Instagram Appeared as an SNS app with a photo sharing function. As we head into 2023, Instagram has evolved into a powerful business marketing tool with incredible capabilities to share content in multiple formats such as Reels and Stories.
According to the latest company data:
- instagram is dead 1.2 billion active users worldwide
- 50% % of users leveraged to discover new brands and products
- 90% of users follow at least one business account
All these stats point to the fact that whether your business is a startup or an established one, a strong Instagram presence can help drive high engagement and conversions for your business. 2 million or more Brands are already using Instagram to promote their business.
Video content is gaining momentum on Instagram, but posting great photos with value propositions in captions can help you achieve better business outcomes.
Kelly HendricksonSocial Media Marketing Manager at HubSpot, I will explain: “Organically, images can reach twice as many people. I’m not saying videos are useless, but Instagram has always been designed as an image-first platform.”
By posting the perfect Instagram shot, increase social engagement. In this post, we’ll give you 7 tips for snapping and editing great Instagram photos.
How to Snap and Edit Stunning Instagram Photos
1. Check your camera settings
Optimized camera settings are the key to quality and Instagram-worthy photos. So, first and foremost, check and adjust your camera settings.
Most phone cameras today offer powerful features like high megapixel resolution, HDR, and autofocus. The hard part is understanding and leveraging these features to get the best results.
Here are some tips to consider:
High dynamic range (HDR) allows users to capture scenes without losing detail in dark and bright areas. Take a look at the shared images below to see how HDR provides a visual treat by adding finer detail.
Pro tip: Don’t use the HDR feature on every photo you snap. Otherwise, your photos will look unnatural and unattractive. Use it only if you have difficulty balancing the brightness of your image.
Check out how AirbnbsThe travel industry leader is leveraging this tactic. Observe an image that reflects dark shadows and bright highlights very well.
In portrait mode, the background is blurred and the subject is in focus, as shown in the example below.
Pro tip: Use portrait mode to highlight something in your photo, especially a product.
View recently posted images mac cosmeticsObserve how beauty brands highlight their products (lipsticks) to catch the eye of users.
Burst mode, also known as continuous mode, allows users to capture moving subjects.
Here is an example reflecting multiple images taken in burst mode.
Pro tip: Use this mode to snap multiple high-speed photos. This way you can select from an array of images. Once you’re done shooting, choose the perfect shot to post.
see how NikeOne of the world’s leading footwear brands uses this tactic with ease.
2. Get the composition right
Photo composition is the way a photographer organizes visual elements within a frame. Good composition provides solid structure to your subject or work of art, creating a visually appealing view that makes your subject stand out while balancing other elements in your scene.
How do you compose your photos?
Follow the golden rule of photography called the “rule of thirds”. To get a well-composed shot, he should divide the image into three sections and place the subject in the right or left third.
For example, notice how the following image is split into 3 parts to get 9 parts and 4 grid lines. The subject (tree) is kept on the far right, leaving a slot on the left.
observe how Tanime Flower Gardenorganic vegetable and flower stores follow this practice to level up their Instagram game.
Pro tip: Android and iPhone cameras provide the ability to create grids. Check your camera settings and select a grid line while snapping a photo.
3. Ensure proper lighting and exposure
Camera exposure refers to the amount of light reaching the sensor while taking a snapshot. The more light you expose your camera sensor to, the brighter your photo will be, leading to overexposure. The less light, the darker and underexposed the photo.
In both cases the photo loses its original details. See the shared example below to understand the difference.
Ensuring proper exposure is therefore very important as it can make a big difference in how your photos turn out.next instagram post Elle DecorThe home and decor magazine proves it.
Here’s a hack to get the perfect shot. You can manually balance the exposure by simply tapping the screen between the bright and dark parts of your shot. A vertical scale “sun” icon appears. Move your finger up and down to adjust the light.
4. Add layers and filters
Now you have an amazing Instagram-worthy snap! yet! There are many other things you can do to improve the quality and appeal of your images. Add fun effects, layers and filters to edit your photos and get more engagement on Instagram. Instagram has a built-in photo editor, but its functionality is limited.
