5 Best Photo Editing Apps Used By Instagram Influencers
Some influencers claim that they do not edit their photos before posting on Instagram, that it’s au naturale – hint, hint, the Kardashians – even though it is pretty evident that they do use some sort of editors for their photos on Instagram.
In fact, there is nothing wrong with editing your photos before posting them on Instagram and showing your best to everyone in the virtual world. More and more Instagram influencers are becoming transparent about how they edit their photos. Some even post a tutorial on how they go about digitally editing their photos.
Mia Randria, a digital creator from Los Angeles, shared on her YouTube page about using different tools on the Facetune app to smooth out her skin for Instagram photos. After that, Lightform is her go-to for adjusting lighting, contrast, etc. A lot of other Instagram influencers, from James Charles and Oceane to Kris Jenner and Chrissy Teigen, have also been using Facetune for this purpose.
And that’s how some of the best photo editing apps come into the picture: filters to enhance your profile, sharpness to give a cleaner look, contrast to adjust color vibrancy and saturation, and the list goes on. Plenty of photo editing apps are readily available for anyone to use!
You may wonder why we need third-party photo editing apps when Instagram itself has built-in editing features. That’s a great point! But when you start editing photos and trying out the popular effects that are available within the app, you get to a point where these photo-editing features seem very limited. This is why you need good photo editing apps outside Instagram so that you have a wide variety of tools, filters, effects, and content at hand.
5Best Photo Editing Apps for Instagram
Pro-tip: make sure you have a reliable internet connection to help you download the app and watch tutorials for the best photo editing apps. On that account, Xfinity Internet plans include a reliable internet connection to meet your photo editing and Instagram-browsing needs.
If you are wondering how else Instagram influencers edit their photos before posting them, we have compiled the list of best photo editing apps below:
· Snapseed
This photo editing app by Google is the best option for beginners. If you are just starting out editing your photos for Instagram, then Snapseed is the one to go for.
It’s an easy-to-use and free app. It comes with the most basic features you need for photo editing, such as filters, color contrast, lens blue, one-touch editing, etc. There is also an automatic feature that saves your editing work to retrieve later.
Snapseed is available for both Android and Apple devices, and with its clean and attractive features, you can apply professional effects to your photos within seconds.
| Key Features | ||
| Crop, rotate | Adjust contrast, saturation, and exposure | User-friendly for beginners |
| Ready-made fillers to fix your photo | Use customizable text overlays and artistic elements to add a personal touch | |
First-time photo editors should refer to this ultimate guide for Snapseed and start using the app!
· VSCO
If you find that Snapseed’s photo editing features are too limited, you’ll need to use an advanced photo editing app, such as VSCO.
Visual Supply Company(VSCO), previously known as VSCO Cam, is a mobile photography app available for both Apple and Android devices. Its basic version is free to use, but again, it also has limited features for free users.
Its paid subscription gives you access to a full range of presets, advanced editing tools, as well as educational resources and guides. VSCO also includes a built-in camera so that you can take the picture right away. For video-makers, there are features such as cropping, slow-mo, compositing, and other film effects.
You can also share your photo editing with the VSCO community within the app and also browse through other users’ edits.
| Key Features | ||
| 200+ premium photo presets for premium users | 10 photo preset for free users | Enhance skin color |
| Enhance detail with a clarity tool | Set exposure | Cropping, slow-mo, compositing, GIFs for videos |
| Use live camera effects | Add text, graphics, effects | Collage effect |
If these are the features you need for photo editing, you can explore the VSCO guide to learn more.
· Adobe Lightroom
Adobe already has a reputation for offering some of the best graphics-related software, such as Photoshop, Lightroom, Illustrator, Creative Cloud, etc. And for Instagram, there is Adobe Lightroom.
As you would expect, Adobe Lightroom isn’t free to use. It only offers a trial version of 7 days, after which you will be automatically converted into a paid member. With the free trial, you can use the app from any device, apply some premium presets and filters, or even adjust the highlights, midtones, and shadows.
If you are serious about building a following on Instagram, then you should definitely sign up for Adobe membership. Adobe Lightroom is available for both Android and iOS users.
| Key Features | ||
| Create presets | Adjust lighting and shadows | Remove spots/unwanted objects |
| Apply selective edits | Use geometry tools to fix different perspective | Use Sensei search to find items in photos |
As soon as you get the gist of how the Lightroom app works through the guides, you’ll be editing your photos for Instagram like a pro in no time.
· Facetune
One of the best photo editing tools in the world, Facetune has multiple features to edit your photos and videos with just one tap.
You can enjoy features such as applying retouching to photos, using AI outfits, flipping your photos to get a different perspective, removing objects from photos, using filters and effects, and so much more. Instagram video enthusiasts can have the background noise removed from the video.
Facetune allows you to achieve professional-looking results with just a few taps to post on your Instagram. You can use the free version of this app, but because it has very limited features, a paid subscription allows you to enjoy a wide variety of photo editing tools.
| Key Features | ||
| Skin retouch i.e., smoothing, change complexion, remove blemishes | Adjust facial features i.e. reshape, resize, refine, etc. | Teeth whitening tool |
| Filters and lighting effects | ||
You can check Facetune guides if you want to learn how to use this app.
· Darkroom
Another premium photo editing app that is popular among Instagram influencers is Darkroom. It includes some amazing smart tools, such as 3D mapping of your photos, where you can edit elements such as the subject, foreground, or background.
You can import your photos, mark favorites on the ones you like, and let Darkroom declutter your camera roll by eliminating the rest of the extra photos. Apart from that, the photo editing tools in Darkroom include color and saturation manipulation, which is available in both the paid and free versions, making it stand out from other photo editing apps.
In the free version of Darkroom, you’re only limited to using just 12 photo filters; otherwise, you should go for the paid subscription if you want to take advantage of advanced photo editing features.
| Key Features | ||
| Use color grading for distinct style on photos | AI-powered adjustment with masks | Selective color |
| Apple watermark | Adjust brightness or blur level on foreground and background | Manage your photo library |
Learn more about each of these features you can enjoy on the Darkroom app.
FAQs:
Do Instagram influencers edit their photos?
Yes, definitely. They use various photo editing apps for photo filters and effects.
What is the best photo editing app for beginners?
As a beginner, you can try Snapseed for photo editing to post on your Instagram.
Which photo editor is 100% free?
Snapseed is free to use as it doesn’t require a subscription to use its photo editing tools.