There are so many photo editing apps on the market these days it is hard to decide what to use when editing your photos for Instagram. Some people will opt just to use the Instagram app, others might use two or three different apps to do the editing before hand. I differ every time, depending on how much editing I feel the photo needs.
Photo editing apps I use for Instagram
VSCO // FREE
I love this app and it is my ‘go to’ app for any photo editing: filters and image adjustments. VSCO have a huge range of filters, some for free and some to buy, I only have free filters and would honestly say they do me fine. Once I’m happy with the filter, I move on to adjusting the finer details of the photo. Typical adjustments here include highlights, shadows, fade and saturation. This section will differ depending on the image. However, I love being able to paste edits in this app so when you have a bunch of photos the same you can edit them to all with the same effects.
TYPIC PRO // £2.29
This app is my go to app if I want to add something more to my images. They have filters and the ability to adjust the photo setting but I normally use another app for that and bypass that screen. The main features of this app are adding text and design elements, there is so much choice available and the option to change the color of everything. You can add more than one of each to the picture, so if you want to use two different fonts that is easily possible. I like how everything is in different sections which makes looking for elements/text styles really easy.
SNAPSEED // FREE
Apple / Android
I don’t always use Snapseed as it is a little bit complicated to use but it is great if your image really needs some tuning. There are plenty of tools for editing the look of your image in Snapseed and within each tool there is another range of options. I like that this app has more scope for tuning the image and a larger scale to do so on. I would say this app is the closest to a professional editing software like Photoshop. I typical do not use the filters on this app, although I went through a stage of just using the HDR Scape filter but I have since moved on from that.
AFTERLIGHT // £0.59-0.79
Apple / Android
The only reason I downloaded this app was because of a video Jess from Love and London did. You can view her video here which is all about photo editing apps and how to use them. This is another great app for editing the fine tuning of an image: contrast, exposure, saturation, shadows etc. You get a bigger scope to play with on these settings than in VSCO so it is a nice app to use with it. There are also filters and other setting which you can use but I normally find the ones I want to use require you to purchase an additional pack for the app – instead I use VSCO for the filters.
Go Pro and Camera Connect
These two apps are purely for being able to remotely use my camera devices and access the photos taken on them over wifi. Images I use for Instagram are not always take on my iPhone camera, although I do find it good, the quality of my Go Pro and DSLR Canon are much better.
The Go Pro app allows me to connect to the camera and use my phone as a screen (I have a Go Pro with no screen). I love being able to use my phone to see the shot before I take it but obviously this isn’t always possible. You are suppose to be able to use the app to transfer files across but I’ve actually never managed to do this.
The Camera Connect app is for my Canon 70D. I can use it to browse through the images I have taken that day and upload them to my phone or I can use the app as a remote shooting device. This means if you are taking a long exposure image you won’t jolt the camera by pressing the shutter button on the body.
INSTAGRAM // FREE
Apple / Android
The app I use all of the above for, Instagram. It is obviously a photo editing app itself but the only edit I use these days is to add blur to my images and that is only a rare occasion. Instagram’s latest update means you can now post portrait, landscape and square images and do not need to make your images this shape in another app. Most of the above apps have a share straight to Instagram option in the saving menu too.
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Do you use any of the apps I’ve mentioned for Instagram? Or do you have another to recommend? Let me know in the comments below.
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