Overlaying different photos to create photomontages or adjust the exposure of images is easy if you use the right tools. You don't need a computer to do this: with the help of photo-editing apps, you can do it with your smartphone.
The use of apps for this purpose also solves the problem of your graphic skills: even those who are not particularly good at photo-editing can achieve the desired photo compositions with a few simple clicks.
It's not necessary to spend a lot of money: on the web, in fact, there are several free applications (at least with regard to their "basic" packages) useful for this purpose, downloadable both on iOS and Android. Those who need more sophisticated solutions can opt for paid apps, which generally provide more advanced features.
Photo overlay apps to download
In this guide you can find a list of photo overlay apps suitable for any specific eventuality. First, though, it's important to understand what is meant by overlaying two (or more) photos: on a practical level, in short, it means overlaying photos on top of each other and erasing parts of the foreground one to make details of the background image appear.
Having clarified this concept, it's now time to review some of the best apps for overlaying images: the list includes free and paid apps, usable on both iOS and Android devices or specific to only one of them.
Adobe Photoshop Mix
The first solution proposed to those looking for a photo overlay app is a free, feature-rich and easy-to-use resource: it's called Adobe Photoshop Mix, it's very popular and can be downloaded from both the Play Store found on Android devices and the App Store found on iOS devices.
Once you've downloaded the application, you can use it by clicking on the "Sign up for free" button to create a new Adobe account or on the "Sign in" button if you already have an account. Alternatively, you can also log in through your Facebook or Google account.
As soon as you are logged in you can use the application: by tapping on the "+" button you can choose between the "Device", "Camera" and "Custom workspace" options. The first option allows you to superimpose two photos from your Gallery, the second allows you to take new photos using the camera of your smartphone and the third gives you the possibility to create a new image with customizable dimensions.
In the new workspace you can superimpose two photos by pressing the "+" button again and choosing the photo you want to superimpose. This image can be enlarged, shrunk and repositioned to your liking.
The Adobe Photoshop Mix app offers several other features for retouching images, thanks to the "Crop", "Adjust", "Looks", "Silhouette" and "Blend" options. Each modification is non-destructive: that means that the original image isn't touched and remains intact. Once you've made all the desired changes, you can save the project by pressing the "Share" button on Android or the arrow symbol on iOS and tap "Save to Gallery".
Superimpose
Superimpose is a photo overlay app that can be downloaded from both the Play Store on Android devices for €0.79 and the App Store on iOS devices for €2.20. The focus of this photo editing app is precisely the ability to combine multiple photos. Despite having a very simple interface, Superimpose offers a wide range of tools suitable both for users without special skills and for people with advanced skills who want more complex compositions.
To superimpose photos you first need to load a background image and, then, add the image you want to display in the foreground. Then you can remove all unwanted elements using the wide range of masking tools, which includes: brush, smart brush, magic wand, magic lasso, polygon, rectangle, ellipse, linear and radial gradient and color gamut.
That's not all: with the Superimpose app you can also smooth edges, move, resize and/or rotate the foreground image to optimize its position, and adjust the exposure, saturation, hue and color balance of your images for an even better result. Those who want to can also add text to their photo project, choosing from the app's various options.
In order to make overlapping two photos easier, the Superimpose app works with two photos at once. Despite this, however, those who wish to combine multiple images can continue to add more photos and achieve more complex compositions.
Image Blender
Image Blender is an app available only for iOS devices, downloadable at a price of €4.49. The operation of this photo editing app is very simple and intuitive, thanks also to a rather minimal interface dedicated to the selection of background and foreground photos. The options available to those who want to combine multiple images, however, are many.
To overlap images, just select the two photos and then, using the central slider, define how much of each image to include in the merger. To add the background photo just tap on the square icon at the bottom left, while to select the image to be overlaid in the foreground you have to press the square button located on the opposite side. The Image Blender app has 18 blending modes. You can apply a variety of effects and filters to images, change colors, add or remove objects, insert text, add your own logo and take advantage of many other editing options. One particularly interesting feature is the ability to create your own custom filters. Just as useful is the fact that the final result after each applied change can be previewed in real time.
Once all operations are finished, when the project is finished, you can save your work while maintaining the highest image quality in terms of pixels. In this regard, you should keep in mind that if you want to work at the highest quality level, you will inevitably have to expect a longer processing time.
Union
Another free solution (at least for the basic package) for overlaying two photos directly from your smartphone is the Union application, available exclusively for iOS devices in the App Store.
This app allows you to create double exposures, silhouttes and other types of overlays and is designed for both professionals and all users who simply want to share eye-catching shots with their friends.
Usersers of Union can either superimpose their own photos or choose from Unsplash's extensive library of thousands of free, high-resolution photos courtesy of its community of photographers.
The app lets you edit both photos separately. Among other things, you can remove unwanted objects from your shots, change transparency, zoom in and rotate images. Those who wish can also add background colors to replace an image.
As mentioned, only the basic package of the Union app is free. The app, in fact, provides its more demanding users with an advanced package, called "Union Pro", which allows you to create unlimited projects and have some advanced features, such as the ability to print projects. After the trial period of the package, which lasts 7 days, you can subscribe to a weekly, monthly or yearly plan, with progressive savings on the price.
Juxtaposer
Juxtaposer is a photo overlay app available only for iOS devices, downloadable with the "in-app purchases" formula. Even those who don't have any photo-editing skills can create beautifully crafted photomontages, thanks to the short video tutorials inside the app.
Following the instructions in the videos, in fact, superimposing photos with Juxtaposer turns out to be a very simple task, despite the various features and many editing tools that the platform offers. The creators of the app themselves recommend experimenting as much as possible: even in the event that you make a mistake during the operation of retouching the image, in fact, you can go back without permanently affecting the final result.
On Juxtaxposer you can upload photos from your Gallery, but also images from Unsplash, Dropbox and Flickr. In addition to the background image, you can add as many photos as you want to superimpose on it.
Among other possible operations, Justaxposer allows the user to zoom in on the image until, pixel by pixel, you can get a perfect retouching of even the smallest detail. The special "Red Mask" mode, moreover, shows only the foreground image with the erased parts in red, so you can precisely crop every detail, even the smallest.
Another feature that sets this app apart is the so-called "Stamps", i.e. frequently used objects that you can save for later use, share with friends or export in PNG format.
The composite images are exported at the maximum resolution of the background image, which can even exceed 40 megapixels. With this photo overlay app, you can share your photomontages via email, Twitter and Flickr or save them within your Dropbox.