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How to make your instagram pictures look better


How to Edit Instagram Photos Like a Pro

Instagram is a visual platform — so having great photos is key to a successful Instagram strategy. In other words: quality images result in quality engagement.

Thankfully, you don’t need to be a pro photographer to post beautiful content to your Instagram accounts.

All you need is your smartphone camera, a few editing tools and tricks… and a little practice.

Watch this video if you want to learn how to edit your photos for Instagram using Adobe Lightroom:

Or, read on to learn how to edit Instagram photos to grow your audience and establish a compelling brand aesthetic. You’ll also get a breakdown of some of the best photo-editing apps that can take your images (and engagement) to new heights.

Save time editing photos and download your free pack of 10 customizable Instagram presets now.

How to edit Instagram photos the basic way

Instagram has built-in editing tools and filters, so this is a great place to start if you’re just starting to dabble in the world of image manipulation.

1. Begin with a quality photo

Even the best filter can’t disguise a bad picture, so make sure you’re starting with a quality photo.

Natural light is always the best option but use the HDR mode on your smartphone camera when shooting in dim light, close up, or outdoor portraits for best results.

Another pro tip? Snap a bunch of shots to make sure you’ve got options when posting time rolls around.

If you’re strapped for time or inspiration, try customizing stock photography. There’s a whole wide world of free, quality stock photography out there to choose from.

Pro tip: Start with a photo that’s sized for Instagram. If your photo or video is too small, it may appear blurry or grainy, no matter how much you edit it. And you can’t edit your photo after posting. Photos that are at least 1080 pixels wide will look best. Instagram will crop your photo as a square by default, but you can adjust it to its full width or height if you prefer.

2. Upload your photo to Instagram

Open up the Instagram app and select the plus-sign icon in the top right.

This will open up a menu of posting options. Select post and then pick your photo from your image gallery. Tap next.

3. Pick a filter

Here, you’ll find a variety of filters, which will adjust the lighting, colors, contrast, and sharpness of the image in different ways.

“Gingham” for instance, creates a flat and muted look, while “Inkwell” turns your photo black and white. Tap each filter to preview how it will look on your particular photo.

“Claredon” is the most popular filter in the world, according to Lifewire, for a cooler look that pumps up the contrast in a natural way.

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).

But in 2021, most pro Instagram users tend to skip the filter step all together in favor of customizing their own visual balance. Which brings us to the “edit” function in the Instagram app…

4. Customize your photo with the Instagram editing tool

At the bottom of the screen, you’ll see an “Edit” tab on the right. Tap that to access a menu of editing options:

  • Adjust: Use this to straighten your photo or alter the horizontal or vertical perspective.
  • Brightness: A slider to brighten or darken your image.
  • Contrast: A slider to make the distinction between the dark and bright parts of the images more or less intense.
  • Structure: Enhance the detailing in the photos.
  • Warmth: Slide to the right to warm things up with orange tones, or to the left to cool them down with blue tones.
  • Saturation: Adjust the intensity of the colors.
  • Color: Layer on a color to either the shadows or highlights of the photo.

  • Fade: Use this tool to make your photo look washed out — like it’s been faded by the sun.
  • Highlights: Brighten or darken the brightest areas of the image.
  • Shadows: Brighten or darken the darkest areas of the image.
  • Vignette: Use the slider to darken the edges of the photo, making the image at the center look brighter by contrast.


  • Tilt Shift: Choose either a “radial” or “linear” focal point, and blur everything else.
  • Sharpen: Make the details a little crisper. (What’s the difference between this and structure? Unclear.)

Pro tip: At the top of the screen, you’ll see a magic wand icon. Tap that to open the Lux tool, which allows you to tweak the exposure and brightness on a sliding scale.

When you’re done making your edits, tap Next in the top right corner.

5.

Tweak individual photos in a multi-image post

If you’re sharing multiple photos in a single post (also called a carousel), you can edit each one separately. Tap the Venn diagram icon in the bottom-right corner of the photo to bring up individual editing options.

If you don’t do this, Instagram will apply your edits to every photo the same way. If your photos were taken in different conditions, or feature different subjects, editing them individually is worthwhile.

6. Post your photo (or save it for later)

Write your caption and tag any people or locations, then tap share to get your masterpiece out into the world.

You did it! You edited an Instagram photo! And now everyone will see!

… or if you’re feeling shy and want to wait, just tap the back arrow twice and you’ll be prompted to save your image and edits as a draft.

Instagram photo editing tips: beyond the basics

If you want to take your Instagram photos to the next level, though, you’ll need to spend a little time working on your images before you even open them in the app.

Here are a few ways to go beyond the bare minimum to make those pics pop.

Straighten up and focus

You’ve done your best in the shooting stage to create a great composition, but in case your camera wasn’t perfectly level, or if a stray piece of litter has crept into the shot at the edges, the straighten and crop tool is here to help.

This tool is the easiest way to improve your composition when it’s too late to retake the shot. A good rule of thumb? If the horizon in your photo is straight, you’re golden.

Tidy up the details

Use the spot-removing tool in your favorite editing app to clean up your images before you get to the color correction stage.

Whether that’s removing stray crumbs from the table of your food shot or discretely erasing a zit from your model’s face, cleaning up those distracting details will ultimately make your shot look more polished.

