!["[Updated] 2024 Approved Instagram Photo Edits Made Simple Pro Techniques"](https://www.lifewire.com/thmb/_hc9DtkCKDph1kORMUlipe3yJ4g=/400x300/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/pixel-8-pro-ad72b900095f485fa5eb09f9525f7448.jpg)
"[Updated] 2024 Approved Instagram Photo Edits Made Simple Pro Techniques"
![](/images/site-logo.png)
Instagram Photo Edits Made Simple: Pro Techniques
How to Edit Instagram Photos Like a Pro
Shanoon Cox
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
Whether you’re looking to become the next Kylie Jenner or simply want more exposure for your business, creating amazing Instagram shots is key. This is because Instagram suffers with chronic content overload. More than 95 million photos and videos are shared on the platform every day, which means that your posts can easily disappear into the ether.
So, what does it take to go from insta-average to gram greatness? An expensive camera? A degree in photography? Not necessarily. While these things will certainly help, you still have greatness within your reach thanks to the Instagram photo editor app. We’ll go through some top tips on how to edit Instagram photos like all the other professionals out there, so that you can enjoy gorgeous grams every time.
You may also like: Top 10 Best Instagram Photo Editors for 2018 >>
How to Edit Instagram Photos like a pro
Let’s take a look at how you can start editing Instagram photos with professional flair, to get your account jumping like all the superstars out there.
Before you start editing
If you’re dealing with a simply awful shot, no amount of editing is going to make things great. Beginning with an awesome shot and striving to make it perfect is a much better strategy, so think about how you’re setting up, lighting and taking your shots to ensure success.
Often, one of the best routes to greatness is by imitating an already great artist. Are there influencers on the Instagram platform whose style you would love to emulate? Take note of what they do and what makes their images better than others, and work to replicate their success in your own shots. Take a look at our iPhone photography tips for advice on creating gram-worthy shots every time.
You may also like: Photography Tips for iPhone
How to edit Instagram photos within the app
Editing images for that professional touch doesn’t have to be hard or time consuming. In fact, once you know what you’re doing, you’ll be able to crank every single visual you post into top gear, with just a few taps here and there. Here are some top tips on how to edit Instagram photos to help you post like a true pro.
- Take a great photo to begin with
It’s a bit of a no-brainer, but if your photograph sucks from the get-go, none of the Instagram photo editor apps will fix your mess for you. Take heed of our photography tips and begin with an awesome shot before you’ve even started to fiddle with the software.
- Upload like a pro
Hopefully you’re comfortable with uploading images to Instagram, but if you’re still in the dark, here’s how to do it. Open the Instagram app on your device and click the plus sign to upload an image. You’ll find this in the bottom of your screen front and centre. From here, simply click the photo you’d like to upload from your camera roll.
When you upload, Instagram automatically crops your image to their signature square format. However, if you haven’t decided how you want to crop your photo or would prefer it at its original width, you can simply click the expand icon in the left corner to take it back to full size. You can upload one image, or up to 10 photos at once, so don’t be shy!
- Select your filter
Now you can start to really have some fun! The built in Instagram photo editor app is a pretty powerful little tool, and there’s loads of tweaks and edits you can make to step your photo sharing up a notch. The first thing to do is choose one of the many awesome filters which are built into the Instagram app.
There’s no hard and fast rule about which filter looks best; it really comes down to personal taste. However, it’s worth thinking about what you want to achieve, and go for a filter that creates the right type of atmosphere for your scene. Here are some of the most popular Instagram filters, and how each one will change your image:
- X Pro II: One of our favorites, this one sharpens, adds contrast and a vignette edge, to give photos a dramatic, professional effect. This one is a particularly good choice for modern photos of people
- Moon: If you love black and white photography, this filter is a great choice. Shadows are more intense, highlights seem to pop and the soft focusing gives a nicely aged look to the images.
- Lo-Fi: Another favorite over here, Lo-Fi saturates your image with rich colors and darkens all the shadows to add drama and intrigue.
- Hefe: If you love the vintage look, Hefe will be a great choice. It adds a yellow tone and darker border for an edgy, aged appearance to your shots.
- Valencia: Hefe not aged enough for you? Try out Valencia. The addition of warm tones and faded colors will give your images an antique look, perfect for Insta-greatness.
There are plenty of other filters to play with, so have a tinker and see which ones you like best. You may find that different filters suit different types of shots, or that you prefer to use the same one or two to give your Instagram feed a uniform style that is all your own.
To help you refine your photos with the same filters regularly, you can reorder the filter options on the Instagram photo editor app itself. Simply press and hold the three grey lines on the filter you want to move, then slide it into the position you wish. You can also hide filters entirely from the ‘manage’ functions of the menu, so that you don’t keep being offered a filter you really don’t like.
- Add a touch of lux
Have you ever noticed the lux function on Instagram? If you want to know how to edit Instagram photos like a pro, then this is one feature you really need to get to know intimately. It’s super easy to use, but perhaps you’ve never found it. Well, let us welcome you to the world of better photos.
When you’re still on the filter selection screen, do you see that little sunshine-like symbol at the top? Hit that, and then fiddle with the slider to add more of less lux to your image. This tool automatically tweaks the saturation and contrast, adding vibrancy to your photos and highlighting the small details that make a good photo great. Slide up for more or down for less and learn to love the lux touch!
