Jan 12

How I Edit My Instagram Photos & Create a Cohesive Feed

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As promised, since I get asked so many questions about my Instagram and blog pics, from the filters, editing and style of my overall feed, so I decide to make this into a 3 part series, answering all the questions you guys sent me. First up, how I edit my pictures for instagram and create a cohesive feed.

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Photos by Heather Morrow 

Q: How do you create a cohesive feed on instagram?

A: When you are starting to create cohesive content on instagram it is so important to choose a few colors to constantly incorporate in your photos. While mine can fluctuate, I tend to gravitate toward neutrals, sticking to blacks/blues, white, gray, tan and pinks. It seems to flow so well and keeps my feed looking clean and bright, plus I love these colors not only for my style but also my home decor so it works well for me. I also like to create diversity with different camera angels so it’s not the straight up and down every time. It’s something unexpected and works!
While fashion and style is my main focus, I love to incorporate many other verticals into my feed including home, family, motherhood, and fitness. Fitness is a big part of my routine, so when choosing to feature looks I keep my color palette similar (neutral) and shoot in street settings  or white backdrops which showcase items well. Incorporating family, especially my daughter, Sutton, is so important to me. Coordinating looks is always fun, Sutton loves the camera and it makes the feed more light-hearted and allows readers to connect more on that mom/family level.
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A cohesive feed is important because it’s what you see when you first click on an instagram profile and if it is so if this is visually appealing, more likely to follow that account.  I think as a blogger and digital influencer, this is really important to show who you are as a brand  so when someone is looking to collaborate with you, they know exactly what they are going to get. img_0516
I also use an app to lay out my feed before I actually publish a photo to see if it fits well with my layout. My favorites are Planoly and Snug. Planoly charges a fee each month and it shows you detailed stats and has a scheduler, where you can schedule times when to post photos. Snug you pay for once and it’s pretty straight forward, it’s allows you to add photos and show you how your feed will look, prior to posting. Another one free one is UNUM.
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Planoly Stats
Snug App below
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What apps do you use to edit your pictures and what filters are your favorite?
Afterlight, VSCO, Snapseed, Fuzel for collages,
Afterlight -I use to brighten my photos, sharpen my photos, clarify, and take out yellow or tungsten tones (indoor lighting) with shadow adjustments.
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*Always save your images full size so they quality isn’t compromised.
Filters
There are so many filters and apps out there, its best to just play around until you find some that you like. VSCO is my favorite filter app and there are so many to purchase.
I use only VSCO filters. I purchased all the filters and played around to get some favorites ( I suggest doing this since everyone has their own style) my favorite filters are A6, A7, A8, A9, J1, Hfamily.
* I would select two or three filters you love and stick to using them, so your photos have the same look and style.
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 Snapseed- another app to use to sharpen, brighten, edit contrast, saturation, ambiance, highlights.
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Other things to keep in mind….

Remember Be Picky

Don’t just post any image. If it has bad lighting, blurry or grainy then don’t post. This will help your feed look quality and clean.

Find Inspiration.

Everyone’s style and feed is different. Find out what you like to post and what you are good at. I find inspiration from Pinterest and tumblr.

Taking The Photos

One piece of advice I always give, is shoot in well lit situations. I normally only shoot pictures outside, or a really well lit room with NATURAL light.  It is so important to stick to a basic background with not much going on. I always love a good grey, white, cream brick walls for my Instagram feed. This will compliment your outfit and create that cohesive look we are trying to accomplish!

Theme

When we go on vacation or travel my theme may change. For example-over Christmas I had more photos geared toward holiday feels–snow, trees, and different colors. See example below.

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I hope this helps with planning a cohesive instagram theme and you find my tips useful! Remeber quality over quantity, find a filter you love and start to plan your feed and you will start to see your brand grow.
Don’t hesitate with any questions below!
xx
Pin to save and read for later!
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xxBecky

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  1. Thank you for the great tips! I feel like this is a lot of effort but it is so worth it to have a recognizable feed. Love it!

  2. This was great! I do have a question which I hope you can answer. Back in June 2017 I started a second Instagram page, I only have 61 posts and have recently started a blog and am really wanting to get my instagram uniform & cohesive looking so when people from my blog stop by it’s not a “work in progress” type deal (aka color everywhere!!). With that, is there a way to go back and make my past photos uniform or am I pretty much screwed? Would love the feedback. Thanks gal!

  3. I have been trying to find great info and I haven’t until I found your article. I am so happy I did and thank you for it <3

    • I’m glad you found it to be helpful! Thanks for stopping by and reading, dear! Xx

  4. Great post! What filter do you usually use for your food photos on VSCO?

    • Hi Megan! Good question. It all depends on how the blog photo looks in my “preview” feed next to the other photos. If it looks off, I will filter the blog photo to match. I can adjust the strength of the filter on vsco. That’s why it’s so helpful to have planoly or snug.

  5. Thanks for this post! Which “H” filters do you use? HB or regualar H and which are your favorites?
    Thanx!

    • Regular Hs are my favorite there are only two. Depending on the lighting and photo determines the filter. 🙂

      • Thanks for responding 🙂 My app has HB1 and HB2 then H1, H2, H3, H4, H5, H6. Which do you mean? Sorry for the confusion.

  6. Thank you so much for this info! Your cohesive feed is definitely one of my favorites 🙂 it draws me in and I always know what to expect which is amazing! Keep up the great work 🙂 I love seeing posts like this to help out other bloggers who admire you! XO

    toreystreasures.com
    @toreystreasures

    • Thank you so much! Glad you found this helpful. thanks for reading!! xx

  7. What do you use to take your photos? Do you use an iPhone or a professional camera?

  8. love this! do you typically take more photos with your phone or your camera?

    • I would say an even amount. I like the option to shoot with my iphone to control how it will fit in the posted photo, if that makes sense. All photos on my blog are shot on camera. xx