Consider the grid

Want to create a grid with a consistent, on-brand vibe? Keep your tones uniform, whether that’s warm and vintage-y, vibrant and neon or pretty in pastel.

Find some grid-spiration here, with our countdown of 7 creative ways to design an Instagram grid layout.

Mix and match editing tools

This is one of our top tips.

There’s no rule saying you need to stick with one editing app. If you love the smoothing effects of one program, and the cool filters in another, use ‘em both and get your photo just right before you upload it to Instagram

How Instagram influencers edit their photos

Wondering how to edit Instagram photos like the pros? We watched Instagram influencers’ how-to videos so you don’t have to!

You’re welcome.

TLDR: Most professional Instagram posters use multiple editing apps to get the look they want — Facetune and Lightroom are particularly popular.

For instance, Instagram influencer Mia Randria smoothes out her skin with Facetune, zooming in to even out the area under her eyebrows or rough skin. She uses the patch tool for bigger bits, and the push tool to adjust details like her lip line.

Once that’s done, she uses presets in Lightform to adjust the lighting, contrast and color. (If you want to experiment with presets, we’ve got 10 free Instagram presets to download right here!)

10 of the best Instagram photo editing apps

While there are tons of great apps out there to help you make your posts for Instagram the best they can be, these are some of our favorite photo-editing tools.

1. Hootsuite Photo Editor

If you want to edit your photos in the same platform you’re scheduling posts and planning your content calendar, look no further than Hootsuite.

With Hootsuite image editor, you can resize your photos according to preset social media network requirements, including Instagram. You can also adjust lighting and saturation, apply filters and focus points, apply text, and more.

Here’s a full list of all the image editing features available in Hootsuite for Professional users and above.

Try it for Free

2. VSCO

The app comes with 10 free preset filters (pay to upgrade your account and you’ll access 200-plus others), and features sophisticated editing tools that help adjust contrast, saturation, grain, and fade. The “recipes” tool allows you to save your favorite combo of edits.

Save time editing photos and download your free pack of 10 customizable Instagram presets now.

Get the free presets right now!

Source: VSCO

3. A Color Story

Filters galore (choose bright whites or moody hues to suit your style), 120-plus effects and high-level editing tools that go into photography-nerd detail (in case you wanted to tweak your “functioning curves and HSL”).

For those of us with more “big picture” brains, A Color Story also features a preview of your grid so you can workshop a cohesive look.

Souce: A Color Story

4. Avatan Photo Editor

While there’s a robust library of effects, stickers, textures, and frames in the Avatan photo editor, the retouching tools might be most useful. Smooth out skin, brighten dark spots, and patch distracting details easily.


Source: Avatan

5. Snapseed

Developed by Google, Snapseed is a robust toolkit for photo editing that lives conveniently on your phone. The brush tool allows you to easily retouch saturation, brightness and warmth; the details tool enhances surface structure to layer in texture.

Source: Snapseed

6. Adobe Lightroom

Wondering how to edit Instagram photos fast? Presets are the answer.

And this cloud-based photo tool not only makes it easy to edit your pics on your phone or your desktop, but it’s also the editing app of choice for people using presets as filters.

The intelligent highlight tool makes it easy to edit just the photo subject or just the backdrop with a single click or tap… but the downside is that to access the most robust tools, it’s a paid subscription.

Source: Adobe

PS: Interested in trying presets? Most influencers will sell you theirs for a small fee, but we’re offering a pack of 10, created by our amazing designer Hillary, for free.

Save time editing photos and download your free pack of 10 customizable Instagram presets now.

7. Afterlight

The filter library is populated by custom filters by photographers, so you know you’ve got a ton of great options to sift through. Advanced tools and interesting overlays (dust texture, anyone?) give photos a real film-like quality.

Source: Afterlight

8. Adobe Photoshop Express

This is the quick and dirty mobile edition of Photoshop, and takes advantage of AI technology to intelligently handle noise reduction, retouching, cutouts and more to clean things up with a few taps.


Source: Adobe

9. TouchRetouch

TouchRetouch is sort of a magic wand to fix any awkward moments in your photo: a few taps and — abracadabra! — that distracting powerline or photobomber in the background disappears. It costs $2.79, but once you’ve got this bad boy in your arsenal, blemishes will have nowhere to hide.

Source: The App Store

10. Facetune

This spooky-realistic face editing tool has been downloaded by over 100 million users. Smooth out rough patches subtly, amp up your best features, and generally ignore the true meaning of #IWokeUpLikeThis.

But don’t go overboard with the editing features. Many Instagram users are savvy enough to recognize when their favorite influencers are tuning their faces too much and may be turned off by your lack of authenticity.


Source: Facetune

These are just a few of the Instagram photo editing tools out there. There are plenty more Instagram apps—for editing or otherwise—to discover.

Now that you know how to edit Instagram photos, the key is to find a few apps that work for you and use them regularly to refine and enhance your posts.

From there, you can build an inspiring and engaging Instagram presence, one stunning photo at a time. Trust us—your followers will notice.

Save time and manage your entire Instagram marketing strategy in one place using Hootsuite. Edit photos and compose captions, schedule posts for the best time, respond to comments and DMs, and analyze your performance with easy-to-understand data. Try it free today.

