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There are two types of people; those that edit their photos before they post to social media and those that don’t. For some, the ability to post photos quickly trumps carefully taking the time to edit prior to posting. For those who are in the latter camp, I am here to offer some tips and advice to those who would like to learn more about how to take their photos to the next level in regards to post-processing (editing). In particular, I’m going to dive into how to edit Instagram photos. There are many good apps out there, but I find Instagram’s editing tools are easy to use and are very effective without taking a ton of time.
I’ve put together a video explaining what I like to do on Instagram when I edit, but before you watch that, there are a few things I’d like to mention in regards to how to edit Instagram photos; caveats if you will.
It’s Always Best to Take a Good Photo to Begin With
I cannot for the life of me remember who I learned this from but it stuck with me. You can take a good photograph and edit it to look great. You can take an average photo and edit it to look good. But you can’t take a bad photograph and make it look good. The point is, that the quality of the photo you start with matters, so take good photographs and your edits will be that much better.
Find Your Style
Editing by nature is pretty subjective. You like what you like. We are here to try and give the tools to know how to achieve your desired look. Whatever style you like, try to stick pretty close to it so that your photos are consistent. We’ve heard past clients of ours tell us that they could see an image and tell it was taken by us. That was a huge compliment. It meant that our look/style was recognizable. Stay consistent and your photos can become recognizable too.
Don’t Over Edit
There is a saying that goes…”If it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing.” When it comes to editing, I would beg to differ. The point of editing a photograph is to improve an image, give it your own style, and sometimes correct minor mistakes like horizon line, white balance, etc… But there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. If you go too far with your edit, it will actually detract from your photo rather than enhance it.
Be Yourself
If you love someone else’s particular editing style, great! Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. However, I always find it’s best to just find your own style and stick with that. Be yourself.
Want to learn more specific tips on how to edit Instagram photos? Watch this video below and make sure you have the volume turned on!
Let us know if you have any more specific questions as it relates to editing on Instagram, and I’d be happy to answer them. Once you give it a shot, tag your photo @planpackcapture so we can see what you’ve created! Can’t wait to check them out!
