In today’s post I’m sharing how I edit photos for Instagram Stories with Unfold App.
Plus a few key apps I use with iPhone to keep my images on brand. For a short tutorial check out the video I made of this post on Instagram TV (here)
Note – as with all images on my site, images in this post are my property and are not to be reused, captured, etc for any purpose without my written permission.
You would think that fashion is enough of a creative outlet, however editing is where I get the most joy from content creating. For me it takes the “work” out of feeding the IG machine that is a necessary part of being an influencer.
A curated and cohesive story threaded together with a common theme is what keeps your followers from jumping to the next person’s story.
How I Take and Have Photos Taken for Stories:
I look for inspiration before I pick up the camera by asking myself what story do I want to tell and how does it relate to the theme of a current or upcoming blog post. For the story featured in today’s post I already know that I have several pending posts with summer fashion and accessories.
With that in mind I took the opportunity to create a story around a weekend beach trip with my family. I made sure to take a few videos of what I packed for the trip, as well as what I wore to the ocean.(See my IGTV video for the full story) I also took memorable shots along the way like at Screamin’ Mimi’s Ice Cream and Sebastopol Cookie Company. Because everyone loves a story with esthetically pleasing sweets and treats. Plus inquiring minds want to know what you like and eat IRL.
As far as having photos taken OF me, I’ve narrowed it down to a few key steps.
Because, the last thing I want to do is hound my kids with taking my picture during family time. And since I don’t have an Instagram-Husband (meaning he wants no part of social media) it’s especially important to give concise yet low-key instructions. P.S. these tips work for asking a stranger to take your picture too)
- I first take a photo the location on my phone from the position where I want the photographer to stand
- Then I say, “be a dear and stand right here and take a picture just like “this one” i.e. the one on my phone. Except with me in the middle (or left) of the hut.
- After a few snaps of me moving in various poses I ask to look at the pics and this part is important – I always say how great they look even if the perfect shot hasn’t happened. Then I kindly say, “I especially love this one, so let’s get a few like this with you holding the camera at a lower angle (which make me look taller), or making sure to capture a bit less of the sky (or sidewalk if you’re doing a street style photo).
It’s important not to be too critical because you never know when you will need another photo – Correction: bloggers will ALWAYS need another photo. AND there is much you can do to correct or minimize errors in post production.
Which brings me to,
How I Edit Photos for Instagram Stories
I use the apps VSCO and Snapseed to edit my story images.
Starting with VSCO. In addition to preset filters, VSCO lets you create a preset recipes. Pinterest is a great place to find VSCO recipes with instructions on how to set them up.
My favorite recipe is Crush because it’s one of the few minimalist recipes with warm undertones that are more flattering for darker skin tones.
Here is a “Before” and “After” VSCO Recipe is Applied
I had 6 photos/vidoes planned for my story. VSCO saves times by allowing you to copy edits (in this case recipes) from one image to all the other 5.
Added Bonus VSCO presets and recipes can also be used on video.
As I mentioned, M5 is great for people of color however if you find your face is still in shadow you have two options. 1. Adjust brightness, saturation, and skin tone in VSCO or 2. My favorite, jump onto Snapseed where you can adjust only the area in question in one easy step with Selective Adjustments.
Snapseed App – Since I already use VSCO for filters I mostly use Snapseed for two things
Selective Adjustments – Go to Tools and Selective. Here is where you can tap the specific location in your image you want to adjust: face for example. Using your finger to slide from left to right you can adjust Brightness, Saturation, Contrast, and Structure.
Perspective – Remember when I asked my son to take a photo from a lower angle to make me look taller/legs longer? Well there’s an app for that! In Tools select Perspective. By sliding your finger up/down adds inches to your frame. But be realistic when using this tool! You don’t want anyone saying you look so much shorter in person! Another great use of Perspective is when you slide from side to side. This actually repositions the angle of your body in case your photographer took the photo off center. Or if you want to appear closer (or farther) in the photo. Don’t overdo this one either. I’ve seen so many women looks like Bratz dolls by getting carried away with or loosing “Perspective”.
Now that your photo is Story Ready let’s open Unfold
Unfold comes Templates that allow you to build your story around a common theme, font, and background. And templates vary slightly to keep your followers engaged in the Story. I currently use the free template CS1/Clasico which is clean and minimal and inspired by print editorials.
You can also upgrade to other themes as well as additional tools like stickers and specialty fonts. One template I’ve been eyeing is Film Frames which is a collection of template inspired by analog photography.
For those of us in need of organization tools Unfold has you covered. In Unfold is you can rearrange pages in the order that they will be posted. When ready you can then save your Story as group of pages. When you’re ready to post you can post them individually to IG Stories or download the entire Story to your device where editing options can expand onto your laptop or desktop IG. For a video of how I edit my photos for instagram stories check out my IGTV video (here)
