INSTAGRAM FILTERS, PRESETS & ALL THAT JAZZ. HOW ALL YOUR FAVORITE BLOGGERS DO THE MAGIC ON THEIR PERFECTLY STYLED FEEDS.
When it comes to Instagram there are two types of feed: the ones that look like meticulously assembled mosaics and the ones that look like broken puzzles.
If you belong to the first category you definitely know that featuring a signature imagery that resonates with your niche is a key factor to succeed on Instagram, so you what you may find interesting is that: there are ways to produce content that make photography more accessible and allow you to edit pictures yourself, and exactly the way you want without the limitation usually imposed by photographers. For instance on Pelooc, we give the option to book gigs that won’t include image post production, so that you can drop your cost and enjoy the freedom to edit your pictures the way you like with no restrictions.
If you belong to the second category you have probably tried all the filters, maybe bought a bunch of presets, but still, can’t really figure out what the magic formula to give your feed a cohesive and distinguishable look is.
So let’s try to understand why filters and presets don’t work all the times.
In order for filters to result the same way, your pictures should always feature the same colors and should be taken in the exact same light conditions, which is basically impossible. As one day you may take a picture at the park at 3pm of a sunny day, which will give you a predominance of green in the background and a high brilliance; and the following day you may take a photo in a coffee shop where the environment is much darker, and the predominant colors completely different.
So what makes it difficult for the filter to work? The answer is; the starting point.
Indeed the starting point is alway different, hence, you’re applying the same settings on different images, which results in different aesthetic outcomes.
To help you understand what we mean, below an example.
In the first image you can see the original photos, before applying any change. In the second image, you can see the result after the filter has been applied.
From the look of it, you can tell the situation hasn’t improved much.
So how do all those bloggers you love maintain that cohesive, almost magical gallery?
They do it with “photo editing!”
Manually editing allows you to separately control each of the aspects that give the ultimate look to your image, such as:
- Exposure, white and black balance: to make your image brighter, or darker, depending on how cheerful or moody you want it to be;
- Temperature: leaning towards warmer of colder tones;
- Contrast and Clarity: these make your image sharper for a more intense look, or softer for a dreamy feel;
- Colors: to adjust saturation and luminance for each shade, in order to enhance the ones which relate with your brand and soften the others.
This is what the same feed looks like after manually editing the images.
Voilà! All the images have the same style, and look perfect next to each other!
A tool that we recommend to edit pictures is Adobe Lightroom. However, we realize that it requires some practice in order to get there, and it can be overwhelming at first. So if you don’t want to bear the hassle of learning how to edit, we totally understand that. With Pelooc you’ll be able to find phototakers with editing skills that will help you achieve the custom aesthetic of your dreams.
To find out more about Pelooc’s photo shoots (with or without editing) visit the services page here.
Written by Sara Avans
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