Are your posts on Instagram not performing as well as you think they should? If you’re posting consistently and using all the right tags, then the issue may lie in your editing.

Photo editing is an art form and a skill — and one that takes a lot of time and practice to master. That said, there are a few helpful tips you can use to give your editing skills a bit of a boost to help you get started.

Are you ready to dramatically improve your profile? We’re here to help! Here are three must-have photo editing tips that will help you take your Instagram feed to the next level.

  1. Don’t Go Overboard!

Never forget that just like everything else in life, it’s entirely possible to have too much of a good thing!

Photo editing and filters are tools, and their purposes are to enhance the pictures you take — not drastically change them. Being a little too heavy-handed with your photo editing can wind up making your photos look oversaturated and sloppy and potentially ruin the quality of the original image. So remember to go easy when editing your Instagram pictures and only edit as much as you need to.

  1. You Can’t Fix Poor Quality

Everyone has seen those ridiculous procedural TV shows where they can “enhance” grainy security camera footage into a crystal clear image with a few quick clicks. Unfortunately, photo editing in the real world doesn’t work that way.

If you start with a compressed or low-resolution image, no amount of contrast-boosting or special filters will be able to make it clear. If you want to post a high-quality picture, you’ll have to start by taking one.

However, there are a few tricks you can use to make a low-quality image look passable. Resizing your photo to be even smaller and putting it in a frame can help small or compressed pictures appear sharper. Alternatively, adding a vintage filter to a slightly blurry photo can help the poor quality look more like an aesthetic choice.

  1. Don’t Rely on Filters Alone

While there are plenty of fantastic preset Instagram filters available on the app, if you want to take better control over your pictures, you should try to make the necessary edits and corrections yourself.

Instagram has plenty of editing tools apart from their preset filters that allow you to do everything from basic color corrections to focus shifts. However, if you want to take your Instagram game to the next level, you may want to try downloading a few third-party photo editing apps, like this free online background remover.

Three Photo Editing Tips Everyone Should Know

Now that you know a bit more about how to make your Instagram photos look their best, it’s time to get posting! By following these three Instagram photo editing tips, you’ll be able to ensure every picture you post is a work of art — but remember, practice makes perfect! So don’t hesitate to do a little experimenting before you start publishing your work.

Are you looking for more advice on how to take your social media presence to the next level? We’ve got you covered! Check out the rest of our blog for more helpful tips, tricks, and hacks today!