Can Canva Dethrone Snapseed For Mobile Photo Editing

Image Credit: Megan Ellis / Android Authority

For years, I've relied on Canva primarily for straightforward design tasks. The recent news of Canva launching a dedicated photo editing tool, a step up from its basic in-design tweaks, definitely caught my attention.

I quickly discovered a handy feature absent in my favorite photo-editing app Snapseed, my go-to free photo editor. This sparked a question: could Canva's new offering supersede Snapseed in my daily workflow? I decided to test Canva's photo editor to gauge its potential as a Snapseed replacement and to see how many features were accessible without a premium subscription.

Canva's Standout Feature: AI-Powered Selection Tools

Image Credit: Megan Ellis / Android Authority

While I generally steer clear of generative AI features on my smartphone, AI-driven background selection and removal is one capability I appreciate in image editing. As much as I admire Snapseed for its selective editing prowess, the ability to isolate the background or foreground with a single click has always been a missing piece.

Discovering that Canva's new photo editor included these automatic selection tools was an exciting moment. Impressively, these tools are free and remarkably accurate. This is a clear advantage over Snapseed, which lacks this specific functionality, and Google Photos, whose editing tools I've found to be less precise when blurring the background.

"When I tried out Canva's new photo editor for the first time, I was excited to find that it had auto-select tools."

Advances in camera smartphones mean I edit photos less frequently overall, especially now that I’m trying out the vivo X200 Pro. However, for images intended for websites, I often desire a more pronounced background blur. While devices like the X200 Pro are adept at subject focusing, managing multiple phones simultaneously for a shot can sometimes make achieving perfect focus tricky.

This specific need heightened my interest in Canva's photo editor. Its selection accuracy truly impressed me. Beyond just softening backgrounds, I can fine-tune other elements like contrast and saturation for the selected area, unlocking new creative avenues. While Snapseed offers a lens blur, it tends to create a vignette effect rather than distinctly separating foreground from background.

It's worth noting, though, that features like generating entirely new backgrounds or complete background removal are locked behind Canva's premium subscription.

Comparing Core Editing Capabilities: Canva vs Snapseed

Image Credit: Megan Ellis / Android Authority

My curiosity piqued, I delved deeper into Canva's photo editor to see how it stacked up against Snapseed's other strengths. Similar to Snapseed, Canva provides controls for a variety of image attributes, including brightness, highlights, shadows, temperature, and sharpness.

"Just like Snapseed, Canva allows you to edit a range of image attributes."

I appreciate these fine-tuned controls because they are user-friendly for beginners and less daunting than tools like curve editing. Canva also caters to users preferring quick edits with an array of preset effects and filters.

However, Canva does omit some of Snapseed's more advanced functionalities, such as color curve adjustments. Since this isn't a feature I personally use in Snapseed, its absence in Canva isn't a dealbreaker for me. Canva does offer a color editing tool which I find more intuitive than curve adjustments.

Another plus for Canva is its brush editor, enabling precise selection of areas for fine-tuning. This is particularly useful for highlighting specific parts of an object or diminishing shadows.

Where Canva's Mobile Experience Falls Short

Image Credit: Megan Ellis / Android Authority

Despite Canva's strengths, there's a significant drawback. Being primarily a web-based platform, its mobile app experience isn't as polished as it could be. While Canva's Android app has made considerable strides over time—I once avoided it entirely—some issues persist.

I encountered usability challenges with the app. Occasional bugs interfered with touch input registration, and frustratingly, using my smartphone's back button often closed the app entirely instead of navigating back within the photo editor.

"I found the usability of the app to be lacking."

Another annoyance is the app's tendency to re-upload an image from your camera roll each time you select it for editing, even if already uploaded. If I accidentally exited and reselected a photo, it would upload again. I had to learn to navigate to the Projects tab and then the Uploads folder to access previously uploaded images for editing.

While the editing workflow is somewhat more intuitive on Canva's web platform, it too could benefit from enhancements, particularly in making existing uploads easier to access.

The Verdict: Canva for PC, Snapseed for Mobile

After thoroughly testing Canva's photo editor, I've concluded it will become my preferred tool for editing photos on my PC. Since Snapseed no longer offers a desktop version, Canva will complement, rather than replace, Snapseed in my overall workflow.

This arrangement suits my needs, as I typically edit website images on my PC. However, due to the mobile app's quirks, Canva won't be my choice for editing social media photos on my smartphone. For on-the-go edits, I'll continue to rely on Snapseed, which remains one of the best photo editor apps for Android in my book.