- Do some basic editing
Within the Instagram photo editor app, aside of the filters there are also some tools for the most basic of manual image editing. It’s well worth becoming adept at these, because on your quest to discover how to edit Instagram photos like a pro, these handy functions really do separate the men from the boys. Here’s how they work:
- Adjust: Also know as the ‘straighten my shot’ tool this is crucial if, like so many of us, you’re incapable of taking a photo completely straight. Find something perfectly horizontal or vertical, and line it up with the handy guides within the tool.
- Brightness: Shots a bit shady? This can add a touch of sunlight and brightness to any image, very useful for those taken in poor lighting or at night.
- Contrast: When everything is somewhat wishy-washy, contrast will adjust the difference in light balance to add more variation between light and shadow. Alternatively, if your image is a bit over exposed, less contrast can tone things down a bit.
- Structure: When you want to pick out those little details, structure will help add texture to your image. Great for landscapes and nature photos but not so great on portraits.
- Warmth: Adjusting the tones on your images can make things more dramatic, friendlier, or more edgy. Sliding the tool to the right will add sepia and orange tones, perfect for a sunset or holiday shot, whereas to the left will make things cooler and more blue-ish.
- Saturation: Adjusting the saturation can make the colors in your photos more vibrant but be cautious in its use as it can make photos look totally over-edited. Slide the adjuster completely to the left to turn your image black and white.
- Fade: As you might guess, fade makes your picture look faded. It’s great for manually adding a vintage feel to your photos if the built-in filters just aren’t doing it for you.
- Highlights: Make whites whiter and brights brighter by adjusting this setting up or move it down to tone down highlights that are just too poppy.
- Shadow: As the alter-ego to highlights, you can already guess what this tool does. Use it to add drama by darkening shadows in your image, or make previously unseen details reappear by reducing the depth of the dark areas.
- Color: Add a tint to your photos of your choice of color and choose whether to apply it to the shadows or highlights of the image.
- Vignette: Love the attention focusing abilities of dark edges around your subject? Vignette adds this automatically, and you can adjust the intensity of this effect with ease.
- Tilt shift: If you want something in the foreground in focus and everything else out of focus, this is the tool that imitates what only the most expensive cameras can do. Choose a circular shift to pick out a particular object, or a linear shift to focus everything at a certain depth in the photo.
- Sharpen: To make your images super clear, sharpen is a great tool. Unlike Structure it doesn’t add extra detail, it simply enhances the details that were already there for a clearer, more professional image.
Once you’ve finished editing your image, you’re all ready to post it. Don’t forget to make the most of hashtags and an interesting caption to help other users find your photos and consider tagging your location to get even more likes and followers.
So now you know how to edit Instagram photos on the Instagram photo editor app. You don’t always have to post your photos to Instagram either. Simply turn on your airplane mode and the app will allow you to save your photos locally, letting you make use of all the funky tools available without having to share your images directly.
Do remember that Instagram images are 1080 x 1080 pixels when they are uploaded. You might not realise this as they are certainly a lot smaller when you view them. Instagram itself resizes each image to 612 x 612 pixels, but when it’s displayed in a user’s feed, it’s even smaller again, at just 510 x 510.
What this means for you is that, although the picture displayed is small, any distortion caused by expansion of a small image in the first place will be replicated even at smaller sizes. When it comes to insta-worthy images, quality is king, so never be tempted to share anything that is any less than 1080 x 1080 pixels. If you’ve got smaller pictures that you are itching to share, do so via other social media platforms.
How is your Instagram photo editing going? Do you have any images you’re particularly proud of? Let us know and send us your own top tips for how to edit Instagram photos.
Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
Whether you’re looking to become the next Kylie Jenner or simply want more exposure for your business, creating amazing Instagram shots is key. This is because Instagram suffers with chronic content overload. More than 95 million photos and videos are shared on the platform every day, which means that your posts can easily disappear into the ether.
So, what does it take to go from insta-average to gram greatness? An expensive camera? A degree in photography? Not necessarily. While these things will certainly help, you still have greatness within your reach thanks to the Instagram photo editor app. We’ll go through some top tips on how to edit Instagram photos like all the other professionals out there, so that you can enjoy gorgeous grams every time.
You may also like: Top 10 Best Instagram Photo Editors for 2018 >>
How to Edit Instagram Photos like a pro
Let’s take a look at how you can start editing Instagram photos with professional flair, to get your account jumping like all the superstars out there.
Before you start editing
If you’re dealing with a simply awful shot, no amount of editing is going to make things great. Beginning with an awesome shot and striving to make it perfect is a much better strategy, so think about how you’re setting up, lighting and taking your shots to ensure success.
Often, one of the best routes to greatness is by imitating an already great artist. Are there influencers on the Instagram platform whose style you would love to emulate? Take note of what they do and what makes their images better than others, and work to replicate their success in your own shots. Take a look at our iPhone photography tips for advice on creating gram-worthy shots every time.
You may also like: Photography Tips for iPhone
How to edit Instagram photos within the app
Editing images for that professional touch doesn’t have to be hard or time consuming. In fact, once you know what you’re doing, you’ll be able to crank every single visual you post into top gear, with just a few taps here and there. Here are some top tips on how to edit Instagram photos to help you post like a true pro.
