I don’t know about you, but I love instagram. It has always been my favorite social media app, and over time I have grown it to an aesthetic that I like for me. In this article, I will give you tips on how to edit your photos, apps to use, and to help you find your niche.
Let’s start with the basics, story highlights.
If you are looking for an easy way to spark your profile page, start by adding some highlights. Instagram Story Highlights are collections of past Instagram Stories that you can save, and add to your profile later. They are most commonly used by individuals, influencers, and businesses to showcase their content, and give viewers a quick overview of who they are and what they do.
You can make your highlights however you want. I do it by subject. For example, Senior year, concerts, places, food, and friends. Doing this feels like I can keep everything organized. Another way I have done before is by year. For example, 2025 would be its own story highlight. Separating it with a subject can make it easier for viewers to find.
To make a story highlight, go to your profile page, tap the ( + ) circle under your bio, select the stories you want to add, and label it. Then… Voila!
How do I edit my photos?
The app store offers many apps where you can customize your photos. I know a popular thing most people use, including me, is VSCO. VSCO offers a variety of edits you can make to your photos like filters, brightness, saturation and more.
Here’s what I do:
- I do NOT use any filters
- I decrease the exposure by 2.0
- I increase the contrast by 1.0
- I increase the saturation by 0.5
- In the white balance temperature, I either increase (yellow) or decrease (blue) by 0.5
- In the white balance tint, I either increase (pink) or decrease (green) by 0.5
- I do NOT use sharpen
- I increase the vigenette from 5.0 to 10.0
- I increase or decrease the skin tone to 2.0
- I do NOT use fade
For the majority of the time, these are my popular settings, but sometimes I will play around based on the lighting of the picture. For the most part, my pictures are darker than the original.
How I make a collage:
Do you ever have so many pictures that you want to post them all? Instagram allows you to upload 20 photos per post, but there is a way you can add them all.. Make a collage! When I want to do a big photo dump, I use an app called SCRL to make a collage that uploads as a carousel so that my pictures flow nicely when I scroll. Below is an idea of how that looks when published on instagram.
When you open the app, click the ( + ) at the bottom of the screen, then add your photos! You can move, reposition, and adjust the size of the pictures to your liking. Using this app has given me an opportunity to expand the content I post. Now, just because I use SCRL doesn’t mean I’m making you. Other popular collage apps other people use are: PicCollage, Layout, Canva, Clay, ETC. Use what you’re most comfortable with!
Do what makes you happy :)
At the end of the day, you are allowed to post what you want, and how you want it to look. I often post photo dumps from trips, college semesters, and summer breaks. If I go to a fun place I’ll post. If I have a picture I like, I post it. That makes me happy. Sometimes I even add songs over my stories, and posts whether I like it, or feel like it fits. This is your page, you have unlimited opportunities to customize it, so branch out and find your niche!