Aviary brings photo editing to any mobile app

Online media editing suite Aviary is taking its first step onto mobile devices today with the launch of its mobile SDK, which lets developers embed photo editing capabilities into any iPhone or Android app.

The move is a smart one for Aviary. Instead of competing directly with other mobile photo editing apps, like Adobe’s Photoshop Express, the company will be able to take advantage of the increasing popularity of mobile photos by letting third-party developers use its tools.

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“My vision is for Aviary to become the creative electricity that powers the world’s web and mobile apps,” Aviary CEO Avi Muchnick said. “I want developers to build fantastic applications that harness the significant photo experience upgrade Aviary offers. Instead of just relying on an inferior mobile camera, they can rest easy in knowing that all photos taken in their application look amazing and reflect on the quality of their overall application itself.”

Once implemented, the mobile editor is accessible in apps by hitting an “Edit” button whenever you take a picture. The editor includes basic tools, like cropping, red-eye removal, and a useful “auto-enhance” feature, as well as fun features like drawing, stickers, speech bubbles, and photo effects. I suspect we’ll see plenty of memes arising thanks to Aviary’s mobile SDK.

Unlike its cloud-based desktop editors, Aviary’s mobile photo editor is entirely local, so it’s not dependent on having an internet connection. And according to Aviary’s head of business development Alex Taub, it takes only 30 minutes for companies to implement the mobile photo editor in their apps.

The SDK is currently available for the iPhone and Android, and it’s free to use. Taub tells me that the company is hoping to launch an iPad SDK by the end of the month. Aviary is also working to port its Effects API, as well as introduce a slew of new effects, to the mobile SDK.

The company is launching the mobile SDK today with 31 partners, including PicPlz, Pixable and Fotobabble. It includes customization capabilities, so developers can change the colors of the editor to match their apps and can use their own buttons for editing tools if they wish.

New York City-based Aviary recently hired Paul Murphy, formerly Chief of Staff at Microsoft, as its new VP of business development. The company has raised $11 million so far from Spark Capital and Bezos Expeditions.