- Take a great photo to begin with
It’s a bit of a no-brainer, but if your photograph sucks from the get-go, none of the Instagram photo editor apps will fix your mess for you. Take heed of our photography tips and begin with an awesome shot before you’ve even started to fiddle with the software.
- Upload like a pro
Hopefully you’re comfortable with uploading images to Instagram, but if you’re still in the dark, here’s how to do it. Open the Instagram app on your device and click the plus sign to upload an image. You’ll find this in the bottom of your screen front and centre. From here, simply click the photo you’d like to upload from your camera roll.
When you upload, Instagram automatically crops your image to their signature square format. However, if you haven’t decided how you want to crop your photo or would prefer it at its original width, you can simply click the expand icon in the left corner to take it back to full size. You can upload one image, or up to 10 photos at once, so don’t be shy!
- Select your filter
Now you can start to really have some fun! The built in Instagram photo editor app is a pretty powerful little tool, and there’s loads of tweaks and edits you can make to step your photo sharing up a notch. The first thing to do is choose one of the many awesome filters which are built into the Instagram app.
There’s no hard and fast rule about which filter looks best; it really comes down to personal taste. However, it’s worth thinking about what you want to achieve, and go for a filter that creates the right type of atmosphere for your scene. Here are some of the most popular Instagram filters, and how each one will change your image:
- X Pro II: One of our favorites, this one sharpens, adds contrast and a vignette edge, to give photos a dramatic, professional effect. This one is a particularly good choice for modern photos of people
- Moon: If you love black and white photography, this filter is a great choice. Shadows are more intense, highlights seem to pop and the soft focusing gives a nicely aged look to the images.
- Lo-Fi: Another favorite over here, Lo-Fi saturates your image with rich colors and darkens all the shadows to add drama and intrigue.
- Hefe: If you love the vintage look, Hefe will be a great choice. It adds a yellow tone and darker border for an edgy, aged appearance to your shots.
- Valencia: Hefe not aged enough for you? Try out Valencia. The addition of warm tones and faded colors will give your images an antique look, perfect for Insta-greatness.
There are plenty of other filters to play with, so have a tinker and see which ones you like best. You may find that different filters suit different types of shots, or that you prefer to use the same one or two to give your Instagram feed a uniform style that is all your own.
To help you refine your photos with the same filters regularly, you can reorder the filter options on the Instagram photo editor app itself. Simply press and hold the three grey lines on the filter you want to move, then slide it into the position you wish. You can also hide filters entirely from the ‘manage’ functions of the menu, so that you don’t keep being offered a filter you really don’t like.
- Add a touch of lux
Have you ever noticed the lux function on Instagram? If you want to know how to edit Instagram photos like a pro, then this is one feature you really need to get to know intimately. It’s super easy to use, but perhaps you’ve never found it. Well, let us welcome you to the world of better photos.
When you’re still on the filter selection screen, do you see that little sunshine-like symbol at the top? Hit that, and then fiddle with the slider to add more of less lux to your image. This tool automatically tweaks the saturation and contrast, adding vibrancy to your photos and highlighting the small details that make a good photo great. Slide up for more or down for less and learn to love the lux touch!
- Do some basic editing
Within the Instagram photo editor app, aside of the filters there are also some tools for the most basic of manual image editing. It’s well worth becoming adept at these, because on your quest to discover how to edit Instagram photos like a pro, these handy functions really do separate the men from the boys. Here’s how they work:
- Adjust: Also know as the ‘straighten my shot’ tool this is crucial if, like so many of us, you’re incapable of taking a photo completely straight. Find something perfectly horizontal or vertical, and line it up with the handy guides within the tool.
- Brightness: Shots a bit shady? This can add a touch of sunlight and brightness to any image, very useful for those taken in poor lighting or at night.
- Contrast: When everything is somewhat wishy-washy, contrast will adjust the difference in light balance to add more variation between light and shadow. Alternatively, if your image is a bit over exposed, less contrast can tone things down a bit.
- Structure: When you want to pick out those little details, structure will help add texture to your image. Great for landscapes and nature photos but not so great on portraits.
- Warmth: Adjusting the tones on your images can make things more dramatic, friendlier, or more edgy. Sliding the tool to the right will add sepia and orange tones, perfect for a sunset or holiday shot, whereas to the left will make things cooler and more blue-ish.
- Saturation: Adjusting the saturation can make the colors in your photos more vibrant but be cautious in its use as it can make photos look totally over-edited. Slide the adjuster completely to the left to turn your image black and white.
- Fade: As you might guess, fade makes your picture look faded. It’s great for manually adding a vintage feel to your photos if the built-in filters just aren’t doing it for you.
- Highlights: Make whites whiter and brights brighter by adjusting this setting up or move it down to tone down highlights that are just too poppy.
- Shadow: As the alter-ego to highlights, you can already guess what this tool does. Use it to add drama by darkening shadows in your image, or make previously unseen details reappear by reducing the depth of the dark areas.
- Color: Add a tint to your photos of your choice of color and choose whether to apply it to the shadows or highlights of the image.
- Vignette: Love the attention focusing abilities of dark edges around your subject? Vignette adds this automatically, and you can adjust the intensity of this effect with ease.
