Coziness. They use pastel and warm filters that make you feel cozy. This is a film aesthetic, without contrast. Here it is important to show the atmosphere of a place or thing in such a way that everyone immediately wants to go to that place or buy that particular thing.

Uniform Color. This is an account in a single color palette or in close color harmonious colors. A trend that is often called obsolete, but it’s not. The beautiful visual of the account has not gone anywhere, and many SMM-managers and designers are racking their brains and building a harmonious feed. But they do it without fanaticism – different photos are also appropriate. The main thing about this trend – a combination of colors and different angles. Who will be interested in subscribing to an account if it’s all the same, right?

Juiciness and decoration. Here it is important to convey the brightness and personality of the product. Clean colors and correct framing. The object of the frame should catch the eye. The trend is perfectly comparable with cosmetic brands.

Captions on the photo. The main thing here is not to roll in the kolhozny font and know the measure. If your account has a lot of useful articles – it’s better. Adjust the light and color of the frame and apply the caption to the photo: the font should be readable, but not pretentious.

Inspired? Now I’ll show you with examples where the best way to process photos and videos for Instagram according to the latest trends. I will use my own photos as an example.

Mobile photo processing apps

Facetune 2

Download: Google Play, App Store.
Price: free. Advanced features cost 2 590 rubles per year.

What can:

• pick up a filter or cleanse your skin;
• shrink and expand body parts;
• correct hair or objects in a photo.

The filters in the free version are limited, so if you want to appreciate all the functionality, you’ll have to take a subscription. The free version will be useful if you want to add different highlights and reflections. Remember that naturalness is the trend, and curves and broken walls because of plastic should be a thing of the past.

Airbrush

Download: Google Play, App Store.
Price: free for the basic version, there are built-in purchases. Extended version costs 2350 rubles per year. or 549 one month.

What it can do:

• Clear skin blemishes and pimples;
• even out tone, crop, and exposure;
• adjust color, select and adjust filter.

Airbrush is much more functional in the free version than Facetune.
That’s because you can remove blemishes and fine details right away, without buying the extended version.

Pixaloop

Download: Google Play, App Store.

Price: free, there is a built-in purchase. Extended version costs 1,450 rubles a year or 459 rubles per month.

What can:

• animate the image;
• add weather effects;
• add effects, special effects, and elements like stickers;
• correction of exposure, temperature, saturation.

In this application, you can make animations, create motion where there was none, add glitter or glow effects. The free version doesn’t have a lot of features, but you can do just fine with them to liven things up a bit. The first time you run Pixaloop, it will show you how to work with it – it’s easy!

Tezza

Download: Google Play, App Store.
Price: free, there is a built-in purchase.

What can:

• exposure correction;
• color correction;
• The function of copying processing from one photo to another.

It meets all fashion trends and aesthetics. The filters are nice: there are warmth, beautiful shades, and dusting/grain blending.
It is convenient to copy the processing of one photo and impose these settings on the other one.

Nichi

Download: Google Play, App Store.
Price: free, with in-app purchases. Extended version costs $11.99 per year or $1.49 per month.

What it can do:

• ready-made collage layouts;
• various stickers and items;
• photo frames.

Lots of features are free, and Nichi itself is great for storis. Here we create collages, add aesthetic elements, and do minimalism. Don’t like minimalism? You can add lots of details that match each other in color and shape. Ready-made layouts are helpful, but you can also make your own.

Applications on your computer for processing photos

Photoshop Lightroom

What it can do:

• remove unnecessary elements in photos;
• create presets or use downloaded ones;
• copy the settings of one photo and apply them to the rest.

A professional program for color correction, exposure and framing. For those who need to process hundreds of photos in a single color style. Presets can be found on the Internet and in special groups in VKontakte.

Photoshop

What it can do:

• Quality removal of superfluous details with a dot recovery brush, patch, or stamp;
• correctly crop the photo according to its proportions;
• set the right size and save in the right format.

A professional program with a wide range of action. Unlike Lightroom, Photoshop is more convenient to work with each photo for fine-tuning. Whereas in Lightroom you pick up color and apply it to all your photos, in Photoshop you do a competent retouching of the skin or the whole photo.

PhotoScape

Price: free, with in-app purchase.

What it can do:

• Apply dusty, scuffed, textured effects with filters;
• photo aging and the usual filters presets with a color change;
• makes highlights, frames and collages;

The program is an excellent replacement for Photoshop for photo processing. The welcome screen clearly shows the actions of the various tools. It is enough to click on the right one. For creativity: you can add highlights like on film and process the photo as if the object is under water.

GIMP

Price: free.