To share photos that look like masterpieces, you need cutting-edge image editing tools. But with so many photo editors available today, choosing the best app to download can be a daunting task. I don’t know if it’s easy or what editing features to look for.
photo leap is an all-in-one AI-powered photo editing solution that fits your needs.
Developed by Lightricks, makers of photo and video editing apps like Facetune and Videoleap, this AI-powered image editor is available on mobile. With its instant photo editing features, you can add filters, special effects, animated images, and more.
Here’s how to take advantage of this intuitive and easy-to-use app to add layers to your images. Open a new project and click the (+) icon in the upper right corner to add an image. Click the same icon to select another snap and create a new layer.
Editing tools appear for each layer you create in your photo. This allows you to edit images individually and blend them in creative ways.
For example, if you want to edit the first image of a man walking in the dark, tap the image to edit it. You can add special effects and filters to change the look. However, this does not affect his second image representing the road.
Pro tip: Take advantage of Photoleap’s Text-to-Image AI generator if you think taking a photo is time consuming. This feature allows users to create stunning photos by writing a description. AI-powered tools turn ideas into perfect illustrations. Generate thousands of images for Instagram with just a few clicks.
Experiment with various editing features to create unique photos. When you’re satisfied with the result, save the photo and post it to Instagram.
5. Remove unwanted background objects
Background distractions can reduce the overall appeal of a photo. It shifts the audience’s focus off the subject and minimizes the engagement quotient.
On the other hand, a clear or transparent background helps grab the audience’s attention by emphasizing the subject matter.
If you don’t like the background of the photo and it’s too late to retake, remove.bg An app that does the trick. This AI-based background remover app offers a simple drag-and-drop functionality that lets you select images to edit. It detects background and foreground and does its magic within 5 seconds.
You can remove the background completely, make it transparent, or choose from great design templates and replace it with something that fits your theme. This tool works well on both mobile and web.
6. Adjust white balance and sharpness
Cell phone cameras can reproduce the colors you see in real life. However, you may not be able to analyze the scene to get the desired result and the colors in your photo may be too warm or too cold. You can often find this problem in areas that should be white.
For example, see how the snow looks blue in the photo below. That’s when it helps to maintain white balance. This allows users to remove color casts and preserve the natural look of images.
Another important thing to look at when editing photos is sharpness, which describes the level of detail in a photo. Technically, it refers to the contrast or sharpness between the edges of an object, as shown in the following example.
Sharpness depends on several factors such as lens, shooting technique and viewing distance.
let’s strengthen is the best image editing tool that offers drag-and-drop functionality to transform blurry, low-quality photos into beautiful, Instagram-ready images in minutes. This AI-powered tool allows you to enhance the lighting and color of your photos to meet pixel requirements. Its “batch processing” feature allows you to sharpen and color correct up to 20 visual assets at once.
Additionally, Let’s Enhance has a tab of presets to help creators edit images to industry standards. For example, if you are a real estate company, select the real estate option in the preset. This image editor’s advanced AI-based algorithms integrate the latest real estate imaging standards and maximize photo quality.
7. Maintain an overall profile aesthetic
The first thing visitors will notice when checking out your Instagram account is the aesthetics of your profile. A unique and pleasing Instagram aesthetic, with layouts and colors that match your brand style, can increase your visibility. Grab attention and encourage action as your target audience scrolls through your feed.
Before posting a photo, ask yourself:
- Who is your target audience?
- What business value are you trying to communicate?
- Do the colors, textures, quotes, or patterns match your business identity?
By analyzing these questions every time you post, you can create a compelling feed.
Note how Unico Nutritionhealth and wellness supplement brand follows this convention and makes its aesthetic stand out.
Unico Nutrition knows:
- Their target audience consists of active and energetic young people.
- They want to tell you that their nutritional supplements are the best on the market.
- Their creative and bright Instagram aesthetic reflects their unique brand identity.
No wonder Unico Nutrition has 74,000 followers on Instagram.
summary
The key to success on Instagram is posting great visuals. Thankfully, you don’t have to buy an expensive photo kit or become a professional photographer to take quality photos for your feed.
Shared photo tips and tricks and image editing tools to help you create beautiful visuals and increase engagement on Instagram. So use them to gain an edge in the Instagram game and gain a competitive edge.