- Tilt shift: If you want something in the foreground in focus and everything else out of focus, this is the tool that imitates what only the most expensive cameras can do. Choose a circular shift to pick out a particular object, or a linear shift to focus everything at a certain depth in the photo.
- Sharpen: To make your images super clear, sharpen is a great tool. Unlike Structure it doesn’t add extra detail, it simply enhances the details that were already there for a clearer, more professional image.
Once you’ve finished editing your image, you’re all ready to post it. Don’t forget to make the most of hashtags and an interesting caption to help other users find your photos and consider tagging your location to get even more likes and followers.
So now you know how to edit Instagram photos on the Instagram photo editor app. You don’t always have to post your photos to Instagram either. Simply turn on your airplane mode and the app will allow you to save your photos locally, letting you make use of all the funky tools available without having to share your images directly.
Do remember that Instagram images are 1080 x 1080 pixels when they are uploaded. You might not realise this as they are certainly a lot smaller when you view them. Instagram itself resizes each image to 612 x 612 pixels, but when it’s displayed in a user’s feed, it’s even smaller again, at just 510 x 510.
What this means for you is that, although the picture displayed is small, any distortion caused by expansion of a small image in the first place will be replicated even at smaller sizes. When it comes to insta-worthy images, quality is king, so never be tempted to share anything that is any less than 1080 x 1080 pixels. If you’ve got smaller pictures that you are itching to share, do so via other social media platforms.
How is your Instagram photo editing going? Do you have any images you’re particularly proud of? Let us know and send us your own top tips for how to edit Instagram photos.
Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
Whether you’re looking to become the next Kylie Jenner or simply want more exposure for your business, creating amazing Instagram shots is key. This is because Instagram suffers with chronic content overload. More than 95 million photos and videos are shared on the platform every day, which means that your posts can easily disappear into the ether.
So, what does it take to go from insta-average to gram greatness? An expensive camera? A degree in photography? Not necessarily. While these things will certainly help, you still have greatness within your reach thanks to the Instagram photo editor app. We’ll go through some top tips on how to edit Instagram photos like all the other professionals out there, so that you can enjoy gorgeous grams every time.
You may also like: Top 10 Best Instagram Photo Editors for 2018 >>
How to Edit Instagram Photos like a pro
Let’s take a look at how you can start editing Instagram photos with professional flair, to get your account jumping like all the superstars out there.
Before you start editing
If you’re dealing with a simply awful shot, no amount of editing is going to make things great. Beginning with an awesome shot and striving to make it perfect is a much better strategy, so think about how you’re setting up, lighting and taking your shots to ensure success.
Often, one of the best routes to greatness is by imitating an already great artist. Are there influencers on the Instagram platform whose style you would love to emulate? Take note of what they do and what makes their images better than others, and work to replicate their success in your own shots. Take a look at our iPhone photography tips for advice on creating gram-worthy shots every time.
You may also like: Photography Tips for iPhone
How to edit Instagram photos within the app
Editing images for that professional touch doesn’t have to be hard or time consuming. In fact, once you know what you’re doing, you’ll be able to crank every single visual you post into top gear, with just a few taps here and there. Here are some top tips on how to edit Instagram photos to help you post like a true pro.
- Take a great photo to begin with
It’s a bit of a no-brainer, but if your photograph sucks from the get-go, none of the Instagram photo editor apps will fix your mess for you. Take heed of our photography tips and begin with an awesome shot before you’ve even started to fiddle with the software.
- Upload like a pro
Hopefully you’re comfortable with uploading images to Instagram, but if you’re still in the dark, here’s how to do it. Open the Instagram app on your device and click the plus sign to upload an image. You’ll find this in the bottom of your screen front and centre. From here, simply click the photo you’d like to upload from your camera roll.
When you upload, Instagram automatically crops your image to their signature square format. However, if you haven’t decided how you want to crop your photo or would prefer it at its original width, you can simply click the expand icon in the left corner to take it back to full size. You can upload one image, or up to 10 photos at once, so don’t be shy!
- Select your filter
Now you can start to really have some fun! The built in Instagram photo editor app is a pretty powerful little tool, and there’s loads of tweaks and edits you can make to step your photo sharing up a notch. The first thing to do is choose one of the many awesome filters which are built into the Instagram app.
There’s no hard and fast rule about which filter looks best; it really comes down to personal taste. However, it’s worth thinking about what you want to achieve, and go for a filter that creates the right type of atmosphere for your scene. Here are some of the most popular Instagram filters, and how each one will change your image:
- X Pro II: One of our favorites, this one sharpens, adds contrast and a vignette edge, to give photos a dramatic, professional effect. This one is a particularly good choice for modern photos of people
- Moon: If you love black and white photography, this filter is a great choice. Shadows are more intense, highlights seem to pop and the soft focusing gives a nicely aged look to the images.
- Lo-Fi: Another favorite over here, Lo-Fi saturates your image with rich colors and darkens all the shadows to add drama and intrigue.
- Hefe: If you love the vintage look, Hefe will be a great choice. It adds a yellow tone and darker border for an edgy, aged appearance to your shots.
- Valencia: Hefe not aged enough for you? Try out Valencia. The addition of warm tones and faded colors will give your images an antique look, perfect for Insta-greatness.