Start Editing

Easily create, analyze, and schedule Instagram posts, Stories, and Reels with Hootsuite. Save time and get results.

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10 Tips on How to Make Instagram Posts More Attractive

Is your Instagram engagement rate stagnating or decreasing?

Not good!

What's the secret to increasing your engagement rate on Instagram?

Posting attractive photos, of course!

But how do you do that??

How do you make your Instagram content stand out and entertain?

Good question! 

Read the 10 expert tips below to learn the answer.

10 Tips on How to Make Instagram Posts More Attractive

In this post, we’ll look at 10 of the BEST ways to make attractive Instagram photos.

If you follow these tips, you will create content SO good that even your competitors won't be able to resist Liking your posts!

When people can't resist Liking your posts, your engagement rate will rise!

In this post, we'll cover these topics:

  • How to make unique Instagram posts
  • 10 Tips to increase your Instagram engagement rate
  • 7 KILLER Instagram photo Ideas
  • 4 Things that happen when an Instagram feed looks good
  • The best way to schedule posts on Instagram

How do I create attractive Instagram posts?

Upload scroll-stopping photos

There are about 300 million photos uploaded to Instagram EVERY DAY.

How can you POSSIBLY compete with all those photos?

Start by imagining this:

Dave, one of your page followers, is scrolling down his feed while at a doctor's appointment.

He comes across your IG post of a beautiful shell you found on the beach.

He thinks, "That looks nice."

Then he keeps scrolling.

Nice isn’t always unique or INTERESTING.

A unique twist on the pic may have led to more engagement.

For example, an extreme close-up of the shell with a caption asking viewers to guess what the photo is could pique curiosity.

If you want to take the funny route, you could capture something funny in the background.

Say, an awkwardly standing person or crazy-looking seagull.

The point is to post something that stops the scroll.

Unique photos make viewers "present with your photo."

The example above is a "scroll stopping" photo.

Why?

It’s "outside-the-box" enough to MAKE you stop long enough to react to it.

I mean, have YOU ever seen a staircase like that?

Colors, photo depth, patterns, portraits, or shapes are all aspects that can stop the scroll.

Know your Instagram audience

Everyone has preferences.

That includes YOUR IG followers (people who prefer to see a certain type of photo).

The truth is uniqueness is a bit subjective.

That said, target your Instagram content at people who are into it.

To do that, you have to know your audience.

You can learn more about your audience by browsing the following IG content in your niche:

  • Instagram hashtags
  • Your discover feed
  • Your competitors’ accounts

Once you view the posts, read the comments!

You can learn a LOT about your audience by reading their reactions to posts.

This "scouting" will let you know things people like and give you great photo ideas.

Focusing on a niche audience can take you a lot further than posting generic types of content.

When you couple the photo ideas you picked up with these 10 Instagram photo tips, your engagement will take on a life of its own!

10 Tips on How to Make Your Instagram Posts More Attractive

Ok, let's do this!

Follow the 10 tips below to take the engagement rate on your Instagram posts to another level.

1. Adjust your phone’s camera settings

To take amazing Instagram photos, you want to hone in on (phone) photography basics.

Test out the photo features built into your phone’s camera, including the following:

  • Filters
  • Frames (square VS traditional)
  • Pano
  • Portrait mode
  • HDR mode
  • Live mode
  • Stability mode

Specifically, avoid relying on autofocus, overexposed photos, and flash.

Don't just rely on autofocus

If you’re taking quick in-the-moment snaps, it's okay to rely on autofocus.

But it's always better to LEARN how to control the focus manually.

When taking multiple photos, manually focusing can even be quicker than autofocus.

It's pretty simple to learn the manual focus feature.

Tap on the point of the image you want to highlight, and then take the photo.

For iPhones, a yellow box should appear.

You will get a nice, clean, and focused shot of your subject.

Avoid overexposed photos

Overexposure = Too BRIGHT

Underexposure = Too DARK

Many amateur photographers make the mistake of taking a photo with full exposure.

What happens?

The details and highlights of the picture get LOST!

Instead, aim for a photo that's just bright and dark enough.

That method allows the highlights and shadows to make the image look natural.

Learning how to leverage exposure takes practice (which can be pretty fun!).

If photos come out too one-sided (too dark or too light), you can always adjust for brightness.

Just tap on the image (for iPhones, a yellow box should appear).

Then use the slider to swipe up (for more exposure) or down (for less exposure).

You can also adjust the exposure of your photo during post-production editing.

Avoid using flash

Flash CAN be useful.

BUT it can also ruin the overall quality of your photo.

Why?

Flash blows out the picture's lighting.

What you get is an image that looks like it was captured on a disposable camera from 1999.

Great photos on Instagram typically use natural lighting and light photo editing.

2. Leverage depth of field

Depth of field is a terrific way of standing out on Instagram.

This is essentially when the main subject of your photo is focused on more than its environment.

Here's a good example from a user taking a photo of the Space Needle in Seattle, WA:

Notice how the Space Needle is far away yet still in focus?

To get a good depth of field, practice using your camera’s focus features.

Tap the object you would like to focus on.

Then, move the camera around so that surrounding objects lose focus.

You've now accomplished an incredible depth of field!

Hear that?

Oh... It's just your Instagram followers liking and commenting on your new depth of field post!

