WHAT APPS I USE TO EDIT PHOTOS

Instagram, Instagram, Instagram. Home of all the pretty photos, quirky captions and amazing feeds. But the big question is: how do I edit a photo for IG!? The answer is quite simple... apps! Yes you guys, I've learned how to use several apps and do it all from my phone. I want to share what I'm using but remember I am no expert and I'm just sharing what I know. So sis, please don't expect hella crazy editing material here. This is little ol' me just sharing what is working for me at the moment.

Guys, babes, mamas... I have a confession: I am hooked on photo editing! I love it so much it should be my 3rd job. Ok let's get to it. So for starters here is the equipment and apps I use:

Cameras

iPhone 8 Plus

Nikon D3100 - I know so old but it works! 

Apps

Lightroom CC

FaceTune

Snapseed

and Instagram's editing tools. 

I want to make it clear that while I respect each person's choices but I choose not to over edit my photos. I use the 4 editing apps for color, brightening, smoothing and basically making a dull photo pop. I normally post photos that I shot during the day using daylight with either my iPhone or pics that Dave shot of me using our Nikon. I don't think I've ever really posted a photo with flash unless it was Geraldine that took a professional pic. In which case she edits all the photos her way and just sends them to me ready to post.

As you can see in the before and after photos I've shared here. It is obvious that the pics I am posting on IG are what I like to call "IG worthy" - they are brighter, more visually appealing and simply crispier. Here is I use each app for and what I like most about each. 

Lightroom CC

I love Lightroom because you can truly save a photo from dark and dull to amazing and fabulous. It took me a while to learn this app but you can always buy presets and play around with the settings. I use Lightroom and adjust the exposure, shadows and get really detailed on the colors. Playing with the colors and the "curve" can really change up your photo.

Facetune

Facetune gets such a bad rep from people who use to literally alter their faces and bodies. It is actually pretty wild the level of editing you can do on Facetune. I personally use it to smooth out any discoloration, pimples or whiten the walls, shades or decor in my house. You can even remove things from photos with it! For example, one time I shot a photo and the wall behind me had an ugly outlet, so I removed the outlet with the "patch" took and grabbed another section of the wall, pasted it, so you would never know the ugly outlet was even there. Mind-blown, I know!

Snapseed

I actually just started using Snapseed after a couple of friends suggested it to brighten a super dark photo for a paid event I went to for which I had to post. The event didn't have the best lighting and I ended up shooting a photo outside the event but it was Times Square and it was still dark. I shared the photo below! What I love about Snapseed is that you can literally select the area of the photo you want to brighten so that you don't have to brighten the entire things. So for example, sometimes a side of your face looks darker because of a shadow... so with Snapseed's "selective" tool you can brighten just that area. It's so cool!

Instagram Photo Editing

I have used IG's photo editing tools for as long as I can remember. the Lux tool is amazing... that's the little sun/moon symbol above the photo when you are uploading. Normally I use the contrast, brightness and sharpening tools. Oh and if a photo is too yellow, I decrease the warmth on there. This is probably the easiest tool to use.

This is pretty much it! I wanted to share this because I don't think you need a super expensive camera to share nice photos. You need great lighting, good apps and patience to learn them. Just educate yourself and you'll be creating amazing content in no time! I promise that you can learn it too. Just play around with the apps and see what works for you and your style. I hope this little bit of info helped and if you want to know more please let me know. I am thinking of a way to put together a video so it's easier to follow for you guys. Xo.