There are plenty of other filters to play with, so have a tinker and see which ones you like best. You may find that different filters suit different types of shots, or that you prefer to use the same one or two to give your Instagram feed a uniform style that is all your own.
To help you refine your photos with the same filters regularly, you can reorder the filter options on the Instagram photo editor app itself. Simply press and hold the three grey lines on the filter you want to move, then slide it into the position you wish. You can also hide filters entirely from the ‘manage’ functions of the menu, so that you don’t keep being offered a filter you really don’t like.
- Add a touch of lux
Have you ever noticed the lux function on Instagram? If you want to know how to edit Instagram photos like a pro, then this is one feature you really need to get to know intimately. It’s super easy to use, but perhaps you’ve never found it. Well, let us welcome you to the world of better photos.
When you’re still on the filter selection screen, do you see that little sunshine-like symbol at the top? Hit that, and then fiddle with the slider to add more of less lux to your image. This tool automatically tweaks the saturation and contrast, adding vibrancy to your photos and highlighting the small details that make a good photo great. Slide up for more or down for less and learn to love the lux touch!
- Do some basic editing
Within the Instagram photo editor app, aside of the filters there are also some tools for the most basic of manual image editing. It’s well worth becoming adept at these, because on your quest to discover how to edit Instagram photos like a pro, these handy functions really do separate the men from the boys. Here’s how they work:
- Adjust: Also know as the ‘straighten my shot’ tool this is crucial if, like so many of us, you’re incapable of taking a photo completely straight. Find something perfectly horizontal or vertical, and line it up with the handy guides within the tool.
- Brightness: Shots a bit shady? This can add a touch of sunlight and brightness to any image, very useful for those taken in poor lighting or at night.
- Contrast: When everything is somewhat wishy-washy, contrast will adjust the difference in light balance to add more variation between light and shadow. Alternatively, if your image is a bit over exposed, less contrast can tone things down a bit.
- Structure: When you want to pick out those little details, structure will help add texture to your image. Great for landscapes and nature photos but not so great on portraits.
- Warmth: Adjusting the tones on your images can make things more dramatic, friendlier, or more edgy. Sliding the tool to the right will add sepia and orange tones, perfect for a sunset or holiday shot, whereas to the left will make things cooler and more blue-ish.
- Saturation: Adjusting the saturation can make the colors in your photos more vibrant but be cautious in its use as it can make photos look totally over-edited. Slide the adjuster completely to the left to turn your image black and white.
- Fade: As you might guess, fade makes your picture look faded. It’s great for manually adding a vintage feel to your photos if the built-in filters just aren’t doing it for you.
- Highlights: Make whites whiter and brights brighter by adjusting this setting up or move it down to tone down highlights that are just too poppy.
- Shadow: As the alter-ego to highlights, you can already guess what this tool does. Use it to add drama by darkening shadows in your image, or make previously unseen details reappear by reducing the depth of the dark areas.
- Color: Add a tint to your photos of your choice of color and choose whether to apply it to the shadows or highlights of the image.
- Vignette: Love the attention focusing abilities of dark edges around your subject? Vignette adds this automatically, and you can adjust the intensity of this effect with ease.
- Tilt shift: If you want something in the foreground in focus and everything else out of focus, this is the tool that imitates what only the most expensive cameras can do. Choose a circular shift to pick out a particular object, or a linear shift to focus everything at a certain depth in the photo.
- Sharpen: To make your images super clear, sharpen is a great tool. Unlike Structure it doesn’t add extra detail, it simply enhances the details that were already there for a clearer, more professional image.
Once you’ve finished editing your image, you’re all ready to post it. Don’t forget to make the most of hashtags and an interesting caption to help other users find your photos and consider tagging your location to get even more likes and followers.
So now you know how to edit Instagram photos on the Instagram photo editor app. You don’t always have to post your photos to Instagram either. Simply turn on your airplane mode and the app will allow you to save your photos locally, letting you make use of all the funky tools available without having to share your images directly.
Do remember that Instagram images are 1080 x 1080 pixels when they are uploaded. You might not realise this as they are certainly a lot smaller when you view them. Instagram itself resizes each image to 612 x 612 pixels, but when it’s displayed in a user’s feed, it’s even smaller again, at just 510 x 510.
What this means for you is that, although the picture displayed is small, any distortion caused by expansion of a small image in the first place will be replicated even at smaller sizes. When it comes to insta-worthy images, quality is king, so never be tempted to share anything that is any less than 1080 x 1080 pixels. If you’ve got smaller pictures that you are itching to share, do so via other social media platforms.
How is your Instagram photo editing going? Do you have any images you’re particularly proud of? Let us know and send us your own top tips for how to edit Instagram photos.
Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
Whether you’re looking to become the next Kylie Jenner or simply want more exposure for your business, creating amazing Instagram shots is key. This is because Instagram suffers with chronic content overload. More than 95 million photos and videos are shared on the platform every day, which means that your posts can easily disappear into the ether.
So, what does it take to go from insta-average to gram greatness? An expensive camera? A degree in photography? Not necessarily. While these things will certainly help, you still have greatness within your reach thanks to the Instagram photo editor app. We’ll go through some top tips on how to edit Instagram photos like all the other professionals out there, so that you can enjoy gorgeous grams every time.
