How I edit my photos

Note: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning (at no additional cost to you) I will earn a small commission should you click through and make a purchase following one of my recommendations. 

Let’s be honest, nowadays there’s more to it than taking a photo, writing a fitting caption and  then posting it on instagram. For me, I’m in love with stories on instagram (not the instagrams stories, although I love them as well). I love to “meet” new people, hear their stories and get to know them. Plus, I’m eager to learn new things and to be inspired on instagram. 

So how do I tell a story? As instagram is, first of all, a photo and video sharing platform, our photos tell our stories. Although I believe the caption is super important, the photo itself has the power to catch other people’s attention and give you the chance to tell your story. 

As I often get asked how I edit my photos, I thought I’ll turn it into a blog post to give you the chance to browse through it again and again. 

I believe creativity is the most important ‘thing’ you need to edit your photos, and it should be fun. This is just my way of doing it, so don’t limit yourself - you do you. 

Apps

Adobe Lightroom (mobile) 

Free for iOS and Android 

Adobe Lightroom is a free, yet powerful photo editor.

I installed my own presets (the ones I use on Lightroom’s desktop version) with Lightroom mobile, so I can use them whenever and wherever I want.

You can create your own presets in the app as well and edit your photos even faster with them, so you can spend more time enjoying these special moments you were capturing. Lightroom mobile gives you different tools to fine-tune your photos any or every element. 

VSCO

Free for iOS and Android

Although I haven’t used this one for a long time now, VSCO (formerly known as VSCO Cam), is a great photography mobile app. Like Lightroom mobile, the VSCO app allows you to capture photos in the app and edit them on your mobile device, using presets and editing tools. 

Canva 

Free for iOS and android 

Canva allows you to work with ready-made templates and create your own collages. I use it for creating my own collages for Instagram stories, just to give them a special touch now and then.

Lightroom and Photoshop

For everything else, I use the desktop versions of Lightroom and Photoshop. 

While I now use the variety of the Adobe Creative Cloud to edit photos and videos and create letterings and drawings, I started with the ‘simple’ Photography cloud plan from Adobe years back. It includes Lightroom and Photoshop and is great if your focus is on taking and editing photos (and not on videos). 

I am personally a huge fan of the Creative Cloud as it includes so many tools and features to explore your creativity and improve your photos, website, products… there’s no limit. It allows you to stay perfectly in sync between different devices, whenever and wherever you need it.

To browse through the gear I use to create our photos, videos, drone shots and drawings, click here to get to the blog post. 

If there’s anything else you’d like to know, just send me a DM on instagram! I’m always happy to help. 

Etta