Editing photos on the native iOS platform has always been lacking in refinement, that is until iOS 8. Apple introduced a photo editor that was a one touch simple editor with a second layer of editing control that allows for far more refinement.

No Pixels Were Harmed.

When viewing an image you can access the editor by tapping on Edit in the top right corner. If youre image was taken with your iOS device then the editor will open, however if you added an image from another source as I have here, then youre given the option to duplicate the image and then edit.

Simple Controls

In the editor youre given just a few simple controls, and for many tweaks this may be all you require.

Drilling Down..

The dial icon next to the filters will reveal three menu options; Light, Color and Black and as luck would have it White.

Tapping Black and White opens another choice, this time in the form of a slider.

Sliding left and right will alter the image and get me closer to where I want to be. You’ll notice a dot on the top of the slider marking the starting point was should i wish to return there.

And Down..

Tapping the three lined icon (menu) will reveal another set of controls. Im going to change the Neutrals here, so a tap on this and I get yet another, different, controller. This time its a slider with a scale;

Again theres a dot letting me know where I started should I wish to return.

Tapping the Menu icon again I can alter Tone, intensity and grain;

Return To Edit

Once youre happy with the edit tap Done to return to the Camera Roll. You’ll see theres now an original and a black and white version of the image. Selecting the new image and Edit Im back in the editor.

I can return to any of the settings above to change them, everything I did previously was none destructive.

Turning On and Off Effects

Besides being able to alter settings or even Revert back to the original I can also turn effects off at any time. You’ll see to the left, above the slider, I have a B&W button. Tapping this toggles the Black and White effect on and off.

Conclusion

Editing in iOS 8 is a far cry from previous editors and allows for a far deeper control. It may seem a little cumbersome at first but after a couple of uses its very intuitive and easy to use. With the varying levels of control this has something for everyone.