What it can do:

• crop, work with photo formats;
• remove unnecessary details in photos;
• adjust color, light, and temperature;
• work with layers.

A powerful analog of Photoshop. It has everything you need. You can remove objects or unnecessary people on the photo with a treatment brush or stamp, adjust the pressure and hardness of the brush. You can correct the exposure and align the color, crop and edit the photo by layers. The interface, although similar to Photoshop, looks a bit simple. It is worthy of attention as a free analogue.

Warning. When saving, choose file-export as-select format. If you habitually make the file – save as, then the jpg format will not be there.

Online photo editing services

AVATAN

Price: free, no registration.

What can:

apply filters, effects, textures, stickers, text;
make collages;
Adjust exposure and color.

Standard online editor. Not all filters are relevant and trendy, but you can play with filters and effects and make something creative.

Photoshop online

Price: free, no registration.

What it can do:

• has all the basic functions of Photoshop;
• apply quick effects: filters, highlight areas, paint elements, remove backgrounds;
• make a retro effect or process a photo from a webcam directly;

A good, fast and functional analogue of Photoshop. Works on Flash Player – Google in its browser is going to turn off support for flash players in 2021, so if you have Chrome, you will have to run it in other browsers (for example, Yandex).

Pixlr

Price: free, with in-app purchases.

What it can do:

• Glitch effects, filters, textures;
• remove unnecessary details;
• adjust the exposure and color.

Features like the PC version, but a little extended. Reminds me of Photoshop, but Pixlr is easier and faster. My opinion is that if you use Pixlr, it’s better online. There are more features and you do not need to download and install the program.

Canva

Price: free after registration. There are in-app purchases.

What it can do:

• Applies stickers and effects;
• Offers templates suitable for social networking formats;
  makes animations;
• allows you to place items evenly;
• Contains a large library of backgrounds, images, and objects.

Service with a wide range of functionality from photos to design and video. You have to register to get free access, but there are built-in purchases with extended functionality. Here you can fit photos into different layouts, change elements and colors. There are built-in photo filters, but we recommend processing photos in the app on your phone and then working in Canva.

Fotostars

Price: free, no registration.

What it can do:

• add filters;
• whiten or sharpen an area of a photo;
• adjust the exposure, saturation, temperature.

A simple editor with a minimum of necessary functions. Registration is not required, you can process and save without it. It is convenient to click the button on the top right to compare before/after. By the way, it is better to upload photos taken on the phone, as it takes a long time to think when the photos have a large resolution or volume. Quick and interesting, great option if you are too lazy to download apps or ran out of space 😉

Instagram

Price: free of charge.

What it can do:

• filters and effects;
• sharpening, color correction and contrast;
• work with multiple images.

In general, the editor in Instagram is not a bad thing, if you know what to do. When looking at a photo, you must remember: the less processing, the better. Filters should not be set to maximum: scroll the slider to the left.

Available are exposure correction, cropping and corner alignment, contrast, sharpness, shadows, temperature. In general, all the basic functions that any photo editor has.

Rules for processing video on Instagram

Short and to the point. You don’t want to make your video too long, because there’s a chance it won’t be seen.

Whether it’s the process of applying makeup, a procedure at the beautician, a backstage shoot or making décor. Shoot it, add it to the video editor, cut it out, speed it up, attach music, apply a filter or text. That’s it, you’re adorable. Well, almost.

What do you need to know for the right proportions of these elements?

• Dynamics. You don’t have to mush and drag on one scene from one angle. It’s boring. The main thing is not to slip into fast-paced framing at all.
• Balance and harmony. Revisit the bottom line. You have to like the video and the editing done.
• Coloring. Use editors to tweak light and color or apply a filter.
• Turn off sound. When editing, mute the main sound if you are overlaying music. There should not be mush and cacophony.
• Quality. Save your video in a higher resolution. You don’t want to put a file on Instagram that’s all washed out.

Mobile applications for video processing on Instagram

Viva Video

Download: Google Play, App Store.
Price: free, there are in-app purchases. Disabling advertising and watermark costs 990 rubles per year.

What it can do:

• Overlays music, text, filters and effects from its own library;
• trimming, splitting, acceleration, lighting correction.

Comments: Great editor if you buy a one year subscription 🙂 It has everything you need: glitch, weathering, glitter, fancy transitions, all trimming tools and filters, text overlay with effects.

InShot

Download: Google Play, App Store.
Price: free, there is a built-in purchase. Removing the watermark is worth it.

What it can do:

• cropping, acceleration, resizing, light correction;
• overlay music, filters and sound effects.

