I’m sharing the process I take to take and edit my photos for Instagram. It’s fairly basic. It’s not rocket science. But it works - for me. Usually I take just three steps.
When I started my Instagram in early 2011 I really had no clue where to begin. When I look back at those first few years of photos that I posted, I cringe, but we all start somewhere, right? The great thing about Instagram is that it helps you identify what you like and what you don’t. This in turn helps you to grow and develop in your own style and what works for you.
My 3 easy steps...
1. Start with your best possible shot - lighting is key
My best advice is to take the best possible photo you can so that you need the least amount of editing. Whether you use your phone, a point and shoot camera or a full-blown DSLR is neither here nor there really. If you’re posting to Insta, you can get great shots whatever you choose. If you want a clear bright photo, try shooting in natural light - and by natural light I mean soft light like that on a cloudy day. If you’re inside, pull away your blinds and curtains and let the light stream in through your windows (or in my case, sliding doors). Avoid the harsh sunlight in the middle of the day - ain’t nothing good going to come out of that. Go out early in the morning or late in the afternoon for that beautiful golden light. In my opinion, that is THE best light for a beautiful photograph. And take a bunch of shots from different angles. That way you’ll have choices.
go from this…
to this with a filter and/or a couple of simple edits
2. Choose a filter
I don’t often use photo editing apps on my phone. Mostly I just edit my photos using Instagram’s editing features. I either use one of its filters or just tweak my images using the edit options. Let’s start with the filters. They are like ice cream flavours - tastes vary by person, but some are more popular than others. And when it comes to figuring out your own preferences, the tried-and-true method is to sample them all. I go between five options - no filter, Clarendon, Lark, Juno, Ludwig. I googled the most popular Instagram filter and the one that ranks #1 is Clarendon. The fact that it’s the first one on the list might have something to do with its popularity!
Clarendon has an overall cool effect with slightly warmer midtones and brighter highlights.
Use this filter when:
You want to brighten lighter areas
You want to darken darker areas
You want an overall cooler look
before
after
Lark turns up the brightness but keeps it natural
Use this filter when:
You want a naturally bright look
You want to tone down the colour vibrancy
You want to maintain an overall cooler tone
before
after
Juno makes colours really pop
Use this filter when:
You want warm colours to stand out
You want cool colours to be vivid
You want brighter areas to glow nicely
before
after
Ludwig intensifies red hues while diminishing other colours
Use this filter when:
You want to downplay the vibrancy of most colours with the exception of red
You want to capture the right areas of light and dark in geometric objects or architectural structures
before
after (with some cropping as well)
Pro tip: You can adjust the intensity of any filter by tapping it a second time and adjusting the sliding scale from 0 (no effect) to 100 (full effect).
Another tip: Reorder your Instagram filters (or remove ones you never use) by scrolling to the end of the list and clicking “Manage.” Then simply drag the filters to your preferred order.
A further tip: Once you’ve applied your filter, you can adjust the Lux setting by clicking on the sun icon above your photo. Lux adjusts the contrast and exposure of photos, adding dimension and making the features of the photo pop. It’s sort of like contour, but for your pictures instead of your face. This can be particularly helpful for enhancing underexposed photos. Adjust the Lux by sliding the scale. Moving it to the right increases contrast and intensity, and moving to the left decreases them.
3. Choose from the edit options
Tap the edit button on the bottom-right to adjust other settings. My three go-tos are...
Alignment - if you’re the kind of person who is driven crazy by a crooked painting on a wall, you should too
Sharpen - this makes the details in the image really pop. I use this edit a lot for my food pics. It doesn’t always work so well on landscapes.
Brightness - you know I love light and bright so this one’s a no-brainer for me
before
after (hint: I went a bit rogue with the Warmth edit tool)
Before you get carried away with all the editing options, remember Coco Chanel’s timeless advice - take one accessory off before leaving the house. You don’t need to pile on every effect.
You just want to enhance what’s already eye-catching about your photo and think about what impelled you to look at the world around you…to notice shapes, colours, tones, the various perspectives and light and what was it about this particular subject that inspired you to take that particular photo.
That’s it! It can be as simple as that.
Have a great week and happy snapping and editing!