For as long as I can remember I’ve always loved taking pictures and have always been so fascinated with camera equipment and editing! Editing is something I really enjoy; however, I am no expert! I’ve taught myself a lot through Youtube University haha! So many people always ask how do I edit and what camera equipment I use and as much as I have no problem letting you guys in on all that I do to get my style of editing – there’s so much to say on you just figuring it out on your own and finding your own style. Even though I love my personal style of editing, I know that this won’t work for everyone. Everyone has a different skin color, eye color, hair color – so all these edits may not look good for everyone. I have just found what works for me and what I personally like.
Now onto the nitty gritty!
What programs do you use to edit?
I use Lightroom Classic on Desktop and Lightroom CC App (free on mobile). If you’re serious about your brand, I’d highly suggest getting Lightroom on your desktop! It’s so good and all I pay is $10/month for the photography plan. TOTALLY worth it. I also use the VSCO app on my phone after I finish editing in Lightroom.
I also use the Photoshop Fix app (free!) to darken anything on my picture (make my makeup stand out more), or clean up something on the ground/walls or a blemish.
What presets do you use?
There are tons of bloggers/influencers who have amazing feeds and sell their presets! For example, @aspynovard has some really pretty ones (however, I couldn’t get them to work on my skin tone). @tezza also has some great ones (I used her preset Tezza 04 for a long time before I found the one I currently use!).
I’m always looking for ways to make my Instagram feed better so I did not mind investing in these presets to find my own personal style. It’s all trial and error. I’ve finally found a combination that I’ve been OBSESSED with! I love the @moxie preset Santorini (I love how it gives me a bronzed look and a brownish theme!). But I can’t just slap this preset on any photo and be good to go – there are some tweaks I have to make. Majority of the time I focus on adjusting the saturation, exposure and whites. The colors I mostly focus on when editing is the orange (my skin tone) and red (my lip color). The best thing about this preset is that it’s really affordable compared to a lot of other influencers’ but its so good! ($30). I’m able to use this preset on my RAW photos from my DSLR or from my iPhone, all with great results.
After I put the preset on the photo (I either do it on my mobile device or my desktop), I go into the VSCO app and add the A6 filter. I don’t put this filter all the way (usually up to a 2.6). I love the sharpening tool on this app (makes everything look so much clearer). I also use the saturation adjuster if my skin looks pale.
RAW PHOTO (taken with my iPhone 8 plus, I always make sure to wipe my screen before using my phone to get rid of any dirt or fog)
WITH MOXIE PRESET SANTORINI
WITH VSCO A6 + SHARPENING
WITH PHOTOSHOP FIX EDITING (I darkened my eye makeup/lip color and cleaned up the ground)
**The final touch of all my photos is to crop it to fit Instagram (4:5)
I recently discovered this:
If you want to edit any videos with your preset you can import it in Lightroom Classic on desktop through the library tab then right under “Quick Develop” select the preset you want to use in the “Saved Preset” down arrow. On videos you can only do minimal editing with Lightroom presets, but I make it work with my feed.
CONSISTENCY
The key to having a consistent Instagram theme is to repeat the same steps for all your photos every time. Obviously every photo will be different (depends on the lighting situation). So tweaking little things here and there is inevitable (exposure, saturation, vibrance, certain colors, etc.). The great thing about Lightroom is that if you want a certain color to pop you can go into the “color” section and bring that colors saturation up.
A little trick I do is to preview my photos on a mock Instagram account. I have an account with zero followers that I just use to post my photos to see how they will actually look with my theme. This has been so helpful. My feed is definitely not perfect; however, I mostly focus on the pictures just complimenting each other.
What camera equipment do I use?
I have been so blessed to have my sister take the majority of my pictures for me (she’s so great! She has been so supportive and so willing to learn!). Again, majority of what I know is from Youtube University lol But also I have been blessed to have some great photographers around me who have been super helpful with any questions I have had regarding photography and editing!
I have a Canon 6D + a 50mm 1.8 lens. I used to have a Canon Rebel T6i, but once I updated to a full frame camera the quality of my photos changed drastically. I love my 6D!
That pretty much sums up how I edit and the equipment I use. If you guys have any questions or would like me to elaborate on anything feel free to comment on this post or DM me over on Instagram! I’d be more than happy to help! 🙂
