Any Instagram blogger strives to make their content the best and attract as many followers as possible. Photos and videos are the most important part of the page. A good shot is only 10% luck. The remaining 90% includes the skills to choose the right camera equipment, composition, angle, lighting, and editing the photo for Instagram is just the finishing touch.
Tips for photo editing
Naturalness is in trend. Bleached backgrounds, pink shades, unnatural skin, sky, and water colors are no longer relevant. Such photos have become boring and are present on almost any profile.
Creating a unique style on the page is the main task of an Instagrammer. There is no need to edit photos using maximum filter settings. Moderation in everything is a sign of good taste.
Blogger secrets for stylish photo editing
Creative producer and blogger Sofia Dozorets advises her followers to create a mood in their feed. Real emotions always elicit a response. On Instagram, it’s evident whether you like what you’re doing or not. The background adds atmosphere to the shot, and it should reflect the place being captured. Such photos are worth examining in detail. The dynamics of the photo are essential. Staged shots and unnatural poses don’t resonate with followers’ hearts.
Blogger Daria Kostromitina also advocates for “live” photos. Only pictures with sincere, vibrant emotions are popular.
SMM specialist Maxim Slavyansky advises learning the art of composition. You can take special courses or learn through trial and error. It’s like music: you can “play” a piece in your head, but until you sit down with the instrument and spend several hours rehearsing, nothing will come of it. After a few hundred shots, it becomes easy to choose the shooting point, understand the depth of the future frame, and how the details will look in it.
Of course, all Instagram stars use photo editing apps, but without a developed sense of beauty, any service is powerless.
Here are a few more tips from professionals:
– The brighter the light, the better the shot;
– Light objects require a dark background, and vice versa;
– Get rid of all unnecessary items in the photo that distract from the main idea of the shot;
– Experiments help gain experience and develop photography skills.
What to avoid during processing
Learning from successful people is wise. However, one should never imitate and squeeze their understanding into someone else’s framework. An individual account style cannot be achieved by copying. There are several general tips on what not to do:
- Do not violate the basic principle of a well-composed photo. Any image is divided into 9 equal parts. The grid that produces this division is available on Instagram and in smartphone cameras. Objects that make up the essence of the photo should be located on one of the lines or at their intersection. If this is not followed, the key element of the photo will be lost to the viewer.
- Avoid shooting directly into the sun. White spots or dark areas cannot be avoided.
- A yellow or brown background for portrait photos is a bad idea. No photo editing can completely correct the unnatural color of the image.
- Make sure that when blurring the background, the clear contours of the main figure of the exposure are not erased. This often happens and spoils the effect of the photo.
- Do not overload the photo with processing. Everything needs moderation, and naturalness is everything.
- Do not overuse the flash. Natural light is always better.
Photo editing apps for mobile phones
It’s quite possible to take a great photo on your phone, but you’ll still need to use photo editing apps. A high-quality source with thoughtful lighting and composition, using manual settings for phone shots, will reduce processing time.
With a sense of style and taste, you can take better photos using only free processing services.
VSCO
The most commonly used photo editor, adapted for smartphones and iOS. There are ready-made templates and individual settings. The intensity of filters is adjustable. A useful function of saving images on the phone if their publication time has not yet come. Filters in VSCO allow you to adjust the level of lighting and skin tone, adjust perspective. The application also allows you to:
– Adjust graininess;
– Darken light areas and lighten dark areas in photos;
– Crop the image;
– Create a mirrored image and tilt it;
– Adjust composition and perspective.
Snapseed
This application competes in popularity with the previous one. It is used by professionals and beginners alike. It allows editing of photos and videos with brightness higher than standard. There is a function that automatically determines the genre of the photo and suggests a suitable set of tools for editing. One downside is that it is not suitable for working with layers.
The app allows for precise editing of photo details by adding contrast or blur. It has a large set of built-in filters. With the HDR effect, it allows you to highlight and saturate any object in the photo.
Facetune
The most favorite application for girls who dream of correcting their appearance, at least in photos. It has a “Plastic” filter. With its help, you can not only change the shape of your face, retouch problem areas, enlarge your eyes and lips, but also lengthen your legs or reduce your waistline.
Allows you to process photos by replacing the background, adding saturation, contrast, changing the direction of lighting. Suitable for iPhones 6.0 and above.
Photo editing software for computer
Graphic editors for PCs are much more diverse and functional than those for mobile devices.
CS Photoshop” – “Photoshop CS
For beginners, the application is too complicated. It is more commonly used for professional photo editing. A licensed paid version is required for proper operation. It works on PC operating systems and mobile applications.
There are several versions of Photoshop from CS to CS6. The application has the following features:
- Edits the quality of printed or scanned photos, eliminates color transfer defects;
- Adds a trendy vintage effect to photo details;
- Restores old photos, colors black and white files;
- Creates a multi-layered image;
- Uses vector contours;
- Crops;
- Works with drawings, sketches, and complex graphics.
Adobe Lightroom
Adobe, the manufacturer of Photoshop, has introduced a new photo editor called Lightroom. The application is currently only available in English, but the interface is extremely clear and easy to use. There is no ability to work with DNG images.
The service integrates seamlessly with Photoshop, but has a number of enhancements. There are 5 modules: Library, Develop, Slideshow, Print, and Web. The program’s toolkit is more powerful. A soft-proofing function has been added. With it, a printed photo will look as beautiful as it does on the screen. There is also a module for creating photo books.
Pixlr Editor
It has become a popular photo editor thanks to its interface, which is more user-friendly than Photoshop’s. Users can choose from 13 languages, with Russian among them, making it a preferred service for Russian-speaking users.
Some of the program’s features include:
- scaling;
- transformation;
- layer management;
- in-depth color correction;
- old photo effect;
- blurring and sharpening;
- removal and processing of small skin defects;
- red-eye removal and teeth whitening.
The “lasso” tool comes with a pencil, eraser, and brush, allowing users to cut out and adjust a specific part of an image. The “text” tool lets users choose fonts and adjust them within the program to maintain their own style.
The army of critics of “over-edited” photos is growing. However, edited photos for Instagram consistently receive more likes than “untouched” ones. It’s like makeup – too much is vulgar, but none at all is not an option. Good photo editing for Instagram should look like it wasn’t edited at all, making the account stylish and popular.