If you have an Instagram or VSCO account, you know that a lot of what goes into posting a photo consists of editing, sending your friends the picture for confirmation— that “Uh, yeah girl, you’re CUTE as heck!” and staring at the photo for a good 10 minutes to make sure it goes with your amazing feed. I’m not condoning an unhealthy obsession with taking and posting photos, but I do believe that when you post a photo and it goes with your feed, it’s like a mini piece of art added to a big piece of art.
IMG Source Eunice Olugbile
A lot of us have been editing photos with filters since middle school, but there’s some tips and tricks to learn that will really set your creations apart. Here’s a quick guide to making your photos, insta-stories, and feed POP!
1. Instagram Story Hack
If you’re sharing a photo to your story on Instagram, you can change the background! Use the eye-dropper tool to grab a color from the photo or choose one of the pre-selected colors at the bottom, hold your finger on the background, and voila! You’ve got a super cute full color background opposed to that weird gradient!
IMG Source Eunice Olugbile
2. VSCO has more editing power than just filters!
My go-to tools to use when I edit picks are “Sharpen” which makes a photo a little clearer depending on how much you use, and “Tone” which evens out and makes white spots less white so your photo doesn’t look too bright.
IMG Source Eunice Olugbile
3. The App You Didn’t Know You Needed
If you’ve seen those cute doodles or backgrounds on pictures that everyone has but have NO IDEA how they’re doing it, I’ve got you, girl! The app is called “PicsArt” and it’s been around for a LONG time. This app allows you do to some easy and basic photoshopping, doodling, and sticker-adding fun to your pictures to really make them pop!
4. Remember that Posting and Editing Pictures Should Be Fun
It’s so easy to get caught up in how you look when you edit pictures, but it’s important to remember that if you chose to edit the picture, it’s good enough to post! It’s not about pleasing everyone else, but about wanting to share something that you appreciate, whether it’s a selfie or your iced vanilla chai from Starbucks. Do you, sis! At the end of the day, what you think is what matters.