This page contains affiliate links — if you click through and sign up or buy, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend tools worth your time.
The Photo Editing Apps You’ll Want to Use
You only need four apps to edit every blog photo and every Pinterest pin. Not ten. Four. Here is exactly which one to open and when, and the five-minute habit that makes the whole thing fast.
For years I made every pin the hard way. Screenshot a photo, crop it, drag it into a template, stare at a blank canvas until something looked good enough to post.
Then I started opening Ideogram first, before I touch a single template. I type what I want the image to look like and it hands me a starting point I can actually work with. I still design the pin myself. I am just not starting from nothing anymore.
Try Ideogram → Affiliate link. I pay for it myself, every month. If I stopped using it, it would not be on this page.What you’ll want to open, and why
Most blog photos start as a straight-out-of-camera shot with bad light or a crooked horizon. Fix that on your phone before it ever touches your laptop, cropping it to whatever ratio you need and brightening and straightening it. Five taps, done. This is not the step where you make something pretty. This is the step where you make something usable.
Every photo you publish needs to exist in at least three sizes: a wide featured image, a square version for social, and a tall version for Pinterest. Build the first version, then resize it into the others instead of starting over each time. That is the difference between fifteen minutes and ninety.
Not every post has a photo. A tutorial about a tool has no product shot. A concept has no scene. That is when you generate a starting image instead of editing one, then bring it into your design tool and finish it the same way you finish everything else. Read the section above for the exact tool that works well for this.
There is a browser-based photo editor that does most of what expensive desktop software does, for free, with no install. Layers, masks, the works. You will not need it every day, but when a photo needs real retouching, an object removed, or a background swapped, this is where to go instead of paying for something heavier.
Which one, for which job
How I decide which app to open
Six questions, every time. Check them off as you go.
“You do not need expensive software to make good images. You need four apps you actually open, and a habit that only takes five minutes.”— Lori Ballen
Want My Pinterest Traffic Playbook, Free?
The photos are only half the job. Here is the exact method I use to turn them into pins that actually get seen, plus my Pinterest checklist.
The systems behind the pins
Batch 30 Days of Pinterest Pins in One Day
My exact step-by-step for designing and scheduling a month of pins in one sitting, using the same apps on this page.
Pinterest Power Stack: Turn One Post Into Many
How I turn a single blog post into a stack of Pinterest content that keeps driving traffic long after I hit publish.
Frequently asked
Do I need to pay for any of these?
Which app should I start with?
What size should my Pinterest pin actually be?
Can I edit photos without any of these apps?
Stop starting from a blank canvas every time you need a pin.
Not ready to buy yet? Grab the free Pinterest playbook above, or get Letters from Lori for more field notes.
Hey there! Just a quick heads-up: some of the links on this site are affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase (including through the Amazon Associates program), at no extra cost to you. Occasionally, products featured here are gifted by brands.
I also use AI tools to help research and create content for you! While I love sharing strategies to help you succeed, please remember that everyone's journey is unique—individual results vary, and there are no guarantees. Thanks so much for stopping by!