You may also like: Top 10 Best Instagram Photo Editors for 2018 >>
How to Edit Instagram Photos like a pro
Let’s take a look at how you can start editing Instagram photos with professional flair, to get your account jumping like all the superstars out there.
Before you start editing
If you’re dealing with a simply awful shot, no amount of editing is going to make things great. Beginning with an awesome shot and striving to make it perfect is a much better strategy, so think about how you’re setting up, lighting and taking your shots to ensure success.
Often, one of the best routes to greatness is by imitating an already great artist. Are there influencers on the Instagram platform whose style you would love to emulate? Take note of what they do and what makes their images better than others, and work to replicate their success in your own shots. Take a look at our iPhone photography tips for advice on creating gram-worthy shots every time.
You may also like: Photography Tips for iPhone
How to edit Instagram photos within the app
Editing images for that professional touch doesn’t have to be hard or time consuming. In fact, once you know what you’re doing, you’ll be able to crank every single visual you post into top gear, with just a few taps here and there. Here are some top tips on how to edit Instagram photos to help you post like a true pro.
- Take a great photo to begin with
It’s a bit of a no-brainer, but if your photograph sucks from the get-go, none of the Instagram photo editor apps will fix your mess for you. Take heed of our photography tips and begin with an awesome shot before you’ve even started to fiddle with the software.
- Upload like a pro
Hopefully you’re comfortable with uploading images to Instagram, but if you’re still in the dark, here’s how to do it. Open the Instagram app on your device and click the plus sign to upload an image. You’ll find this in the bottom of your screen front and centre. From here, simply click the photo you’d like to upload from your camera roll.
When you upload, Instagram automatically crops your image to their signature square format. However, if you haven’t decided how you want to crop your photo or would prefer it at its original width, you can simply click the expand icon in the left corner to take it back to full size. You can upload one image, or up to 10 photos at once, so don’t be shy!
- Select your filter
Now you can start to really have some fun! The built in Instagram photo editor app is a pretty powerful little tool, and there’s loads of tweaks and edits you can make to step your photo sharing up a notch. The first thing to do is choose one of the many awesome filters which are built into the Instagram app.
There’s no hard and fast rule about which filter looks best; it really comes down to personal taste. However, it’s worth thinking about what you want to achieve, and go for a filter that creates the right type of atmosphere for your scene. Here are some of the most popular Instagram filters, and how each one will change your image:
- X Pro II: One of our favorites, this one sharpens, adds contrast and a vignette edge, to give photos a dramatic, professional effect. This one is a particularly good choice for modern photos of people
- Moon: If you love black and white photography, this filter is a great choice. Shadows are more intense, highlights seem to pop and the soft focusing gives a nicely aged look to the images.
- Lo-Fi: Another favorite over here, Lo-Fi saturates your image with rich colors and darkens all the shadows to add drama and intrigue.
- Hefe: If you love the vintage look, Hefe will be a great choice. It adds a yellow tone and darker border for an edgy, aged appearance to your shots.
- Valencia: Hefe not aged enough for you? Try out Valencia. The addition of warm tones and faded colors will give your images an antique look, perfect for Insta-greatness.
There are plenty of other filters to play with, so have a tinker and see which ones you like best. You may find that different filters suit different types of shots, or that you prefer to use the same one or two to give your Instagram feed a uniform style that is all your own.
To help you refine your photos with the same filters regularly, you can reorder the filter options on the Instagram photo editor app itself. Simply press and hold the three grey lines on the filter you want to move, then slide it into the position you wish. You can also hide filters entirely from the ‘manage’ functions of the menu, so that you don’t keep being offered a filter you really don’t like.
- Add a touch of lux
Have you ever noticed the lux function on Instagram? If you want to know how to edit Instagram photos like a pro, then this is one feature you really need to get to know intimately. It’s super easy to use, but perhaps you’ve never found it. Well, let us welcome you to the world of better photos.
When you’re still on the filter selection screen, do you see that little sunshine-like symbol at the top? Hit that, and then fiddle with the slider to add more of less lux to your image. This tool automatically tweaks the saturation and contrast, adding vibrancy to your photos and highlighting the small details that make a good photo great. Slide up for more or down for less and learn to love the lux touch!
- Do some basic editing
Within the Instagram photo editor app, aside of the filters there are also some tools for the most basic of manual image editing. It’s well worth becoming adept at these, because on your quest to discover how to edit Instagram photos like a pro, these handy functions really do separate the men from the boys. Here’s how they work:
- Adjust: Also know as the ‘straighten my shot’ tool this is crucial if, like so many of us, you’re incapable of taking a photo completely straight. Find something perfectly horizontal or vertical, and line it up with the handy guides within the tool.
- Brightness: Shots a bit shady? This can add a touch of sunlight and brightness to any image, very useful for those taken in poor lighting or at night.
- Contrast: When everything is somewhat wishy-washy, contrast will adjust the difference in light balance to add more variation between light and shadow. Alternatively, if your image is a bit over exposed, less contrast can tone things down a bit.
- Structure: When you want to pick out those little details, structure will help add texture to your image. Great for landscapes and nature photos but not so great on portraits.
