Irrespective of whether you would like to share a casual selfie, a travel memory, or an amazing moment with your dear ones on Throwback Thursday, one thing’s for sure — editing your photos before posting them on Instagram can make all the difference. Believe it or not, with just a few tweaks, you can turn even your basic shot into a scroll-stopping masterpiece — and the best part?
You don’t need expensive software or a laptop to do it. In today’s video, we’re sharing the 10 best tips to edit Instagram photos like a pro — right from your iPhone or Android device. From built-in tools to powerful apps and creative tricks, these tips will help you elevate your IG game and stand out in the feed. Let’s dive right in and turn your ordinary shots into Instagram gold!
1. Use the Adjust Tool for Straightening and Cropping
Instagram Edits boasts a pretty neat “Adjust” tool for straightening and cropping.
- When uploading a photo or video, just tap Edit > Adjust to align the horizon or straighten a crooked image.
- After that, you can use the crop tool to frame your content perfectly for the feed or stories, especially useful for maintaining a consistent visual aesthetic.
2. Try the Auto Enhance Button First
What’s more, the Edits app also features a super handy Enhance button to let you adorn your clip.
- To get it done, tap the magic wand icon at the top to let Instagram auto-adjust brightness, contrast, and sharpness.
- It’s a great starting point before making finer manual adjustments.
3. Fine-Tune Brightness and Contrast
Fine-tuning the brightness and contrast is also a straightforward task in the Edits app.
- Under Edit, use the Brightness slider to make your photo pop, especially in poorly lit scenes.
- Pair it with Contrast for better definition between light and dark areas.
4. Make Colors Pop with Saturation and Warmth
- Use Saturation to make colors more vivid without overdoing it.
- Adjust Warmth to give your content a cooler or warmer tone, great for matching your feed’s vibe or the time of day.
5. Sharpen for Professional Detail
- The Sharpen tool brings out small details and textures, making portraits, food, and product shots look crisper.
- A light touch works best here — don’t overdo it, or the photo can look noisy.
6. Add a Natural Look with Highlights and Shadows
- Use Highlights to recover details in bright areas and Shadows to pull out details in darker parts.
- Perfect for photos with mixed lighting, such as sunsets or cityscapes.
7. Use the Vignette Tool for Focused Framing
- Adding a Vignette darkens the corners of your image slightly, drawing the viewer’s attention to the center.
- Great for portraits and product shots to add a subtle spotlight effect.
8. Filter with Purpose
- Instagram offers classic filters like Lark, Juno, and Clarendon.
- Instead of applying them at full strength, double-tap a filter and reduce its intensity for a more natural look.
- Filters help you maintain a consistent style across your posts.
9. Preview Before Saving or Sharing
- Tap and hold the image to compare edits with the original at any point.
- This helps you decide if the adjustments are enhancing or overdoing the effect.
10. Save Your Drafts for Later Edits
Not ready to post yet? Tap the back arrow and select Save Draft. This lets you return to your edited post later with all changes intact, perfect for batch content planning or waiting for the right time to post.
Wrapping up…
And that wraps up our top 10 tips to edit Instagram photos on your iPhone or Android like a true pro! Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been sharing content for a while, these tricks can seriously level up your photo game and help your posts grab more attention.
The best edits are the ones that enhance your style while keeping things authentic, so don’t be afraid to experiment and find what works for you. If you found this video helpful, give it a thumbs up, hit that subscribe button for more content creation tips, and drop a comment below — we’d love to hear which editing apps or techniques you swear by.