3. Get your lighting right!

Proper lighting is KEY to great photography.

Your lighting source can come from the following:

  • Natural light - Light from the sun/nature
  • Artificial light - Lamp, selfie light, ring light
  • Light patches - beams of artificial or natural light

Lighting can really make or break a photo...even if you edit things very nicely.

Here's an example Instagram post with great natural lighting:

4. Change up your angles

Playing with angles is a powerful technique for impacting the way people see your post.

Think about your subject and the combinations of ways you can view it.

Angle your camera from the top, middle, or bottom of the frame.

You can even turn your phone upside down to create a foreground element.

Taylor Rees, a well-known photographer with 126K Instagram followers, suggests flipping the mobile upside down and taking pictures of your subject from the ground.

According to Taylor, this is the best way to add the ground as a foreground element.

This tactic works for all kinds of objects:

Ground, a table, railing, or desk.

5. Use colors that complement each other

Complementary colors increase your chances of stopping your followers’ scrolling.

So what are some colors that go well together?

According to Design Wizard, these complementary color combos make MAGIC:

Test these combos and try to take photographs that naturally contain them.

Remember: the color shades don't have to be EXACT.

Use this list as inspiration, not a rule book.

6. Use burst mode for moving object photos

Have you ever wanted to take a picture of a fast-moving object?

Then (after trying a few times) you gave up because of all the blurry results?

There's a way around this.

The "Burst Mode" feature can help you take great still photos of moving objects.

This camera setting takes about 10 photos a second (yeah — whoa).

This volume of photos increases your chances of capturing the perfect shot.

Activating burst mode is super easy.

Here's how to do it:

1. Open your camera app.

2. If you have an iPhone XS/XR or older, hold down the button that takes pictures (the shutter button).

3. For iPhones 11 and up, slide the shutter button to your left.

Source: 9to5Mac

4. When you're done shooting your burst photos, they'll be grouped in your camera roll, and you can pick the best one.

If you ever see a UFO one day, now you know what to do!

7. Make use of grids (the rule of thirds)

Your smartphone's camera likely has a grid feature you can activate.

Grids can help you center your subject precisely in the middle of the frame.

You can also follow the rule of thirds to enhance your picture composition.

Check your camera settings to make sure that your grid feature is enabled:

Using grids will also help you maintain consistency when cropping your pictures.

8. Leverage white space (to draw attention)

White space can guide the viewer's eyes to focus on the subject.

Using white space is an excellent way of having a singular focus on your photo.

Too much going on in one picture can be distracting for the viewer.

Here's an example of an Instagram photo effectively using white space:

Here’s another example of using white space to highlight the photo subject:

8. Choose the right photo mode

Today’s smartphone cameras are becoming increasingly savvy.

But you want to make sure you’re using your powerful camera correctly.

When taking your Instagram photos, be mindful of the photo mode you are in.

Photo modes are different from camera settings.

Photo modes are designed to take certain types of pictures.

For example, portrait mode is a great option for a close-up picture of your friend.

Panorama works well for capturing vast scenery:

The best way to learn how to use your photo modes?

Experiment with all of them!

You might be surprised by what you find.

9. Include graphics

You can embed graphics into your photos to announce giveaways, events, or products.

Canva is an EXCELLENT graphics and photo editing tool!

Check out the following examples for some graphics inspiration:

10. Filter your photos like a pro!

Filters are probably one of the first things you think of when you hear "Instagram photos."

But there’s an entire WORLD of amazing filter tools in addition to (and maybe even better than) Instagram.

Some great photo filter applications include the following:

  • Adobe Lightroom - Filter your photos and choose unique presets, one of the most popular photo filtering apps around!
  • Inshot - Crop your pictures to fit into the aspect ratio of Instagram. Easily edit photos and videos using beautiful effects and filters.
  • Mendr - Let professionals edit your photos for you!
  • Afterlight - Another highly rated photo editing application. Available for IOS and Android.
  • PicPlayPost - Create collages with its easy-to-use vertical-video interface. Free to download for both IOS and Android.
  • VSCO - Helps you create aesthetically pleasing images and provides a wider range of presets than Instagram.
  • Facetune 2 - Known as the "selfie editor," this app acts as a user-friendly touch-up tool. Available for IOS & Android devices.
  • Pixlr - This is a versatile software that allows you to professionally edit photos while still being simple to use. Available for IOS & Android devices.

Filters let you choose from a wide range of presets or modify your photo based on what you want to accentuate.

Here are 3 tips when it comes to filtering photo editing:

  • If you're using a preset, consider toning down the filter to a more natural level.
  • Tweak colors in your photo to help them pop.
  • Have a consistent photo editing “aesthetic” to set yourself apart.

7 KILLER Instagram photo Ideas

You now have a war chest of amazing IG photo hacks to increase your engagement rate.

Now what?

Apply what you’ve learned to spark engagement with these Instagram photo ideas!

1. Weather

It’s hard to NOT to like a fantastic Instagram weather photo.

Practice your filters, angles, lighting with unique weather pics.

Post your best weather shots on Instagram!

Make sure to engage in the comments (people love their clouds)!

2. Flat Lay photo

Flat lay photos work well to show off a product.

Use white space to emphasize the subjects of your flat lay pics.

