Source:blog.hootsuite.com

15 Instagram Photo Editing Tips for Awesome Profile Photos

Would like to have a stylish Instagram profile? In order to achieve this goal, it is not enough just to take beautiful pictures. You should know how to edit Instagram photos correctly, following the most relevant Insta trends.  Check out Instasize to know more about editing. Follow these tips and trick famous bloggers use to attract new followers.

Take Photos in the HDR Mode

The very first and most important thing is high-quality photos. Try to shoot in good, natural lighting conditions. It is better to take several pictures at once to have a wide choice. If you take photos outside in low light or want to take a close-up one, use the HDR mode.

Use stock photos for your account. Visit free stocks as Pexels or Unsplash where you can find images of various styles and themes. This variant is ideal for small companies that do not want to spend much money on creating professional photos. Choose suitable pictures for posting on Instagram. This means that they should not be too small, since, after publication, they may look blurry and grainy. Set the width to 1080 pixels when doing pictures editing. Instagram will make your pictures square by default. However, you can customize the height and width as you wish.

2.Take Square Images

Instagram photo editing has established its new rules. Traditional photography implies a special approach to creating a composition and preserving it during image enhancement. When creating square pictures that are typical for Instagram, it is not always possible to adapt to well-known canons. For example, many photographers use the rule of thirds, dividing the composition into 9 equal squares. However, this method will not work well with Instagram photos. A good option in such situations is to place an object in the center of the image.

3. Work with RAW Files If You Can

Working in RAW mode has a lot of advantages. Taking such photos, you can capture more details than photographing in JPEG format. You may edit RAW picture for Instagram using your phone or tablet as well. You don’t have to install expensive Photoshop or Lightroom. Use VSCO app for this purpose. Go to the program settings, select “Preferences,” and then enable the “Auto-save captured photos to camera roll” option. 

4. Find Your Color Theme

The theme of your account is a reflection of your inner state and mood. This is a presentation of your personality to the audience. There are many styles that you can follow, for example, Moody, Tropical, Grunge, Boho, Minimal, Colorful, or White. Choose one or several styles that are suitable for you and read some Instagram photo editing recommendations by FixThePhoto here in this style.

5. Follow the Newest Instagram Photo Editing Trends

Follow the publications of the most popular bloggers to know what style of photo editing is the most relevant today. Use the latest Instagram picture editing tricks as:

Photo Collages for Insta-Worthy Stories and Posts

The Unfold app allowed many Instagram users to turn their stories and pictures into interesting and creative collages. Recently, StoryLuxe application was released. It allows you to perform Instagram pictures editing and create a beautiful collage of your images as shown above. You can use dynamic templates such as floral, neon, Polaroid or instant film, and many others.

Unusual Filters with Original Effects

Many users often add original effects, such as sparkles and strokes during Instagram editing pictures. It helps them stand out among other bloggers and make their images more vivid and funny. If you want to make your photos unusual, use A Design Kit from the developers of A Color Story and A Beautiful Mess.

Go Retro

Insta bloggers love to use the film cameras’ effect and other vintage looks. Many users find HUJI old school, so they are constantly looking for something new and original. Try a modern application called Prequel. Add VHS and film effects as well as grainy textures to your images with its help.

“Antique” Look Thanks to Beige Tones

The use of soft, beige, neutral tones is one of the most popular Instagram photo editing trends. This effect allows to get an elegant, vintage look. If you want to get the same antique effect, you should try VSCO Lightroom presets. They will add desaturated pastel shades to your pictures.

Classic Black & White Photos

Despite the fact that bright and vivid colors are becoming increasingly popular, black and white photos do not lose their relevance. Publishing such images, you can be sure that their color scheme will not change. However, be careful, do not post such pictures too often.

Use the “Glitch” Effect to Attract the Audience

Such “glitches” are incredibly popular today. Many celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Ariana Grande often use them in their photos or videos. Download Glitch Cam. These real-time filters from Glitché will help you edit picture for Instagram and get a really interesting result.

6. Use Free Photo Editing Apps

Sometimes Instagram functions are not enough to create beautiful pictures. Even if you are not a professional in photo editing, you can add some visual effects to improve your images and attract a large number of subscribers.

These tools will allow you to perform high-quality Instagram picture editing without much effort. Try free apps like Adobe Photoshop Express, Mendr, and others. Experiment with different tools, take into account your needs and wishes, and find everything to make the process effective.

In addition, when using such programs, you have the opportunity to contact photo editing experts and get valuable advice from them. Moreover, you can order photo editing services. This means that professional retouchers can do all the work for you. For example, they can change the background, as well as improve color and lighting very quickly. 

