WHAT I USE TO CREATE A BEAUTIFUL AESTHETIC ON INSTAGRAM
The way I use Instagram has changed so much since I first downloaded the app. In the beginning I would post a picture as soon as it was taken and then post another a couple hours later. This continued for a while until I eventually deleted my Instagram (twice actually) because as my life was changing, everything that was shared on there wasn’t relevant to who I was anymore. I eventually rejoined Instagram in 2014 and have had the same account ever since. At one point I started a small business on Etsy and used Instagram to advertise my products. This made me dive deeper into everything the Instagram Business profiles had to offer. The more and more I read, the more and more I realized how important the overall look of your Instagram profile is to your success. I’ve begun using this information to grow my personal Instagram and have been loving the results. When I scroll back to look at pictures I love seeing how uniform everything looks. I thought it would be fun to share some of my self-taught skills to anyone looking to make some minor tweaks to their profile!
WHAT I USE TO TAKE PHOTOS & EDIT
Majority of the time I’m only using my iPhone to capture images. I do have a DSLR camera and 2 lenses that I like to play with from time to time but honestly, my iPhone is my ultimate go-to because its easy to grab and I always have it. Also, all of my editing also takes place on my iPhone! From color corrections to cropping and object removal, it all takes place on my iPhone! To walk you through my editing process I am going to use a photo of my daughter I took this past weekend.
ORIGNAL PHOTO TAKEN ON IPHONE IN PORTRAIT MODE 
FINAL PHOTO AFTER EDITS
LIGHTROOM
It took me a while to feel comfortable with Lightroom. There is SO MUCH that this app can do but it takes time and practice to learn. I still consider myself very much a beginner and learn almost every time I’m in the app. With Lightroom, you can import your photos and adjust almost anything color-related on your photo. You also have the ability to sharpen your images, texturize and add vignette.
When I’m in Lightroom, I’ll typically start with a preset that I’ve created or purchased and apply to my image. Presets are basically settings you can apply to your image in one click. Majority of Instagram users do this which is why their pages always have consistent colors. You can create these yourself or purchase and import into your app. Once the preset is applied, I adjust accordingly. Typically I’m increasing exposure, playing with highlights, shadows, blacks and whites as well as temperature until I get the look I like. I also will go in and adjust individual colors. In colors I’m typically playing with yellow, red, orange and green. In the example below you can see I can change the hue of blue and make the bathing suit a completely different color.
RETOUCH
Once I have the colors, shadows and sharpness set to where I like it, I export my photo and open in retouch. This app is great for getting rid of background distractions you’d like to remove. This app can be touchy so I just play around with it until I get my desired look.
This photo example really didn’t have much that I’d want to remove but for the sake of this post, I removed the TV from the wall. There are 2 tools I switch between within the app – Object Removal and Quick Repair. I used the Brush tool in Object Removal for the edit below. On the image without the TV, you can see the Quick Repair tools at the bottom.
PREVIEW
Now that I have my image looking just how I like it, I open up the preview app. This app will load all of your current Instagram photos which then allows you to do a “practice” upload to make sure your new image meshes with your overall theme. There have been plenty of times where I would throw my image back into Lightroom after viewing in preview because the comparison would make me realize my temperature was off or my orange was too saturated. Just a fun little tool that tons of Instagram users use to ensure consistency in their posts. In this example, I actually realized I didn’t take my highlights down enough so I imported my latest edit into Lightroom to make another tweak!
BEFORE YOU GO…
Is any of this necessary? No. Does it change your life? Probably not. Is this fun and a personal hobby? OF COURSE!
While I do use my Instagram to brand rep and grow, at the end of the day majority of my posts are just blips of my life. My consistency is far from perfect but it makes me happy so I do it! A lot of people let Instagram affect them negatively and if that’s the case, I’d say get rid of it. I wanted to share my process since I’ve had a couple people reach out to me asking what camera I use or if I pay for apps. I have purchased presets in the past for Lightroom but they are not necessary to create a beautiful aesthetic on your page.
If you have any questions please leave them in the comments below!
Leave a Reply