Ask your followers to pick out their favorite items in the photo!

Then reply to their comments to keep the conversation going.

3. Animals/pets

There are few photos people love more than pet and animal pics.

Play with depth of field to emphasize a pup in the foreground (like in the pic above).

Got a spunky fur baby you want to show off?

Use burst mode to catch them in action!

4. Location

Location photos have the potential to be STUNNING. But they can also be boring (especially if you’re capturing someplace famous).

Use unique angles to showcase a location in an interesting way.

You can also play around with depth of field (like in the example above).

Remember, your goal is to stand out.

Help your followers see the same old location with fresh eyes!

5. Portrait, close-up photos

Don’t underestimate the power of a good portrait shot.

Believe it or not, people want to see YOU (at least every once in a while).

In fact, your followers want to know that your brand is HUMAN.

Use portrait shots to introduce yourself, your team, or customers who love your brand!

6. Food

Food photos are fan favorites.

But that’s if you can master at LEAST these 3 photography elements in your pics:

  • Lighting
  • White space
  • Colors

In the pic above, your eyes are drawn to the vibrant colors on the pie.

Those colors pop because the background is “white space.”

I know, I know.

It’s technically brown. But it’s plain (so it emphasizes the ingredients).

And all of that is made possible because of excellent lighting.

The lighting appears natural — there aren’t any glares (not even in the glass).

The photog likely used SOME kind of external light source, but the outcome is what counts!

7. Clothing

Ever notice that you can just TELL when the purpose of a photo is to emphasize clothing?

How do photographers do that?

Consider the example above.

The background is not QUITE white space.

But it’s close to it!

The only color that stands out in the photo is the blue on the subject’s shirt.

How do we know what to pay attention to?

Well, the man in the photo is wearing sunglasses.

Plus, the shot captures the whole outfit rather than focusing on his face.

In combination, those aspects tell us that his apparel is the REAL point of the pic.

4 things that happen when an Instagram feed looks good

1. Your get more followers

A by-product of a great Instagram feed is more followers.

Apply Post Planner's hashtag tips to maintain a successful Instagram feed.

2. Engagement goes up

People are likely to engage with an attractive Instagram feed because it grabs their attention.

Hold someone’s attention for long enough, and you’ll get more likes and comments.

Some people may even use Instagram's "save" feature on your best posts.

Engagement gets even BETTER when you post your Instagram pictures at the right time!

Here’s what I mean:

There are peak hours when your followers are online.

Posting during those times is one of the best ways to get your post seen.

But what if your peak hours happen at a time that’s not convenient for you?

Do what countless Instagram users do and use a post-scheduling tool!

For example, Post Planner lets you schedule posts in advance and automatically publishes them for you.

So enjoy your coffee and read a book while your posts go live at the PERFECT time!

Out of creative ideas for Instagram photos?

You can browse Post Planner’s MASSIVE content library for beautiful images!

You can even save profiles that post great content into groups called Content Streams!

3. You build authority & credibility

An outstanding Instagram feed adds authority to your brand.

Why?

Because you appear above-average compared to most profiles.

Think about it.

You can tell when an influencer puts a lot of thought into their photos.

In fact, that’s what makes an influencer’s page unforgettable.

That type of impression makes you seem trustworthy.

If you’re selling a product or service, that trust can grow your business.

4. Partnership opportunities increase

As your following grows, brands will reach out wanting to collaborate with you.

If forming brand partnerships is one of your business goals, post STUNNING photos.

The better your IG feed looks, the more followers you get.

The more followers you get, the more influential you become in your niche.

The more influence you hold, the more people will want to work with you!

What’s the best way to post on Instagram?

Creating Instagram photos that look good comes down to 4 principles:

  • Applying photo-taking fundamentals
  • Knowing your audience
  • Standing out
  • Publishing consistently

A post-scheduling tool can go a LONG way and helping you practice most of these principles.

Why?

Post scheduling makes your IG marketing strategy SUSTAINABLE and EFFICIENT!

Ready to save time and money and boost Instagram engagement at the same time?

Create a free account with Post Planner today!

Got other photography tips for increasing engagement?

Drop them in the comments below!

How to take a beautiful photo on Instagram: from theory to practice

You must have heard that Instagram* is a social network for visuals, and photos are of paramount importance here. Not without exceptions, but that's how it is. What to do if you want to conquer Instagram *, but you have never been a photographer? How to take cool photos on Instagram*? Don't be upset, believe in yourself and read this article!

Benefits of Instagram* for non-photographers

If you have long been attracted by the art of photography, but are frightened by the number of complex words, technical nuances and long processing, your time has come - Instagram* will solve problems and awaken dormant creative potential. After all, everyone can take cool photos on Instagram* and upload normal, high-quality content to their profile!

A phone is enough

You don't have to buy a big expensive camera to take cool photos for your Instagram account*. You can get by with a smartphone with a good camera.

Single photo format

By default, there are two types of photos on Instagram*: square and rectangular. This means you don't have to worry about cropping, weight, or photo size. The social network will think about it for you. Catch cool shots and upload to your account by publishing a post or story.

Read our blog about the nuances of uploading photos to Instagram* without cropping.

