iOS 12: 4 Shortcuts That Will Give Your iPhone the Power of Photoshop

If you’ve ever wanted to remix a photo or video you found online but stopped short because you don’t know your way around Photoshop, look no further. Apple’s Shortcuts app introduced with iOS 12 has enabled savvy users to create custom iPhone and iPad commands that give your handset the same capabilities as bonafide image editing software.

The Shortcuts subreddit is home to hundreds of useful tools and sometimes hilarious functions Apple users can download to give their iOS devices a new world of capabilities. The forum is brimming with commands to make photo editing more accessible to users that are new to software, like Photoshop, or simply don’t have access to it.

With four simple shortcuts, you can download, perfectly crop, and edit almost any image you find online. No fancy programs, apps, or Adobe subscription fee required.

4. iOS 12 Shortcuts: Media Downloader

Often, the best online content is found when you’re browsing your favorite social media platforms or forums. But sometimes, taking videos or images from websites like YouTube and Instagram requires a bit more work than simply tapping “Save Image.” But thanks to u/rapphyyy saving media to your iPhone’s Photo app has never been easier.

The redditor made a general media downloader, one for Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Now, you won’t be forced to take a screenshot of Instagram posts and crop them manually any more.

3. iOS 12 Shortcuts: Background Crop

Perfectly cropping an image out of a background can be something that’s annoying, even with some Photoshop skills. But Reddit user u/alenliang has made it so your iPhone does all the heavy lifting for you.

Once you boot up the shortcut, it’ll ask you to select a photo you’ve either saved or taken. For the best results make sure the image has a clear distinction between the background and foreground. Now, you can use that clear image to make a collage.

2. iOS 12 Shortcuts: Pixelate

Aside from just helping you with saving and cropping, redditor u/ROPit has created more of an artsier command. It takes any image you feed it and pixelates them to various degrees.

You can take colorful, close up photos of nature and turn them into abstract works. Or make a selfie look retro. No need go hunting for a filter app to do this for you anymore.

1. iOS 12 Shortcuts: Watermark Adder

Finally, if you’re thinking about publishing some original art, memes, and photography online you can overlay watermarks on them with a simple shortcut. Redditor u/t3as made it so as long as you have your watermark ready to go in your camera roll, you can just slot it in any image.