Ah, Instagram. The home of influencers and lifestyle gurus. If you’re always on Instagram and you want to build a stylish, curated feed that gets a lot of followers, you don’t want to miss these photography tips for moms and dads!
Building an enviable Instagram feed is easy because the app happens to have some of the best photo filters out there. There’s really no need to download a separate app for these unless you want to re-touch your images prior to publishing.
Normal Option: Instagram has 24 filters, including the “normal” option, which is basically the original photo without a filter. If you prefer an au naturel look to the image then choose the natural option. You will love the realistic colors! If you’ve been trying out any of the photography tips for moms that I’ve shared in the past then you might not need any filter at all. The normal option is also perfect if you’d like to tweak the photos manually, if you are in a rush to post the image, or if you are taking pictures of your kids outdoors.
7 Instagram Filters for Stunning Images
Now let’s talk about some of the most popular filters on Instagram. I prefer a filter-free photo but let’s face it, there are days when a filter is helpful in terms of concealing minor imperfections. These filters are my favorites too!
Photo Credit: depositphotos.com
Clarendon
Clarendon is one of the most popular filters in the platform, and for great reasons! This filter increases the saturation, color, and contrast of light and dark areas of an image. It also highlights portions of the image with a cyan tint to cool the colors down. I love this filter for images with warm mid-tones; Clarendon could cool the colors down while also making the hues appear vivid yet natural-looking. Selfies and groupfies would look fantastic with the Clarendon filter!
Photo Credit: makeuseof.com
Juno
If the colors of your images are less than stellar, try this filter. Juno is one of the most often-used filters for making the colors pop. This filter intensifies the vibrancy and contrast of the image while also adding a blue or green tint to the image to cool everything down. The reds, oranges, and yellows would appear deeper, warmer with the Juno filter while the greens and blues become more vivid. I use this filter to brighten light areas and make the colors stand out even more.
Photo Credit: makeuseof.com
Gingham
This filter adds an overall vintage effect to your photos by toning down the highlights, minimizing the saturation and then applying a slight vignette for a warm, hazy look to the images. This is a lovely filter for softening the images for a light, warm, and slightly aged appearance.
Photo Credit: ask.video
Lo-fi
The Lo-fi filter is the best for intensifying the colors! This filter creates a dramatic, 90s-inspired effect. I would use this filter to enhance the vibrancy of the image as well as to intensify the shadows and saturation. The effect can be a bit intense but you can adjust the intensity by swiping left on your screen.
Photo Credit: vogue.com
Valencia
If you love a warm, bright look to your photos, you will love the Valencia filter. This filter tones the colors down slightly while highlighting the yellows of the image. The overall effect is bright, warm, yet light. I would recommend this filter if you want the colors to be slightly paler and lighter.
Photo Credit: instagrowing.net
Ludwig
No, this popular Instagram filter was not named after THE composer and pianist, Ludwig van Beethoven. It’s in fact, named after the architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, who famously coined the mantra “less is more.”
The photo filter that inspired the architect does indeed present less of the photo by downplaying the vividness of most colors except for reds and magentas. Ludwig increases the saturation and luminance of red while decreasing yellows, blues, greens, and pinks. The contrast also decreases slightly as well and the overall effect is warm and light. This filter perfect for shooting geometric objects or architectural structures. Ludwig also works perfectly when capturing portraits!
Photo Credit: instagrowing.net
Lark
If you prefer cool colors to dominate the photos for a slightly washed out effect, the Lark filter is right up your alley. This photo filter downplays the reds, purples, and magentas while intensifying the vibrancy greens and blues. Lark also increases the exposure so the colors are muted yet bright.
This filter is a great one to use if you want to tone down the colors of the images just a bit. It also adds a cool tint to the image so the effect is bright, natural and not too stark. I love using this for outdoor photo shoots with the children.
Remember, if the effects of these filters are a little too much for your taste, you can always swipe left and right to adjust the filter accordingly. You can stick to a single filter so your feed looks cohesive or do what I do, I experiment with different filters to get the effect that I want.
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