If you make it a rule that your profile will contain only Instagram photos*, that is, square ones, you can do the following:

No photoshop needed

In the case of an ordinary camera and an ordinary website (or social network), it takes effort to turn a simple photo into a beautiful photo. Pictures will have to be uploaded from the camera to a computer, deal with processing programs (Photoshop or similar), learn a lot of complex words, like “exposure” or “trimming”. It's easier with Instagram.

The application itself has a shooting function. You can edit brightness, contrast, saturation and other parameters in the application by moving your finger along the scale. Here, on Instagram*, there are many filters that are superimposed on the photo with a touch, even a child can handle it.

When standard photo editing tools are no longer enough, check out our articles for more applications:

  • photo and video editing for Instagram*;
  • top 25 services for working on Instagram*.

Tip: If you don't want to share a photo taken and edited with Instagram*, save it to your smartphone.

After applying the filters, click "Download"

Insta photography theory

When deciding how to take good photos on Instagram * on your phone, follow a few simple rules.

Daylight

Light from a chandelier and lamp makes the photo yellow and distorts colors, so if you are new to photography, shoot only in daylight - it is the most advantageous. Daylight doesn't mean sunny day, it's just daylight hours. In this light, the photo turns out “as if alive”: with natural colors and shadows.

You don't have to go outside to take a photo on Instagram* in daylight, you can also take pictures at home. If it's dark at home, get closer to the window, shoot on the windowsill, or set up a photo zone next to the window.

Compose

The social network is not an online store, and photos of items on an etched white background that look great in a store window on Instagram * usually do not arouse much interest. Here they love photos with details and textures that are interesting to consider. In this case, you can use a white background, but if it is a sheet or a blanket, the frame will become more interesting. In addition to them, you can use a special photophone. Backgrounds come in different textures and colors: under the tree, under the concrete, under the brick - choose any.

The photophone itself, of course, is not very interesting. To make it interesting, you need to put something on it. It can be postcards, books, magazines, cookies, flowers, travel magnets - all that junk that gathers dust on the shelves and it's a pity to throw it away.

But if you are thinking about creating an online store, read “How to take a professional photo for Instagram *”, “Hand-Made. How to make a selling photo of a product” on our blog.

Clean lens

It may be obvious and funny, but it is the smudged lens that often prevents you from taking normal photos on Instagram*. One day I decided that my phone was broken: all the photos turned out to be cloudy. A few hours separated me from buying a new phone, when I realized that I just needed to wipe the lens.

Wipe the lens. Always clean the lens.

Focus on

There may be more than one subject in the frame. The most clear should be the main one. To "catch the focus" it is enough to poke your finger into the desired object on the phone screen.

Take a lot of shots

Back when everything was shot with film cameras, every shot was worth its weight in gold. Now, in the digital age, we can click the shutter until our phone runs out of space. Then remove the excess and click again. This is good, because it is not always possible to "see the frames" the first time.

Tip: Take multiple shots at once. Swap items in places, add new ones, remove unnecessary ones. Then choose the best option and publish a post or story.

The practice of insta photography

In theory, everything is simple and clear, but in practice, accounts are full of trash pictures. Why? Because after the lecture it is necessary to work out seminars to consolidate the material. And if “just a photo” in stories is still somehow appropriate, then beautiful photos should always be taken for posts on Instagram *.

Find examples

Taste can be trained like a muscle. Perhaps now you don’t know what a “beautiful photograph” is, how to build a frame, how to lay out small things on a photo background. But there are many who know and post cool photos on Instagram* - find them! Subscribe to accounts that you like, whose style is close to you. Let their photos constantly flash in your feed.

Practice

You can't use other people's photos. But you can take your photos "based on". At first, this will help you to “fill your hand” and feel the insta-style in photography. Do not worry that you are repeating, because you are unlikely to get exactly the same photo.

Over time, you yourself will learn to invent and see shots, and the need for repetition will disappear by itself. Repetition is only needed at the very beginning while you are learning. I myself went through this, learning to photograph from other people's photographs.

Friend / foe

Gather the base and ideas

Among the pictures you view, there will most likely be those that you can hypothetically repeat for your profile. Surely you also have beautiful bedding, or a cool mug, or you can also lay out dry leaves in a book, or it’s interesting to gut a bouquet. If you like the frame and you understand that it is not difficult to recreate it, take a print screen and save the idea for creating a photo in the Instagram format*.

Change your angle.

The simplest thing you can do. What is the point? You are asked to take a picture of a person. You take your smartphone, stand in front of it and press the button. Do not do it this way.

Squat or stand up so that your faces are at the same level to prevent the person in the photo from turning out to be short-legged. For the next shot, climb somewhere higher and take a picture from above. Squat down and take a picture from below. Come closer and again from below. Take a photo from the side. Go behind the tree and take a couple more shots through the leaves. This is called changing perspective.

lissa.zn and _lsvln_ just put a smartphone in an unusual place for shooting, and the result was not “just a photo”

When you look at cool pictures on social networks, not necessarily people, think for a second where was the photographer at the time of the shoot. And how would the frame turn out if the photo was taken in a standard way, from a height of human growth.

You can't say better about the importance of the angle.

The technique is also suitable for subject shooting. You can take a beautiful photo of a mug on a table on Instagram* from a dozen angles: from the side, placing the smartphone on the table, just from the side, from the side of the handle, from the top in the center, slightly tilting the smartphone from above, and so on.

