Testing photo editing apps: "AirBrush"

AirBrush is available free of charge for your Android and iOS smartphones or tablets. Manufacturer Xiamen Meitu Technology advertises the app as an all-in-one lifestyle and selfie editor and promises to add natural and beautiful effects to make the gallery pictures look great.  

The user interface of the AirBrush app is simple and clear. After successful installation and quick registration via e-mail, Facebook or Google, the app is ready to use. It is specifically designed for selfies as a lot of its tools only work with pictures of faces. The stand-out feature of the app is that it lets users edit the selfie using real time editing tools before taking the picture. The primary objective of AirBrush is to provide users with a bundle of tools to create more aesthetically appealing pictures on the screen. It offers features like blemish and pimple remover to eliminate unwanted spots with a simple tap of the finger, teeth-whitening to enhance the smile, brightening of eyes and skin-tone adjustment to create a radiant glow. Another striking feature is blush or mascara to incorporate makeup in the pictures.  

The edited pictures can be shared directly from the app itself with peers on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat.   

Although the functions and filters of AirBrush work well, the concept behind it seems questionable to us. All tools and filters of the app aim to change or improve the physical appearance: Invisible pores, whiter teeth - imperfections are retouched away. The app thus propagates a distorted image of the ideal body. Therefore, our editor does not recommend downloading it. 

  

Top pros: 

- high-quality tools 

- user-friendly interface 

  

Top cons: 

- multiple features only available in the pro version 

- morally questionable 

  

Price: Free for iOS and Android with in-App purchases 

Pro version:  €31.99 per year // €7.49 per month 

  

Manufacturer: Xiamen Meitu Technology Co., Ltd. 

 

Editor: Paul Jäger