Photo editing gets easier with iOS 8's new Photos app and extensions

The iOS Photos app has long had rudimentary editing tools, but they were just that — rudimentary. Most seasoned photographers turned to apps like VSCO Cam, Photoshop Touch, and Snapseed for their more advanced features and left the stock Photos app behind.

Apple has taken steps to change that in iOS 8, supercharging the Photos app's default editing suite and giving developers the ability to extend it with app extensions.

Built-in adjustments

After choosing a photo and dropping into edit mode, tapping the button on the left will bring up the newly-enhanced composition tools. In this mode, Photos will automatically try to straighten and crop images that aren't perfectly framed.

To alter the angle, grab the angle selector — the round, dotted semicircle — and drag up and down. If you don't like the changes, you can tap the blue "Reset" button that appears to the left of the angle selector, and it will return to the original state.

If you like the angle, but want to change the crop, just start dragging the white crop lines that surround the picture. Photos will automatically overlay a thirds grid, and taking your finger off of the display for one second will set the crop and reconfigure the editing view.

Photos in iOS 8 also includes new smart adjustments. Tapping the button presents three options: Light, Color, and B&W.

Adjustments are made using what Apple calls a "smart slider." The slider previews the image with a range of values, and you simply drag the slider side-to-side to alter the image.

In the background, Photos will intelligently adjust values like saturation, exposure, brightness, and contrast as you slide. You can also adjust each value individually by tapping the disclosure triangle on the right side of the list, then tapping the value you want to change.

Filters & Extensions

Apple has caved to the Instagram craze by adding a set of built-in filters to the Photos app. As with the other editing tools, tapping the button displays a scrollable list of nine Apple-designed filters; tap a filter to apply, and use the "None" option to remove them.

You aren't limited to the default filters, either. With the new editing tools extensions, apps like Litely and Fragment can make their own editing interfaces and filters available directly within Photos, so users never need to leave the app.

Like iOS 8's other extensions, photo editing extensions can't be installed separately —  they must have a parent app. To make them available for use in Photos, tap the icon in the lower right, then tap the "More" button and slide the on/off switch to enable them.

You can then access the additional editing interfaces at any time using the more button. The editor will slide in over top of the default Photos user interface; make your adjustments, than tap the Done button to save or the Cancel button to discard your changes.