- Warmth: Adjusting the tones on your images can make things more dramatic, friendlier, or more edgy. Sliding the tool to the right will add sepia and orange tones, perfect for a sunset or holiday shot, whereas to the left will make things cooler and more blue-ish.
- Saturation: Adjusting the saturation can make the colors in your photos more vibrant but be cautious in its use as it can make photos look totally over-edited. Slide the adjuster completely to the left to turn your image black and white.
- Fade: As you might guess, fade makes your picture look faded. It’s great for manually adding a vintage feel to your photos if the built-in filters just aren’t doing it for you.
- Highlights: Make whites whiter and brights brighter by adjusting this setting up or move it down to tone down highlights that are just too poppy.
- Shadow: As the alter-ego to highlights, you can already guess what this tool does. Use it to add drama by darkening shadows in your image, or make previously unseen details reappear by reducing the depth of the dark areas.
- Color: Add a tint to your photos of your choice of color and choose whether to apply it to the shadows or highlights of the image.
- Vignette: Love the attention focusing abilities of dark edges around your subject? Vignette adds this automatically, and you can adjust the intensity of this effect with ease.
- Tilt shift: If you want something in the foreground in focus and everything else out of focus, this is the tool that imitates what only the most expensive cameras can do. Choose a circular shift to pick out a particular object, or a linear shift to focus everything at a certain depth in the photo.
- Sharpen: To make your images super clear, sharpen is a great tool. Unlike Structure it doesn’t add extra detail, it simply enhances the details that were already there for a clearer, more professional image.
Once you’ve finished editing your image, you’re all ready to post it. Don’t forget to make the most of hashtags and an interesting caption to help other users find your photos and consider tagging your location to get even more likes and followers.
So now you know how to edit Instagram photos on the Instagram photo editor app. You don’t always have to post your photos to Instagram either. Simply turn on your airplane mode and the app will allow you to save your photos locally, letting you make use of all the funky tools available without having to share your images directly.
Do remember that Instagram images are 1080 x 1080 pixels when they are uploaded. You might not realise this as they are certainly a lot smaller when you view them. Instagram itself resizes each image to 612 x 612 pixels, but when it’s displayed in a user’s feed, it’s even smaller again, at just 510 x 510.
What this means for you is that, although the picture displayed is small, any distortion caused by expansion of a small image in the first place will be replicated even at smaller sizes. When it comes to insta-worthy images, quality is king, so never be tempted to share anything that is any less than 1080 x 1080 pixels. If you’ve got smaller pictures that you are itching to share, do so via other social media platforms.
How is your Instagram photo editing going? Do you have any images you’re particularly proud of? Let us know and send us your own top tips for how to edit Instagram photos.
Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Shanoon Cox
Also read:
- Understanding the Dynamics of IG Reels Vs IG Stories
- In 2024, The Insider Guide Elevating Your Instagram Imagery
- [New] Precision Polling on Instagram Crafting Survey Content for 2024
- [Updated] 2024 Approved Instagram's Hidden Gems Advanced Techniques for Bokeh
- [New] 2024 Approved Boost Your Social Media Presence Through Instagram Video Edits
- [Updated] In 2024, Streamline Visual Content Expert Mac Tips for Instagram Video Size
- [Updated] In 2024, Launch Your Brand's Professional Chapter with Instagram
- In 2024, From Instagram Video to Mp3 Sound
- [New] In 2024, From Passion to Paycheck A Strategic Guide to Attracting Brand Backers on Instagram
- [New] The Insta Twist Techniques Manual Flipping Photos and Videos for Social Media Success for 2024
- [New] 2024 Approved Efficiently Storing Instagram Reels Two Simplified Techniques
- [Updated] In 2024, IGTV Video Placement to Facebook Networks (5 Ways)
- In 2024, Scaling Up Your Income with Instagram Mastery
- [New] 2024 Approved Step-By-Step Approach to Conquering IGTV
- [New] In 2024, Unlocking the Power of Memes A Guide to Creating Funny Videos
- [Updated] Becoming an Insta Star in a Flash Top 15 Insider Tactics That Work Wonders for Rapid Fame Growth for 2024
- [Updated] In 2024, Becoming an Influencer Entrepreneur Creating a Business Profile on IG
- Innovative Loop Techniques Elevate Your Instagram Content
- [Updated] Unlocking Higher Views on Instagram Videos
- In 2024, How to Convert Your Best Videography Into Melodic MP3s (Insta)
- [Updated] How to Shoot IGTV Videos With Smartphone/DLSR Cameras, In 2024
- A Dual Method Approach for Instagram Reel Downloads for 2024
