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Google acquires image editing app Snapseed

One of the tools I use to enhance my photos before posting to Instagram, and I would say I use it about 90% for every photo, is Snapseed. It’s just an amazing app that let’s you edit photos down to every last detail. From saturation, contrast, ambiance, brightness, and filters like vintage, drama and grunge, you can do everything Instagram can do and more. It’s a powerful image editing app that I would recommend to anyone.

And since the Facebook-Instagram deal, many are left wondering is there anything better then this combination? You have Facebook the largest social network in the world, which is also the biggest photo storage site in the world, paired with the most popular photo sharing app. Not much can top that.

However, Google doesn’t think so. The Verge reported that Google is acquiring Nik Software, who makes Snapseed. Google’s motive is pretty clear. They will plan on using Snapseed to bake it right into Google+, to make Google+ an even more desirable social network so that they can continue to battle it out with Facebook. I am pretty sure if you asked Mark Zuckerberg two years ago if he thought he would have much more competition, he would have said he doesn’t have any due to the pure web domination of Facebook.

Google is putting up a good fight though, and with Snapseed potentially being part of Google+ including their mobile app, it certainly raises the stakes. The problem I have is that I like Snapseed as a standalone app, that I said I use for Instagram. The concern is that Google, like they do with many acquisitions, will sunset Snapseed and take the talent over to work on Google+ only. Hopefully that won’t happen, but I can’t see a Google acquired app being used to enhance photos for now Facebook owned Instagram.