7. Work with Grid Reference

In order to make your images look attractive and professional, align their elements. Using the grid while doing Instagram editing pictures will help you align all the elements of the photo correctly. This tool will allow you to improve the composition of your pictures significantly.

Work very carefully, pay attention to overlapping elements, and find the middle of the image. Once you have found the center of the frame, take a photo. You can use the grid feature for all styles. 

8. Try Clarendon Filter

Most Instagram users prefer Clarendon filter when they need to improve their photos. This useful tool can make colors more saturated. For sure, this filter is so popular because it is the first in the list of available options.

Customize your Instagram photo editing filters by double-clicking on it. Move the slider to choose the necessary intensity. For example, selecting 0 point, you won’t see any changes, but if you set the value to 100, you will get the maximum effect. Choose your favorite filter and apply it to all your images. This way, you can develop your own style. It will help your content to stand out among all the feed but stull realistic. About 60% of the most famous brands use the same filter for all their posts.

9. Make Use of Lux Settings

If you have already selected your favorite filters, it is time to try Lux setting. Find the sun icon above the image. Start experimenting with contrast and exposure. Add dimensions to your images to make them look more attractive.

Control Lux Adjustments with the slider. Move it to the right if you want to increase the intensity and contrast of the image. Move the slider to the left to decrease these parameters.

10. Add Natural Vignetting

Find the edit button in the lower right corner and adjust additional options. Check the alignment. Make sure that the image looks perfect.

If you want to get something more creative, you can create your own filter thanks to modern Instagram picture editing features. You may:

  • Add a vignette effect to Polaroid-like photo
  • Make your picture look more contrast and sharper by changing the structure settings
  • Increase saturation to get intensified shades or reduce it to receive a fading look

11. Edit Each Picture Individually

Instagram has a very convenient feature that allows users to upload up to 10 images simultaneously. It helps them save a lot of time and simplify the process of photo editing and selecting the desired filter. If you have taken many photos of your puppy and want to share all of them with your subscribers, you need to create just one post and attach 10 pictures to it. Then select a filter.

The disadvantage of this approach is that you apply one filter to all pictures. Find the Venn-diagram icon in the corner of each image and start working on them individually.

12. Smooth the Skin Tone

The key element of beautiful portraits is smooth, natural skin color. If you do not want your photos to have too sharp or, on the contrary, dull skin tone, try applying G4 to G9 filters. If these tools do not satisfy your needs, you can use E-series effects. You can get the perfect skin color by performing a few simple actions.

In addition, you can adjust this parameter using the “Skin Tone” slider. Move it until you get the necessary shade. Find this Instagram photo editing tool on the left (second icon) and drag the slider. 

The Instasize app not only lets you smoothen your skin; it also has an acne tool to remove blemishes and a tanning tool to give you that sunkissed look. You can check out all the features of the app’s beauty tools here.

13. Mark Frequently Used VSCO Presets

Each of us has our favorite presets, which we regularly use for Instagram picture editing. Is there any possible way to access these tools quickly, without looking for them among many other filters? VSCO will allow you to mark your favorite presets. Put them in a convenient order. Also, you can hide the presets that you do not use at all. Go to the edit page and select the last icon on the left. Add it to your favorites by clicking on the star. Perform the opposite actions if you want to lower the priority of some filters.

14. Share Your Pictures Immediately or Post Them Later

Now you know how to edit Instagram pictures quickly and easily. Here is another useful image editing life hack for you. Sometimes users post their photos right away. In this case, you need to apply filters, put a geotag, mark all users shown in the picture, add a signature, and click the “Share” button. This sequencing is known to all Insta bloggers.

However, there is one method to edit photos and post them later. To do this, you need to enable “Airplane mode” on your phone. Thus, Instagram will only work as a photo editor. Without Internet access, it will not be able to publish your pictures. Before performing these steps, it is important to make sure that you have saved the original image.

To enable “Airplane mode” on Android devices, drag your finger down from the top of the display, and then move from right to left. Find the “Settings” menu and select the “Airplane mode” option.

If you use Apple devices, you need to swipe up from the bottom of the screen, find the airplane icon and click on it. There is another way. Go to the “Settings” menu, “Wi-Fi,” select “Airplane mode” and enable it.

15. Address Professional Photo Retouching Services

This is a convenient and quality way to get perfectly retouched photos quickly and for a very low cost, only $2-5 per picture. In this case, you will be sure that Instagram photo editing is performed as professionally as possible. Many companies, for example, like FixThePhoto, are ready to complete image editing orders of any complexity – from portrait retouching to adding creative color effects.

Ricardo is a freelance writer specialized in politics. He is with foreignspolicyi.org from the beginning and helps it grow. Email: richardorland4[at]gmai.com