They may not make your iOS or Android pictures look as awesome as SLR photos, but they’ll definitely make a photography fan out of you. Try them now and you’ll have a more exciting photographic experience!