I use Instagram more as a way to showcase my passion for beauty, and having a reliable way to edit my pictures means a lot to me and my success. As a blogger I try to keep up with my Instagram as if I were a brand. I try to post at least once a day, engage with anyone liking and commenting on my pictures, and explore the beauty tags to interact further. Overall I’ve realized one of the most important aspects of Instagram is my grid and the quality and consistency of my photos.
Below I’ve outlined how I edit my makeup close-ups, and common tools I use on the Instasize app.
Your grid is the first impression anyone has when they click on your page. If you’re an artist you know it needs to be aesthetically pleasing for anyone to stick around. It’s an overall expression of who you are and your style.
To keep on track with this I use the Instasize app for all of my photos, that way they are all stored in one app and I can see it the way it would be on Instagram. One of my favorite parts about this app is the ability to customize your grid before posting. I used to have to delete and re-upload to find the right mix for my grid, and with Instasize you can just hold down on an image and move it around. It’s a lifesaver for strategizing posts, plus I get to see if I’m staying consistent with my editing. Here’s how I edited my most recent Instagram post.
Take Multiple Pictures Using The Right Settings
First off, I take around 50-100 pictures before I find the right one for close-ups. I want the picture to match my grid, my style, as well as highlight the skills I’m showing in the picture. I use my iPhone 7+ back camera for all my makeup pictures, it’s a lot easier to edit for me, and the camera will adjust to the lighting when I can’t see. Your lighting is probably the most important part of all of this. I stand in front of a well-lit window for natural lighting. If you don’t have a good window use a ring light or try taking your picture outside. I use the square setting in the camera app so I know it’ll fit exactly the way I took it on Instagram, and it focuses more closely on my eye. I also always make sure HDR is set to ON for a more evenly lit and defined look. It will brighten less exposed areas, kind of like the dodge tool on Photoshop, making editing a lot easier in the long run.
Choose Your Photo Set And Use It For Every Image
After I chose what photo I want to use I upload it into the Instasize app and start editing. I’ve used a lot of different editing apps and Instasize has some of the best natural free options. I don’t like for my photos to look over edited, so the slight change in filter colors is perfect. When I’m editing I usually go for a neutral warmth, not too blue and not too orange with a more pink than green tint.
I exclusively use the V set bouncing between V1 and V2 depending on the original colors in the picture. For this look I have brown and cool-toned orange eyeshadows and V1 made the shadow look warmer than it was so I opted for V2. I never use full intensity with the filters, for this I chose to keep it at 30 to brighten the whites of my eyes and my brow bone without overexposing the rest of my face. When I edit makeup photos I’m not trying to make it look different, I’m trying to focus in on the work I’ve already done. I want to the colors to come through true to real life.
Balance Your Edits – Naturally Enhance + Focus The Viewer’s Eye
Now the fun part, all the levels! I just go down the list and play around. There are a lot of options I barely ever touch because I take my pictures in natural lighting and they usually already have great exposure.
This particular concoction is made using: +14 Brightness, +6 Tint, -1 Warmth, +4 Lux , +5 Shadows , -5 Sharpness, +10 Grain and Smooth. I always add brightness first and base all my other options off of the intensity I’m going for. After that I fix my color balance, I added tint for a pinker look since my skin tone is more pink/peach than olive, then got rid of some of the warmth so my eye shadow matched true. After that I moved on to add a little lux so my eyeliner was a true black and increased the shadows to bring back the depth in my eyeshadow that got lost in the brightness. I also didn’t like how sharp my eyelashes were looking so I decreased the sharpness to soften the look. Once I’ve got the color all set I add some grain. I always add at least 10+ grain for close-ups. This is a really easy way for you to make sure your skin still looks like skin. It’s very subtle, but gives the photo some life. Almost done!
Natural Beauty
After all my levels are set I use Instasize’s beauty tools to soften my skin. Instasize has options to smooth, fix acne, and whiten certain areas.
Most of the time I stick to the smooth tool, but if I have an unforgiving pimple I’ll use the acne tool to blur that out. I use the smooth tool on 100 under my eyes and above my eyebrows in every close up so I know where it’s working. In this photo I softened it to 27 so it still looks natural. I’m not trying to hide all the marks on my face, I’m human, but the point of posting this image is for people to look at my eye makeup, not my fine lines. It’s all about balance.
After I’m done editing I make sure my photo lines up well with the rest of my grid. I make sure it’s similar to my other close up makeup looks, and not too warm or too cool compared to them. Even though I’m using the same filter set I want to make sure I’m staying in line with my style. After all that is figured out that’s it! Sometimes I do this for a while trying to get it perfect. Finally, I post and make sure to add #InstasizeCreatives so everyone knows I used the app for my edits! I hope this helped you guys. What photo sets are your favorites? What style are you going for?
For a free 7 day trial use my link: http://instasize.me/BA_Kristen
Leave a Reply