How this free, open-source Android app replaced 8 other apps on my phone

One in every of my favourite issues about utilizing an Android telephone is that I can discover apps for pretty much anything, be it stitching photos, rearranging PDFs, or creating QR codes — you identify it. And that permits me to deal with many trivial duties proper on my telephone.

For the longest time, I used to obtain a bunch of apps — apart from the important ones — on each Android telephone I used. However it wasn’t actually sensible: I needed to redownload all of the apps after I switched telephones and maintain them up to date for the perfect expertise. To not point out, it additionally elevated storage utilization.

However that modified after I stumbled upon Picture Toolbox, an Android app that packs dozens of instruments to assist with varied media-related duties on a telephone. I’ve since changed a number of single-purpose apps on my Android telephone with Picture Toolbox, and it has been serving my wants extremely effectively.

Picture Toolbox is a extremely useful app that packs dozens of media instruments beneath one roof, eliminating the necessity to discover and obtain a number of apps individually. It’s open-source and fully free to make use of. And the perfect half is it doesn’t include advertisements regardless of being free.

The app’s interface can be very responsive and straightforward to navigate. You get 4 tabs on the underside navigation bar: Edit, Create, Picture, and Instruments. All of the completely different instruments the app provides are unfold throughout these tabs. As an example, the Edit tab incorporates all editing-related instruments, resembling Resize and Convert, Crop, and Format Conversion. Likewise, you’ll discover creation instruments on the Create tab and different image-related operation instruments on the Picture tab. The Instruments tab contains all different media-related instruments, resembling Doc Scanner, GIF Instruments, and QR & Barcode.

A few of the instruments within the Picture Toolbox app are grouped and named categorically. For instance, when you choose GIF Instruments within the Instruments tab, it expands to a bunch of instruments, resembling Pictures to GIF, GIF to pictures, GIF to JXL, and GIF to WEBP. That is completed to make associated instruments simpler to seek out and stop them from cluttering the 4 foremost tabs.

I’ve recognized about Picture Toolbox for years and have used it for one-off duties on my Android telephones fairly just a few instances. Nonetheless, it’s been just a few months since I began utilizing it frequently for varied media-related duties on my Android telephone, and I not really feel the necessity to return to the person apps I beforehand put in for particular duties. In actual fact, I didn’t even set up any of the next apps after I switched to the Galaxy S26 Ultra earlier this 12 months.

Picture resizer and converter: Picture Toolbox’s Resize and Convert device handles picture resizing and conversion fairly effectively. It lets me resize any picture by merely getting into my most popular width and top. Equally, it permits me to transform photos between completely different codecs with just a few easy faucets. For conversion, it even provides the choice to decide on a compression sort. What’s additionally good is that I can see the ultimate measurement of the file as soon as it’s resized or transformed without having to put it aside. Apart from, after I need to convert a number of photos, Picture Toolbox has a devoted Format Conversion device. It really works equally to the convert characteristic within the Resize and Convert device and permits for fast batch conversion.

EXIF remover: The Delete EXIF device in Picture Toolbox simplifies deleting EXIF from photographs. By default, it removes all EXIF knowledge, however there’s an choice to take away tags selectively. And the perfect half is that I can take away EXIF knowledge from a bunch of photos without delay.

Background remover: Picture Toolbox’s Background Remover device is sort of nifty for fast background elimination, providing each computerized and handbook background elimination. I’ve discovered the RMBG, InSPyReNet, and BiRefNet fashions to be the perfect for computerized elimination. However when it may well’t successfully choose objects for elimination, the handbook mode is useful. It really works fairly effectively, too, and you’ll allow a helper information for exact manipulation.

PDF editor: Picture Toolbox provides a strong PDF device known as PDF Instruments that packs a bunch of helpful instruments to assist with varied PDF-related duties. I exploit it for all my PDF operations, be it making a PDF out of photos, merging PDFs, eradicating pages from a PDF, or rearranging PDFs. It even lets me password-protect PDFs, unlock PDFs, and compress PDFs to cut back their measurement.

Picture stitcher: The Picture Stitching device in Picture Toolbox makes stitching photos horizontally or vertically very easy. I exploit it on a regular basis to sew screenshots I take for varied articles I write as a part of my job. All I must do is choose the pictures, and it returns the stitched picture. I can then change the order of their look, change between horizontal and vertical sew modes, regulate spacing, and set the specified output picture format and compression sort primarily based on my necessities.

GIF creator: Picture Toolbox’s GIF Instruments is a set of a number of GIF-based instruments. My favourite is Pictures to GIF. It lets me flip a bunch of photos right into a GIF, which is beneficial for demonstrating a course of.

QR code generator: QR & Barcode is a complete barcode device in Picture Toolbox that helps me generate QR codes immediately. It has loads of templates, resembling Wi-Fi, E mail, and Cellphone, to simplify QR code era. Plus, there’s the flexibility to create one with easy textual content. I like the assorted customization choices it provides, too, and use them at any time when I would like personalised QR codes.

Collage maker: With Picture Toolbox’s Collage Maker, I can create collages simply as successfully. It robotically picks the suitable template, and I’ve discovered it to be fairly good more often than not. When it isn’t, I can simply drag and drop photos round. Amongst different issues, it lets me select from varied grid layouts, set a unique facet ratio, change the background colour, and configure different features of the collage, like spacing, corners, and extra.

Along with the above, I exploit just a few different Picture Toolbox instruments. These embody WEBP Instruments to transform WebP information to pictures, Watermarking to watermark photos, and Edit EXIF to repair EXIF knowledge for photos taken with previous cameras. I additionally generally use the Gradient Maker device to generate gradient wallpapers for my gadgets.

Picture Toolbox is a extremely customizable app. As such, you may configure its varied features, starting from the theme and instruments structure to the default save location and different app behaviors. To do any of it, faucet the gear icon within the top-right nook of the app, then faucet a setting and alter it per your desire.

I alter a bunch of Picture Toolbox settings earlier than I begin utilizing it. First, I allow the Launcher Mode choice, which makes all of the instruments appear as if house display app launchers throughout all of the tabs. This makes them simpler to seek out, and I don’t should scroll by means of a protracted record. Take note, although, that you just gained’t see device descriptions on this mode. An alternative choice I activate is Search, which provides a floating search button to the app. It’s what I exploit primarily to seek out any device within the app. Each of those can be found beneath the Instruments Association settings tab.

Then, I alter Picture Toolbox’s output conduct. By default, it saves edited information to Paperwork/ImageToolbox. Nonetheless, I want having modified information saved subsequent to their authentic information, so I allow the Save to Authentic Folder choice beneath the Output folder settings. I additionally don’t like the best way Picture Toolbox names edited information. For that reason, I allow the Add authentic filename choice and, concurrently, take away the default prefix and add “image-toolbox” to the suffix. This fashion, it’s simpler to establish which information had been modified utilizing Picture Toolbox. You’ll find these choices beneath Filename settings.

Whilst you’re on the Settings tab, I like to recommend exploring different Picture Toolbox settings. There are many different helpful settings I haven’t touched on which you could profit from.

Once I began utilizing Picture Toolbox, I used to be skeptical about whether or not it may deal with my duties as successfully and effectively because the single-purpose apps I’ve used for years. However having used it for months, I say it may well, and I don’t really feel the necessity to change again to these apps.