The New York-based startup Aviary unveiled its software development kit, a free suite of photo-editing tools that can be easily added to any iPhone or Android app within minutes, instantly transforming the services into fully baked mini-mobile-Photoshops.

That means every app maker, regardless of size and resources, now has access to embeddable tools that allow them to compete against the largest giants of the photo-sharing space.

On the user end, features include: auto-enhance, cropping, rotating, sharpening and blurring, redeye reduction, teeth whitening and blemish removal, adjustment of color, saturation, brightness and contrast; there are also options to add stickers, text, and even to draw on top of images.

Considering how core photos are to most things mobile, Aviary's SDK will help enhance the user experience at many levels. After all, we share images via check-in, upload them to user profiles, send them over group-messaging services--the list of applications is endless, says Taub, ticking off use cases: "It could be on a social network, a photo-sharing site, a blogging platform, a dating service, a marketplace like real estate."

Aviary hopes to become the backbone of photo-sharing apps--not an app itself. The service is free for now, but down the road, the startup says it could potentially offer premium tools and effects.