Polarr: Elegance in Photo Editing

posted Feb 24, 2021, 9:45 PM by Elizabeth Lau (2021)

Polarr is an amazing app with a simple interface that still has effective and expansive features for photo editors of all types and skill levels. I first discovered the app while on a tirade looking for quality apps to edit my food photography with. I've never been the biggest photography fan, mostly because I find it boring and stale, but editing photos has always been something I found fun.

However, photography editing apps are less fun. Most are very limiting, with many features that are either unavailable or only accessible with a premium subscription, which to a broke student like me, is not… amazing.

But Polarr was different. It's interface is elegant and aesthetically pleasing, while still being simple to use. Aside from the regular editing options, there are also over 19 different tools that Polarr allows you to explore. From complex features such as HSLs and curves to more expressive elements like overlays and selections, I found an unexpected creative outlet through Polarr. Although some of it does require a learning curve to become comfortable with, I think that if you're willing to learn Polarr is a really good app to teach yourself how to edit photos and also how to explore and grow within your editing abilities.

But perhaps the best thing about Polarr is the community that they've fostered. They emphasise the idea that editing should not be an activity done alone. With an active social media presence promoting the content of their app users and highlighting creative filters within the app itself, it was really nice to see that you weren't in this alone. If you're struggling, their support system is very efficient and they have a YouTube channel dedicated to basically every aspect of the process. There are accounts that are solely dedicated to creating filters that anyone can access and overall, I have loved using the app. Best part? No ads. None. At. All.

Personally, my favourite feature is the border option. They suggest colours from the photo and you can add borders to your photos, which always looks really pretty. Unfortunately, the Polarr that I first downloaded and fell in love with is not quite the same as the Polarr that is available for free now. Some features such as access to all Polarr filters (which has been remedied by the import style option, allowing you to import filters from others) or adding text and shapes have been restricted. It is not a perfect app, but if you're not a fan of Adobe Lightroom or you simply want to branch into more advanced features within photo editing, Polarr is simple, beautiful, and worth all the time in the world.

Available on iOS, Mac, Android, Windows and as a Chrome Extension or use the web-based service here.