Reflection.

Also an easy trick. Look for reflections: in shop windows, in puddles, in mirrors, in sunglasses, and even in broken glass, if you're not superstitious.

irenaponaroshku and kristikut are experimenting while relaxing on the beach and taking Instagram photos* for posts and stories

Get deeper.

Cool trees, flowers, grass, children's climbing frames? Don't stand in the background, go inside if possible.

akmaral_bekmaganbetova and analim_oni were not afraid to go deep into the thickets

Seasonal photos.

There is something beautiful in every season. If you get stuck with ideas, remember what is now, what will not be later, and take a picture with it. In winter, it is snow, snowmen, a fairytale forest, garlands in the city and cool shop windows, snow fun. In the fall ... yes, you yourself will continue this list better than me!

In spring nature wakes up and photographer.victoria28 takes a photo with everything that woke up, filling the feed with spring content

Focus on one subject .

Often, seeing something cool, we take and take a photo thoughtlessly. Tip: Your shots will look more professional if only a small part of the beauty is in focus, and the rest goes into the background.

An example from my dacha. Pay attention to the grid - the main object is better placed along the lines or at the intersection points of the lines. The eye is so pleasing

A part of myself.

The picture will attract more attention if you shoot not just an interesting street or forest, but insert a part of yourself into the frame. Let it be your legs, or a hand with a hat or ice cream, it doesn't matter.

There is a story hidden behind such shots...

Film life .

When you blog and look for footage, walk the streets of the city and take a closer look at your surroundings. We all often hurry somewhere, and do not notice many interesting things. You can also ask to take a picture of you "in the crowd." Here you are going somewhere, or sitting on a bench thinking, and people, bicycles, cars are hurrying around. Just make sure the focus is on you.

Tip: if it's difficult, imagine that you are a reportage photographer, and your task as a newspaper editor is to capture the life of the city :-)

Natural frames .

Arches, a large mesh fence, an art object, even an inflatable swimming ring can become a kind of photo frame.

When shooting outdoors, just think about what could serve as a frame for a photo, and most likely, you will quickly find the right one. v.olga3 and krutikova_yana found ideas for Instagram photos*

Repeating objects, symmetry .

A row of identical cars, a long fence, even identical white sneakers lined up - all this attracts attention with its repetitions. The same with symmetry: the eye automatically begins to look for inconsistencies in ideality, and you have earned attention to your photo.

monika0305 sees symmetry in architecture, red_apple_photo in nature. When there is no symmetry around, create it yourself like ya.shedow

Use shadow .

Difficult but interesting technique. An ugly shadow will spoil even a beautiful shot. Do you want chic? Train your eyesight and repeat like a pro.

little_studio and irenaponaroshku and their shadow games

Funny shots .

The main rule is not to overwork. Such shots are best done by people with a good sense of humor.

Which of the “fu, not funny” photos do you think?

Selfie stick and tripod .

The tripod helps you avoid hand shake when taking pictures and take selfies without help. And with the help of a selfie stick, you can get breathtaking and amazing shots.

What is strength, brother? In stick, selfie stick

Camera zoom .

Do not use the zoom on the smartphone, it is better to approach the object yourself. In a smartphone, the zoom is not the zoom of a professional camera. It will ruin the photo quality.

As you can see, everything can be learned if you really want to. And Instagram itself is ready to teach you this. Your task is only to find what you like, remember and practice a lot.

Cool shots for you!

How to take cool photos for Instagram*

InstagramProduct belongs to an organization recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation. remains a social network about beautiful photos, so you can't do without good shots. Amplifer support manager and InstagramThe product belongs to an organization recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation. - Blogger Anastasia Chernykh has already told how to blog in InstagramThe product belongs to an organization recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation, and now explains how to learn how to take cool photos, find your own style and make publications more attractive.

Learn the basics

You don't have to use a camera to take beautiful photos for Instagram* - your phone's camera will often suffice. But getting basic knowledge about photography is still worth it.

First, get familiar with the basic concepts:

  • Exposure is the amount of light that hits the camera matrix. The exposure determines the brightness of objects in the frame.
  • Composition is the arrangement of objects in a photograph.
  • White balance is a color tone that reflects the lighting and temperature of the image.
  • Contrast is defined as the ratio of the brightness of the lightest area of ​​the image to the darkest.
  • Saturation is the intensity of the color in the photo and how rich and vibrant the photo looks.

This knowledge will help you avoid mistakes at the very beginning.

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Study the composition of the frame

The composition is responsible for how the objects in the photo are located - this helps to make the frame harmonious and interesting. If you are not going to do photography professionally, then basic knowledge will be enough for you. I'll tell you about two options for arranging objects in the frame that I use:

Rule of thirds . Divide the frame into 3 equal parts horizontally and vertically so that the main objects are located at or along the intersections of the lines.

The subject is at the intersection of lines

Diagonal rule . Draw a diagonal from one corner of the photo to the other. The diagonal from the lower left corner to the upper right is more “calm” and is called descending , and the opposite, from the lower right corner to the upper left - ascending , it is more "active".

An example of a composition with a descending diagonal

This means that if you arrange objects along an ascending diagonal, the frame will be more dynamic, and if you place it diagonally downward, it will be harmonious and peaceful.

