Snapseed, Google's ridiculously powerful and popular image editing smartphone app, just got a major upgrade for its Android users. Following up on the introduction of raw file capabilities in Android 5 last year, the app now supports editing of those files right on your phone, greatly increasing the capabilities of photographers on the go.
Unfortunately, the iOS version of the app does not have this capability, but Android users can now edit DNG files directly, whether they were shot by the phone or imported into the app after being shot on another camera. I personally use Snapseed on my iPhone constantly; it seems to have capabilities that are just short of magic. So, with the ability to handle raw files, we might have just crossed into the realm of wizardry. Of course, this doesn't mitigate the fact that phone cameras are still hobbled by their sensor size and the laws of physics. Nonetheless, this is a major step in increasing both the control and quality of output from phone cameras. In particular, photographers who rely heavily on Instagram will appreciate having these abilities right beside that app.
For quick and capable edits, Snapseed is awesome. It had no problem bringing back my horse's mane and coat here, which were underexposed to save the highlights.
Be sure to check out Google's blog post, which contains some examples of the impressive latitude the new update promises when handling these files.
You can download the free new Android version of the app here.
The only thing I miss now is noise reduction.