Convenient editor with clear functionality. The free version has fewer ads than the previous application. The interface is nice and clear. It works easily, especially without the watermark)

QUIK

Download: Google Play, App Store.
Price: free.

What it can do:

• Add effects, music, filters;
• Change the format to suit your needs;
• Save your video WITHOUT watermarks.

Easy and fast video editing app. No watermarks! There are built-in effects: upload one or more videos and the app creates a video with effects, music and transitions. Then you can change the music, filter or format.

Hyperlapse

Download: Google Play, App Store.
Price: free.

What it can do:

• adjust the speed of the video;
• shoot right into the program;
• stabilizes video.

An app for creating accelerated videos. You can adjust the speed and share directly to Instagram or Facebook. The format is more suitable for Storis. Conveniently saved without watermarks.

Vigo Video

Download: Google Play App Store.
Price: free, there is a built-in purchase.

What it can do:

• Share videos immediately on social networks;
• Shoot directly into the app;
• apply filters directly while shooting.

Creating simple videos for storis. Reminiscent of TickTock. You can apply a filter before shooting, retouch your skin, start shooting, pause and continue. You can also share your videos in the app itself, not just on Instagram.

Video editing software for Instagram on your computer

iMovie

Price: free.

What it can do:

• Trim and speed up video sequences, smooth out audio noise, stabilize videos;
• apply filters to videos;
• basic exposure adjustment.

Video editor with a wide range of actions and more professional than smartphone apps. Quickly and intuitively works: trimming, acceleration, filters, overlaying your music (it must first be downloaded to a PC).

The program allows you to improve the quality of the recorded sound and stabilize video. Works only on Apple operating systems.

Movavi

Price: free with a watermark.

What it can do:

• Slow down, speed up, and slice video files;
• apply filters and music;
• use ready-made clip layouts.

Convenient functionality. Before you start, the program shows you what to rotate and where to turn. Looks nice and performs all standard video manipulations (trimming, format, music) In addition, there are built-in filters and ready-made clip layouts.

Movie Creator: Free Video Editor

Price: free, there is a built-in purchase.

What it can do:

• trim, speed up, overlay music;
• apply ready-made templates;
• Save video in the correct format.

The program does the standard minimum of video (trimming, acceleration, music) + available filters, ready-made templates, and the ability to save the video in the right format. Works only on Microsoft operating systems.

Online video processing services

Supa

Price: free. To remove the watermark and expand the functionality, you need to pay.

What can:

• insert video in ready-made layouts;
• adapt video for social networks;
• add various stickers and elements, and change font of text.

Video Builder. Create videos for whatever your heart (and needs) desire. Here and layouts, and captions, and live pictures. To edit you need to register, and to remove the watermark will need to buy a subscription. There are different formats: video for Stories, video for ads, live images and others.

Video editor

Price: free. No registration and SMS 🙂

What can:

• trim, glue;
• add effects and music;
• overlay text.

Before working with the whole video, you can edit each media file separately, all information on the files at the bottom of the page. It’s handy. But you don’t immediately understand how to use it, so you’ll have to poke and prod and adjust. But it’s good and works pretty fast.

Clipchamp

Price: free of charge after registration, there is a built-in purchase.

What it can do:

• Makes clips for Instagram ad formats;
• Converts and compresses video files;
• adjusts the exposure as standard.

Easy and intuitive to use online editor. The main thing: there is a special function to create ads in Instagram – on the main page, click on “Create” at the top, in the pop-up window select the desired block. The free version will only save 480p.

In conclusion.

As a practicing photographer, I’ve chosen for myself the optimal formula: I edit photos and videos taken on my smartphone with AirBrush and Viva Video, I occasionally test something else, but I always have these installed.
If footage and video are taken on a professional camera and weigh a lot, it is better to choose Lightroom, Photoshop and IMovie and move to a more powerful and convenient computer. Publishing content is best left to autoposting services, such as our SMMplanner. In addition to autoposting itself, it provides many additional tools for working with Instagram.

The choice of apps to work with is personal. I recommend all readers to try different apps and online editors to find out your best option.

Finally, some recipes for cool Instagram photo and video processing:

• Train your eyesight. Get inspired and monitor pinterest and save your picks. Figure out what’s trending, what you like, and what’s outdated.
• The best is the enemy of the good. Do not spend too much time editing a single photo or video. Your eye will get tired, and everything will seem wrong.
• Compare your options. If you’ve picked out a filter or preset, and it seems to work for you, try a couple more and compare.
• What will be more clingy, that’s what you choose.
• Watch the quality of the files. Save your photos in maximum resolution: some social networks compress photos so it’s better to upload them in good quality.