An example of a composition with an ascending diagonal

You can turn on the grid in the camera settings on your smartphone - turn it on and it will be easier to deal with the composition.

Shoot in good light

A photo in good light is good for your avatar - it's an important part of your profile. Light is the basis of everything. When it is good, the photo does not require additional processing.

Good lighting on the left vs bad on the right

For beginner photographers, daylight will be a real help and will do most of the work - the frame will be rich, with natural light and shadows.

In winter it is better to take pictures from 10 am to 3 pm in clear weather, and in summer there is much more time - suitable light from 7 am to 9 pm. These recommendations are suitable for most residents of the European part of Russia.

Photographers have the concept of "golden hour" (Golden Hour) - this is the hour after sunrise and the hour before sunset. At this time, the light is soft and especially suitable for shooting.

Photos taken during the golden hour

Important: You can shoot during the daytime and when there is no sun. Moreover, taking pictures in bright sunny weather is much more difficult than in cloudy weather - extra shadows and sharpness appear.

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Get the most out of your phone

Often your smartphone can do more than you think - be sure to explore the camera's settings and features and see what it has to offer. Portrait mode, stabilization, optical zoom, reticle or HDR will all help you when shooting.

For example, HDR is available on almost all smartphones - it creates several frames with different exposures and combines them into one shot, so the photo is clearer and more contrasty.

On the left is a photo without HDR, on the right is with HDR

Be sure to wipe the camera before shooting - such a trifle, but the frame will definitely be better 🙂

Do not forget about processing applications make the picture better, keeping the picture natural. The main thing here is not to overdo it with filters - do not use filters to the maximum and do not go away from natural colors. We have compiled a selection of apps for beautiful photos in Stories.

And to make a photo, try using apps to create beautiful "Stories" in InstagramThe product belongs to an organization recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation.

Applications help you correct light, remove excess, make your photo brighter, emphasize details and bring frames to a unified style. Here are my favorite apps and why:

VSCO is the most popular and easiest photo editing app. It has 15 free and more than 100 paid filters, you can edit the exposure, contrast, sharpness, saturation, add graininess.

Snapseed is a simple application for editing basic parameters with filters ("styles"). From interesting:

  • A photo enlargement function that "enlarges" the photo to the desired size.
  • Spot correction removes unnecessary objects from a photo. For example, you can remove wires from a photo.
  • HDR adds this effect to the finished photo
  • Double exposure combines multiple exposures into one for an unusual effect.

Lightroom is one of the coolest applications for light and color correction, which spoils the quality of the source the least. There are curves for editing here - they help distribute the brightness of each pixel in the photo.

In Photoshop Fix , you can not only edit light, colors, brightness, temperature, but also remove unnecessary details from photos using the Recovery tools.

Here you can choose point restoration or the stamp function - in the first case, you just need to swipe over the object and the program will delete it for you, and in the second case, you yourself choose from which part of the photo you will take the part for replacement.

Also in this application there is a Liquify function that will help you adjust the shape of objects and add volume. Do not abuse, please - real photos always look more interesting than retouched ones to the ideal.

Remove silhouettes of people in the background in Photoshop Fix

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Shape your style

It's important to find your style - then your photos will catch on. Think about what profiles you enjoy looking at? Through which photos would you like to present yourself? What do you like to photograph?

And go in search of inspiration in InstagramThe product belongs to an organization recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation. and on Pinterest - find a few blogs whose style is close to you, save photos and take note of interesting ideas. Then try to repeat and turn on your fantasy. You should not get an exact copy, because each author brings something of his own to the frame 🙂

For example, I really like the profiles snova_nastia, vicky_od, kate_voina - sometimes I take note of ideas for a photo from them.

Publications snova_nastia

Another way to develop your style is to shoot everything that seems beautiful to you. Take 10-15 frames, process them and evaluate the result. What photos came out? What color is dominant? Is it possible to group them and get a beautiful picture?

Through the search for inspiration and daily practice, you will find what you can call your style 🙂

Don't be shy

Nowadays, a person photographing food, the city or himself does not surprise anyone. There is nothing like stopping, taking a picture, setting the timer on your phone, or asking passers-by to take a picture of you.

Get ready to experiment and look for unusual angles in pursuit of a beautiful photo.

Feel free to ask friends or passers-by to take a photo. The main thing is to explain what you want to see in the frame - then everyone will be satisfied.

Make a variety of content

Try different styles and don't get stuck on one thing - shoot portraits, food layouts, selfies, architecture, landscapes. Don't be afraid to shoot close-ups - this way you can get more interesting angles.

The more diverse your content, the more interesting the feed looks, and the higher the engagement of readers will be - everyone will want to go to your feed, view an interesting frame and leave a comment.

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How to take cool photos for

InstagramThe product belongs to an organization recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation.:
  1. To get started, learn the basic concepts of photography - read about exposure, composition, color balance, contrast, saturation of photography.
  2. Check out all the features of your smartphone's camera, maybe it can do more than you think.
  3. Learn how to place objects in a frame - the rules of composition will help you with this.
  4. Shoot in good light so you don't have to worry about post-production - the light does it all for you. Try taking pictures during golden hour.

    Learn more