How to Edit a Screenshot on Your Phone

Edit Screenshot Phone

Taking screenshots is just one part of the job. You will need to edit it if you want to crop an area, add text or draw on the picture. So how does one edit a screenshot on the phone? Well, both Android and iPhone offer native methods to edit screenshots. You can use those, use the gallery apps or install third-party apps to edit screenshots. Let’s check all the different methods to edit screenshots on Android and iPhone.

Also read: How to Watermark Photos on Android

Using the Native Screenshot Editor on Android

Stock Android phones offer a native screenshot editor that you can use to crop a screenshot, add text to it, and perform other screenshot-editing tasks.

  1. Press and hold the Power and Volume Down buttons together to capture a screenshot on your Android phone.
  2. Tap on the screenshot preview in the bottom-left corner or hit the “Edit” button to open the screenshot editor.
Android Screenshot Edit
  1. Use the following tools as required:
  • Crop: use it to crop the picture and remove unnecessary ends.
  • Text: add text to your screenshot with this tool.
  • Pen: use this tool to annotate your screenshot.
  • Highlighter: highlight important text or objects using this tool.
  • Eraser: remove any annotations or highlights from your screenshot.
  • Undo and Redo: use these tools at the top to fix any mistakes that you commit while editing screenshots.
Android Screenshot Edit Tools
  1. Tap the “Save” button if you want to save the edited screenshot on your phone, or hit the “Share” icon to send it via different apps.
Android Screenshot Edit Save

Also read: How to Use Portrait Mode Effects on the iPhone camera

Using Google Photos on Android

In case you don’t see the preview window after taking a screenshot, don’t worry. You can use the Google Photos app to edit the screenshot. It comes preinstalled on almost all Android phones – search for the app in your app drawer.

  1. Take a screenshot on your Android phone.
  2. Open the Google Photos app.
  3. Tap on the “Library” tab at the bottom and open the “Screenshots” folder.
Android Google Photos Library
  1. Tap on the screenshot that you want to edit and press the “Edit” button at the bottom.
Android Google Photos Edit
  1. Swipe left on the list of tools in Google Photos editor to see all of them. Use these tools to crop the image, resize, or rotate it. You can even blur the image or adjust lighting and add filters to the picture, plus you can annotate the screenshot using the Markup tool.
Android Google Photos Edit Screenshot
  1. When done editing, tap on the “Save copy” button.
Android Google Photos Save Screenshot
  1. The saved image will show up in the Screenshots folder of the Google Photos app.

Also read: How to Back Up Google Photos to Your Computer

Using the Native Editor on Samsung Galaxy Phones

  1. Capture a screenshot on your Samsung Galaxy phone by pressing the Power and Volume Down buttons simultaneously.
  2. Tap on the “Edit” icon in the screenshot toolbar that appears at the bottom of the screen.
Samsung Screenshot Edit 1

Note: If the screenshot toolbar doesn’t show up after taking a screenshot, go to “Settings -> Advanced features -> Screenshots and screen recorder,” then enable the toggle next to “Show toolbar after capturing.”

  1. The screenshot editor will open. Tap on the “Pencil” icon to view and switch between different pen styles and colors.
Samsung Screenshot Markup

To crop the screenshot, drag its edges inward to enclose the area that you want to keep. Use the Undo, Redo, or Eraser icons to undo any mistake.

  1. Tap on the “Save” icon to download the image or press the “Share” icon to share the screenshot.
Samsung Screenshot Share

If you don’t like the editing options offered by the native screenshot editor on Samsung Galaxy phones, use the Samsung Gallery app to edit your screenshots.

  1. Capture a screenshot on your Samsung Galaxy phone.
  2. Launch the Samsung Gallery app and open the screenshot you want to edit.
  3. Tap on the “Edit” icon at the bottom to open the photo editor.
Samsung Gallery Edit
  1. Use the tools provided to crop, flip, rotate, or annotate the screenshot. You can also play with filters, change lighting conditions, and add text or stickers to the image.
Samsung Gallery Edit Screenshot
  1. Tap on the three-dot icon at the bottom to view more editing tools like Object eraser, which lets you erase unwanted images. Finally, tap on “Save as copy” in this section to download the edited image as a new image.
Samsung Gallery Edit Screenshot Save Copy
  1. If, however, you want to replace the original image with the edited image, tap on the “Save” button at the top of the image.
Samsung Gallery Edit Screenshot Save

Tip: You can also use the Google Photos app as shown above on Samsung Galaxy phones to edit screenshots.

