Instagram used to be a place of spontaneity. You liked a photo you took that day, you’d upload it to Instagram, throw one of their filters on it and post away. These days, the majority of people are taking it a little more seriously, even those who aren’t bloggers or businesses. I get questions all the time about how I edit my photos and how to create a beautiful instagram feed so I thought I would give you my top tips and the apps I use to do just that!
Pick a Theme
When I say pick a theme, I mean a colour theme. Try to stick to a colour style that you like and that is achievable. The second part is so important as it can impact the type of content you can create. For example, choosing to go with a bright white, clean style theme might be extremely hard for you to execute if you don’t have surroundings that allow you to create content with that look. I myself would never try that theme simply because I don’t have white interiors in my house, and I post such a wide variety of content that it would really limit me.
The left image is what my feed used to look like, the right is what it looks like now. Pretty big difference huh. Personally I’ve gone through a few different themes based on what I was loving at the time, or where I was. I went through a purple/blue phase, a bright orange/green phase and while I was travelling Europe in the middle of winter, my feed had a much darker feel to it. It’s okay to change your mind, just do you.
I use Lightroom and my own presets to edit my photos now, however there are a few apps that you can use to get consistent filters on your images. VSCO is probably the most well known one, they have great filters and adjustments so you can get your images looking exactly how you like them. The second editing tool is Afterlight, I don’t like their filters but I do love their dust and light overlays which create an awesome ‘old school’ feel to your images.
Plan Your Feed
This is an absolute game changer for people wanting to get serious about instagram. Editing your images to get a coherently coloured theme is the first step, but making sure your images look great together is the next step. I use an app called UNUM to plan out my instagram feed. Generally I just like to make sure my images fit well together, not having similar images, similar clothes, close ups next to each other. The image on the left is unplanned, there are similar images together, dark images all in one area, and I just don’t like the balance between content and people. The feed on the right is balanced, the colours work nicely together and I just prefer the look!
But you can take it a step further, maybe every third image you post is a quote, maybe you post in rows having three images that work together. I’ve put some instagram accounts below that you might like to check out. Just keep in mind that having a super structured feed limits your flexibility so make sure you’re happy with it!
Co-Ordinate Story Highlights
My final tip for creating a beautiful instagram feed is to co-ordinate your story highlights. What I mean by that is instead of having whatever story instagram picks as the cover, create your own and make sure it sticks with your overall theme. It basically puts a finishing touch on your feed and ties the whole thing together. There are plenty of ways you can go about getting pretty highlights, you can use block colours, icons or letters. You can create your own, or you can get some online. Just make sure the colours work with your theme. I’ve put some examples below.
Do you have any tips on how to create a beautiful instagram feed? Let me know in the comments below!