How To Edit Photos For Instagram: 14 Tips For Amazing Photos

Are you running an e-commerce business via Instagram? Do you often ask yourself how to edit photos for Instagram to make your pics stand out and catch the attention of your customers? Around 95 million photos are posted on the platform every day, so it is understandable if your photos get lost in the crowd. So we bring you a few tips to make your pics stand out.

How to edit photos for Instagram

1. Don’t take photos directly via Instagram

You may think it is convenient to use the Instagram app to take photos directly but trust me, your smartphone’s camera app can do way better. The camera app of Instagram doesn’t let you zoom. Plus, your photos are automatically cropped into a square.

It is worth pointing out that most smartphones offer an HDR function which allows you to take pictures using different pre-set exposures, something that Instagram’s camera app can’t do.

2. Think square

Before there is Instagram, most of our photos were either portraits or landscapes and followed rules that photographers swore by. However, some of these rules can’t be applied to square-shaped photos.

3. Use a tripod

A steady hand means great still photography. You need to become a human tripod if you want crisp photos without motion blur. Look around to see what you can use, a table, a park bench, a tree, whatever, to keep yourself and your camera steady.

Use a mini-tripod and place it on the floor, tables or benches, or get a GorillaPod with flexible legs.

The great thing about tripods is that you can use their remote control timers to take selfies.

4. Check your focus

The next tip in how to edit photos for Instagram is to check your focus. Because phone cameras rely on digital zoom, most don’t have extraordinary zooming capabilities. Using zoom feature in a low-lit environment won’t deliver clear, sharp pictures.

If you want your photos to have great details and look sharp, it is best you walk around to have appropriate lighting or you can stand closer to your subject.

You can tap the screen of your phone to focus on your subject instantly, thus improving image clarity. Some phones let you lock focus as well as exposure by tapping on the screen and holding.

If you see the words “AE/EF Lock,” it means that the lighting and focus are fixed and won’t be changed.

5. Think about your composition

You don’t need to follow the rules but knowing your composition will surely enhance your photo’s quality. Before taking a photo, think about camera angles, symmetry, background, lighting and balance.

6. Edit your photos

If you just want some basic adjustments to your photos, the Instagram app is acceptable. But if you want an alternative, there are hundreds of editing tools out there that are packed with features and easy to use as well. There are several great apps like VSCO, Lightroom, Photoshop, etc.

7. Be smart with your filters

A study points out that 21% of people are more likely to view photos with filters while 41% of people are more likely to comment on filtered photos.

Photos with warm filters, well-defined contrast, and greater exposure are more popular. Meanwhile, photos with saturation effects have lower views.

However, keep in mind that photos that are over-processed often lose definition and have more noise. So do not go overboard.

8. Get more people in

Another study from Yahoo Labs and Georgia Tech suggests that Instagram photos without faces are more likely to have fewer comments than those with faces.

Specifically, if your photo has a face, it is 32% are more likely to be commented on and 38% to get a like.

9. Add text

Adding text is another way to help your Instagram photos pop. Both Apple App Store and Google Play Store have a lot of apps for this.

10. Buy a phone photography kit

There are different phone accessories that you can find on the market to boost your photography skills. For instance, Manfrotto offers special wide-angled, fish-eye, and macro lenses specially designed for smartphone cameras.

11. Try the #nofilter challenge

Having a photo with #nofilter hashtag will surely improve your skills.

12. Vibrant colors and contrast

Sometimes it can be challenging to have the appropriate lighting. Photos that are under-exposed can look dull while those with excess light can look washed out.

By increasing the brightness and boosting contrast just a little bit, you can help your photos look crisper and brighter.

13. Clean your camera lens

Simple as it may sound, but it is actually quite important.

People often forget this but phones can get dirty. By no wiping your smartphone’s camera lens, your photos can look out of focus or fuzzy.

14. Utilize natural light

In photography, light is the most important thing. Different types of light can produce different subject appearances. Instead of focusing on post-production, try to make the most of natural light. That is the end of our tips for how to edit photos for Instagram.

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