The best photo apps of 2014

The year of 2014 has been a banner year for taking photos on your smartphone -- especially if you picked up the iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus, which has the best camera I've yet to see in a smart device.

But even if you didn't, hundreds of new photo apps came out daily that promise to offer you prettier pictures, amazing video and other tools to make snapshots look like a pro.

Here are some of my favorites:

• I'm actually going to start with the software update to Apple phones, iOS 8, which brought some of my favorite new tricks to the iPhone, including super slow motion, timelapse and burst selfies mode. It works on iPhone models back to the 4S and is free. The timelapse (speeding up the world at super fast forward) is awesome, but only if you put your iPhone on a tripod. However, you can have loads of fun with the super slo mo and burst modes, which work without stabilization.

• Another great tool for timelapse videos is Instagram's first stand-alone app, Hyperlapse. It goes one step further than Apple by adding image stabilization that works pretty good. (Unfortunately, Hyperlapse is only available for IOS -- if you have an Android phone, you might want to try out Framelapse or Hyper Timelapse.

• Speaking of Android, this year, Google released Google Camera, a free app that's a must for any Android user. Beyond straight photos, you can add features like HDR, which melds three differently exposed photos together, Photo Sphere to take 360 degree views of the world, and lens blur, to bring the subject in focus, and blur the background.

•VSCO Cam is a great app for both Android and IOS, and goes the extra mile by adding professional grade filters for your photos that are way beyond what you'd get from Instagram. Examples include converting images to black and white, adding contrast or adjusting the color temperature.

Finally, we address vanity with two apps that take the weight and pimples off!

• SkinneePix, a 99-cent app for Android and IOS, promises to ditch 5 to 15 pounds off your selfie. In our tests, it did the trick, and our subjects approved.

• FaceTune, a $3.99 app for Android and IOS, removes facial blemishes and such with Photoshop-like precision. I wouldn't leave home without it.

What's your favorite photo app? Let's talk about it on Twitter, where I'm @jeffersongraham