There are two types of people in this world: psycho types who arrange their apps in folders, and those of us who aren’t planning on killing any time soon. Whichever you are, know that the spaces on your homescreen are there to be filled - and these are the essentials to stick there.

Words Craig Grannell

OLLOCLIP

If you’ve even a reasonably recent iPhone or Android phone, chances are it’s got a decent camera. But by adding Olloclip hardware, it can do much more. This modular system is a breeze to set up, and enables you to quickly boost your blower’s telephoto capabilities, get up close and personal via macro lenses, go oddball with fisheye, grab more of a scene with ultra-wide, and take things to the next level with the high-end Pro Lens series.

kits from £105 / olloclip.com

PIXELMATOR PHOTO

Trained on millions of pro shots, Pixelmator Photo lets you fix your photos with the prod of a button. It beats all rivals, subtly adjusting lighting to make your snaps shine; and if you feel the need, you can then leap into a world of adjustment sliders and buttons. Essential, unless all your pix are perfect already.

£4.99 / iPad

GRAPHITE BY BECASSO

There are so many apps that turn stills into virtual art that yet another one risks making the eyes glaze over. But give Graphite a go. Its sketch filters are among the best we’ve seen on mobile, and the pro IAPs let you fiddle around with the results you get, so you can pretend that you too are an artist.

£free (IAPs) / iOS

MOMENT PRO CAMERA

This manual camera has been on iOS for over a year, but now it’s also on Android. There are controls for shutter speed, ISO, white balance and focus, and you can bling up the viewfinder with focus peak highlights. And how have you managed up to now without anamorphic desqueezing?

£3.59 / Android £5.99 / iOS

CLIPS

Apple’s social video app has always favoured the unreal, having you create selfie videos set in immersive 3D scenes. The blurring of fiction and reality continues apace with the latest major update, which replaces your beautiful face with a range of Animoji or a custom Memoji. Soon the app won’t need you at all.

£free / iOS

SHOOT SMART

Power up your phone’s camera with apps to snap away like the star photographer/cinematographer you always knew you were

FILMIC FIRSTLIGHT

There are echoes of Snapseed in this stills snapper. Like Google’s app, it has an emphasis on gestural control, letting you swipe across and upwards to set focus and exposure. There’s a lot beneath the surface too, with custom functions and analogue-style filters if you’re prepared to pay $1 a month.

from £free /iPhone

PIXALOOP

Cinemagraph apps, where you freeze all but one bit of a video, are common; but Pixaloop works in reverse, creating animations from stills. It doesn’t work with every shot, but with a few taps and drags, landscapes can have billowing clouds and flowing water, candles can flicker, and hair can wave in the breeze.

from £free / Android, iOS

DUETCAM

As if there were any doubt about how ludicrously powerful modern iPhones are, DuetCam enables you to shoot using both cameras at once. So whether recording an interview or capturing your reactions to an event, you’ll get two videos, which you can later edit into something amazing.

£2.99 / iPhone

ADOBE PREMIERE RUSH

Adobe’s video editor finally coming to Android is a big deal for anyone working across platforms. Although Android has desktop-grade video editors, this app is designed for you to do basic work on your phone then transfer the results to your actual desktop. Top stuff for pros - or anyone aspiring to hit Hollywood.

£free /Android, iOS

SPECTRE

This app’s creators have form in the camera space, also being responsible for the excellent Halide. Spectre is far more focused, using its computing smarts to shoot long exposures. It’s perfect for creating rivers of light, or removing pesky crowds from otherwise perfect tourist shots - as long as you have a tripod.

£2.99 / iPhone

APOLLO: IMMERSIVE

Portrait mode on iOS captures depth information, and Apollo makes use of that to assign realistic lighting effects in post. During the last year, realism was ramped up significantly with individual light sources casting real-time shadows. The results can transform even the most mundane snap into an atmospheric wonder.

£2.99 / iPhone

REBOOT REALITY

When the real world’s not quite interesting enough, slap tiny digital universes on top of it with this selection of AR apps

ANGRY BIRDS AR: ISLE OF PIGS

Catapulting birds at egg-stealing pigs in ramshackle houses seems quaint in a mobile gaming universe that features Fortnite. But this AR take has made Angry Birds interesting again: being able to consider shots from any angle results in deeper, more engaging play.

£free / Android, iOS

SPIGEN ARMOR CASE

When you’re faffing about in virtual vistas, it’s easy to blunder into something solid and let your phone tumble to the ground. To avoid subsequently embarking on an expensive repair, buy your phone a decent case first. If you want something properly rugged, Spigen has a wide range of tough cases designed for many modern phones.

from £20 / spigen.com

MINECRAFT EARTH

Having taken over the gaming world for kids of a certain age, Minecraft now has its sights set on the real world too. In what amounts to ‘Minecraft meets Pokemon Go’, this AR title has you place your life-size creations on streets and in parks, and then team up with other builders for mini adventures.

£free / Android, iOS

WANNA KICKS

There’s a point with tech when you might wonder if you’re being a bit lazy; with Wanna Kicks, you’ve sailed way beyond that point. Rather than trying on actual shoes in a shop, this AR app enables you to try on trainers in AR and shoot video to share with friends. Just don’t forget these shoes aren’t real before heading out.

£free / Android, iOS

BIG BANG AR

Probably not the greatest option for big-headed people, this app from CERN recreates the birth of the universe in your hand. After a suitably sizeable explosion, stars and planets form before your very eyes, while Tilda Swinton narrates. And when it’s all done, you get to take a selfie, because of course you do.

£free / Android, iOS

DAVID BOWIE IS

If you couldn’t get to the blockbuster exhibition in the real world, or couldn’t see much because tall people stood in your way, this app transforms the entire thing into a desktop AR experience. With costumes, sketches and nearly 40 songs, it’s a fitting high-tech tribute.