apps i use to edit my instagram photos

i get asked a lot how i edit my photos, what filers i use, etc. so i figured it would be the perfect time to make a blog post about it. below are the apps i use to edit my instagram photos! if you have any apps that you love and think i would love too, let me know! editing photos is one of my favorite parts about blogging and instagram.

lightroom

now there are two different ways you can use lightroom. you can buy the actual program for your computer, which is pretty pricey, or you can use the lightroom free app for your phone. there are SO many influencers who have mobile presets for sale that you can use to edit your photos on the app. aspyn ovard has presets, jaci marie does, zoe does and so many more!

i have lightroom for my computer and i use presets that i bought on there, but they make such a huge difference. below are a few photos using aspyn ovard’s presets on lightroom. i’ve basically been using the same preset on my computer to give all of my photos the same vibe/coloring.

before

after

before

after

afterlight 2

after i use lightroom, i always go in and use afterlight 2 to make a few additional edits. this is where i add a peach overlay to tone down the green in my photos and make them a little warmer. now, i could totally do this with lightroom, but i’ve just made a habit of using afterlight 2, so it’s easier for me.

this is also the app i use to create the “dust” overlay affect. they have a million different dust overlays you can use! afterlight has the original app and afterlight 2.0 – so make sure you are using 2.0 if you want to create the dust affect. there are sooooo many other things you can do in this app. all of the basic stuff like lighting, contrast, shadows, sharpening, etc. below are a few examples of the dust effect after using the app.

 

picsart

this is the app i use if i want to add images/art to my photos! below are two examples – i’ve added a cool design on the wall behind me as well as a few paintbrush strokes in the second photo. this app is 100% where it’s at if you want to be creative. it’s like photoshop for dummies and i love it! you can basically do ANYTHING with it. the people that use the app post their photos, kind of like instagram, and you can get a ton of inspiration. i would check it out! it’s so much easier to look at the examples they provide than explain what you can do because it’s basically endless.

unfold

i mostly use unfold for instagram stories, but i’ve also used it a few times for posts! basically you can buy layouts that are like old photos and film! i think it’s so cute. the dimensions for the layouts are for stories, but you can make it work for a square post as well. you can buy extra layouts and do so much with them! you can even add text with this app. a few examples are below!

photogrid

i don’t use this app TOO often anymore, but occasionally i do if i’m trying to resize an image or add an image as the background of another image (?) if that makes sense lol i’m sure you can do this exact same thing with other apps, but i just used to use it all the time so it takes me two seconds. and seems easier than finding a new way to do it lol but i basically use it if i feel like i need to add a background to my photos. there are a lot more things you can do with the images in regards to sizing and cropping and such, but this is what i mainly use it for. i have two examples below – because again, i haven’t been using it TOO much lately.

 

there you have it! those are the main apps i use to edit my instagram photos. i really like that you don’t have to be a pro editor or photographer to create some beautiful and eye catching images on instagram! i know instagram can sometimes get a lot of hate, but i like to use it and think of it as more of a creative space than a negative space.

 

xo,

 

 

courtney raf