- VisionVoice Tips for Perfectly Sized Insta Posts for 2024
- [Updated] IG Tunes Crafting Perfect Music Posts
- [New] Insta's Friendship Breakdown Detect It Fast for 2024
- [Updated] Instagram How to Watch Videos Quickly & Smoothly for 2024
- [New] Viral Success The Most Loved AE Themes for Social Media for 2024
- Unveiling the Secrets to Creating an Enterprise Instagram Profile
- Navigating the IGTV Landscape A Beginner's Roadmap
- [Updated] In 2024, A Comprehensive Look at IG Reels Vs Stories
- [Updated] From Zero to Hero on IG How to Garner a Million Fans Fast-Track
- [New] 2024 Approved Insta Rapid Rise Mastering Engagement with Likes & Vids
- [Updated] In 2024, Essential Techniques for Enhancing Your Instagram Videos
- [Updated] In 2024, Mastering Selfies on Instagram A Guide
- 2024 Approved Mastering Instagram’s Latest Features Reels & Stories
- [New] Easy-to-Use Free Instagram to MP4 Converters for All OSs for 2024
- Shifting Gender Identity in Online Profile Pictures for 2024
- [Updated] Following Paths Those Who've Left Instagram
- [New] Essential Tips Supercharge Your Instagram Highlights
- [Updated] A Guide to Gauging IGTV Video Impressions for 2024
- [New] In 2024, Secrets Unlocked Banishing Instagram Video Fails
- Cloaked Consumption The Secret Guide for Exploring Instagram Stories on Multiple Platforms (Free)
- [New] Streamlined Social Media Management Our Picks of the Best 8 Planners
- [Updated] The Essential Art of Editing Boost Your Instagram Videography
- [New] Exclusive Insta Network Upgrades The Safest Free Follower Aids
- [New] 2024 Approved Mastering Video Scaling on Mac for Perfect Instagram Posts
- [New] Enrich User Experience on Stories via Interactive Q&As
- In 2024, Understanding When People Drop Off on Instagram
- Complete Tutorial to Use VPNa to Fake GPS Location On Huawei P60 | Dr.fone
- How Can I Use a Fake GPS Without Mock Location On Poco M6 Pro 5G? | Dr.fone
- [New] 2024 Approved Optimal Strategies for Livestream Sports Recording
- Why Apple Account Disabled On your Apple iPhone 15 Pro? How to Fix
- How to retrieve erased videos from Oppo K11 5G
- [Updated] 2024 Approved FB Video Shape Study Overview
- [Updated] In 2024, FB Videos to MP3s - Free Online Convert 2023
- In 2024, iSpoofer is not working On Samsung Galaxy S23 FE? Fixed | Dr.fone
- How to Recover Deleted Photos from Android Gallery App on Samsung Galaxy A15 5G
- Possible solutions to restore deleted call logs from Realme 11 Pro+
- In 2024, The Best Android Unlock Software For Vivo S18 Device Top 5 Picks to Remove Android Locks
- How To Check if Your Oppo A78 5G Is Unlocked
- Top 12 Prominent Samsung Galaxy A23 5G Fingerprint Not Working Solutions
- [New] What Does the Signature Blue Glyph on Messenger Stand For, In 2024
- [New] Taking Screenshot on Windows 10/8/7 for 2024
- The Complete Guide to Samsung Galaxy F54 5G FRP Bypass Everything You Need to Know
- New 2024 Approved Best Zero-Cost MOD Video Editors 2023 Edition
- Hassle-Free Ways to Remove FRP Lock on Nokia C12 Prowith/without a PC
- How to Fix My Realme GT 5 Location Is Wrong | Dr.fone
- Top 5 Budget-Friendly Gaming Mice (Under $100) for 2024
- Gmail Not Working on Infinix Smart 8 7 Common Problems & Fixes | Dr.fone
- New In 2024, AIFF to MP3 An Experts Methodology for Audio Conversion
- [New] Discovering Your Lately Watched Fb Movies Made Simple for 2024
- Boosting Your Business's Productivity with Top FB Planners
- In 2024, Revamped Recording, Reimagined Screens - The Sprout Way
- In 2024, Securing Virtual Triumphs - Mastering Screen Captures in PC Games
- 2024 Approved 4 Ways to Sync Audio to Video in Filmora and Premiere Pro
- How to Samsung Galaxy A05 Get Deleted Pictures Back with Ease and Safety?
- How to Screen Mirroring Poco X6? | Dr.fone
- 9 Best Phone Monitoring Apps for Tecno Pop 7 Pro | Dr.fone
- How To Transfer Data From Apple iPhone 13 mini To Android? | Dr.fone
- Cheap, Yet Superior Gaming Keyboard Guide Under $100
- The way to convert MTS for Samsung Galaxy S23
- Fresh Footage Feature Film Reviews
- [New] 2024 Approved Webcam Filming Made Professional in No Time
- A Complete Guide To OEM Unlocking on Motorola Razr 40
- [Updated] In 2024, Seamless Strategies Downloading Graphics Images From Facebook & Beyond
- [Updated] In 2024, The Ultimate Editor Showdown Filmora Vs. Democracy Creator
- Updated VLC Tips and Tricks How to Play Videos in Slow Motion for 2024
- How To Deal With the Nokia C210 Screen Black But Still Works? | Dr.fone
- Updated Best Top Vlog Editor Apps for iPhone and Android for 2024
- In 2024, 10 Best Fake GPS Location Spoofers for Itel P55+ | Dr.fone
- 9 Solutions to Fix Tecno Spark 20C System Crash Issue | Dr.fone
- Title: "[Updated] 2024 Approved Instagram Photo Edits Made Simple Pro Techniques"
- Author: Ian
- Created at : 2024-05-21 16:07:28
- Updated at : 2024-05-22 16:07:28
- Link: https://instagram-clips.techidaily.com/updated-2024-approved-instagram-photo-edits-made-simple-pro-techniques/
- License: This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.