INSTA 101: editing photos + filters I love

Over the years, one of the most frequently asked questions on my Instagram (@vickyheiler) has probably been “What filters do you use to edit your photos?”. While I try to be good about answering all your questions directly on the app, I thought it would be fun to put together a post of how I like to edit my Instagram photos, what apps I have and which filters I love to use. For me personally, there are plenty of accounts that I follow where I would LOVE to know how they edit their photos – Sincerely Jules being one of them. I love the look of her account but have never found the answer of what filters she uses. That being said, it is certainly no secret how I edit my photos and I am more than happy to share all the details with you .

The Look Of The Feed:
Personally, I love it when the overall look of my feed “matches”. Meaning: I try to stick to a certain color scheme and slowly ease into a different look with a soft transition. Here are two examples, the left being very blue/turquoise heavy, while the right has a lot more pink and white.

Taking Photos:
A good Instagram picture starts way before editing, it starts by taking the photo. I always try to post photos that are aesthetically appealing, sharp and have good, natural lighting. I (almost) never take pictures with artificial lighting, as they usually turn out too yellow. It has been proven that lighter, whiter photos perform better on Instagram, which I why I try to incorporate flat-lays or photos with more white every now and then. Here are two recent examples:

What Apps To Use:
If I had to recommend just one app, it would be VSCO Cam. However, definitely invest a few $$ for some of their filter packages. Another useful tool for me personally is MeituPic. My phone is almost 3 years old and my camera has a red spot that won’t go away anymore. I usually use the “acne” function in MeituPic to get rid of that spot on my pictures. Also, their “skin” function is great when you’re trying to make your photos a bit brighter. I personally don’t use it on my selfies, because I think photos where the skin is made “too soft” are tacky, but the “white” and “tone” are great for adjusting the white-balance.

What filters to use:
My personal favorites are the S-filters. I used to edit all my photos with S1, which gave them a slight pink hue. Now, for about a year, I’ve been using S2 for most of my photos, or S3 if they need a bit more saturation. I usually take the filter back a bit (12 is full force and I adjust my photos to 8 or 10) and add additional brightness. Then I take my pictures to Instagram. Rarely I will add a bit of Juno (only about 20% on the scale) and I love the “lux” effect, which I feel like makes your photo and objects in it pop.

Is there anything else you’d like to know about my Instagram pictures? What apps can you recommend and which are your favorite filters with VSCO Cam? I’d love to know, simply leave a comment below!