Also read: 16 Tips to Use Split Screen on Samsung Galaxy Fold Phones

Using a Third-Party App on Android

If you want to stitch screenshots, add blur effects to them, make collages, etc., you should try the ScreenMaster app for some advanced features.

  1. Install ScreenMaster on your Android phone.
  2. Open the app and tap on the “Edit” tab at the bottom. Then, tap on “Markup Photo” to edit the photo or go to “Stitch Photo” to join two screenshots.
Android Screenshare Edit
  1. Select the screenshot to edit.
  2. The editor will show up. Use the tools like crop, mosaic, text, and stickers to edit your screen.
Android Screenshare Edit Photo
  1. When done, tap on the “Save” button.

Also read: 11 of the Best Coloring Book Apps for Android and iPhone

Using Markup Tool on iPhone

iPhones also offer a native markup tool to edit screenshots. Here are the steps to use it.

  1. Capture a screenshot on your iPhone – if you own an iPhone with a Home button, press and hold the Home and Power buttons together. Press and hold the Power and Volume Up buttons simultaneously to take a screenshot on an iPhone without the Home button.
  2. Look for the preview window that appears in the bottom-left corner. Tap on the image in the preview to open the editor.
Iphone Screenshot Preview
  1. Use the tools in the bottom bar to crop the image, draw on it, or highlight parts of it.
  2. To access more tools, tap on the Pencil icon at the top and hit the “+” icon at the bottom. Use this new set of tools to add text, description, shapes, or even a signature to the screenshot. You can also magnify a part of your screenshot to focus on it.
Iphone Screenshot Edit
  1. After you have finished editing the image, tap on “Done” at the top left and select “Save to Photos.”
Iphone Screenshot Edit Save
  1. You can even directly share the screenshot with your friends by pressing the “Share” icon at the top right and selecting the preferred app.

Using Apple Photos on iPhone

If you want to add a filter or change the lighting of your screenshot, use the Apple Photos app editor to edit screenshots on your iPhone.

  1. Launch the Apple Photos app and open the screenshot that you want to edit.
  2. Tap on the “Edit” option at the top.
Iphone Photos App Screenshot Edit
  1. The editor will open. Use the crop and filter tools at the bottom. Or, tap on the Pencil icon at the top to open the Markup editor where you can draw or add text, shapes, etc., to the screenshot.
Iphone Photos App Screenshot Draw

5. When done, tap on the “Done” button to save the edited image.

Iphone Photos App Screenshot Save

If you aren’t happy with your edits, open the image editor again and tap on “Revert” in the bottom-right corner to restore the original image and start editing from scratch.

Also read: How to Remove Unwanted Objects From Photos

Using a Third-Party App on iPhone

We have chosen Picsart for this tutorial, but you’re free to choose a different third-party app.

  1. Download and open Picsart on your iPhone.
  2. Tap on the “+” icon at the bottom of the app and select the screenshot to edit.
Iphone Picsart Photo
  1. The Picsart editor screen will show up. Use the tools in the bottom toolbar to edit the screenshot. You can add effects and text, put a photo on top of your screenshot, resize it to a square size, add a border, draw on it, and do much more with the screenshot.
Iphone Picsart Edit
  1. Tap on “Next” at the top and hit the “Save” button.
Iphone Picsart Save
  1. Select “Save” again from the new set of options to download the edited screenshot to your photo gallery.
Iphone Picsart Save To Phone

Also read: How to Take a Scrolling Screenshot on Any Android Device

Now moving on from photo editing to video editing, let’s explore how to crop or trim a video on Android and iPhone.

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Mehvish Mushtaq

Mehvish is a tech lover from Kashmir. With a degree in computer engineering, she's always been happy to help anyone who finds technology challenging. She's been writing about technology for over six years, and her favorite topics include how-to guides, explainers, tips and tricks for Android, iOS/iPadOS, Windows, social media, and web apps.