By now I’m sure you realize how important Instagram is for your business.
Every day your audience gets bombarded with many different pictures and videos showing up on their timelines. That’s why I’ve told you in the past that you need to write captions that drive engagement.
But nobody will read your captions if the image doesn’t capture their attention. They’ll just keep mindlessly scrolling past your post.
I’ve seen some companies hire experts in photography to help them put out better Instagram posts.
While I can applaud the effort, I also think it’s a complete waste of money. You can take your own photos without hiring a professional.
Now you can use that extra cash and apply it to other aspects of your business to focus on the newest marketing trends.
Instagram has tools allowing you to edit your photos and videos directly on their platform. Those might be okay for the average person, but your business should avoid them.
Why?
It’s all about standing out from the crowd.
All of the 800 million monthly active Instagram users have access to those editing tools. If you’re using them too, your posts will look like everyone else’s.
There are other apps available that can help make your photos stand out. But there are thousands of them out there, so it’s tough to figure out which ones are most useful.
That’s why I’ve taken the time to share with you the best 15 apps for photo and video editing. These will help you take your Instagram posts to the next level.
I’ll go through all of my favorites and show you some of the key features of each one.
1. Afterlight 2
If you’re looking for unique filters, Afterlight 2 has a huge collection of old school and vintage ones available. These are definitely an upgrade from filters that come standard with Instagram.
They also have some really cool effects and designs that allow you to add text and other typography to your images:
You can even put part of your text behind elements within your photo. This feature is perfect for businesses.
Now you can capture the attention of your followers by layering a catchy headline directly over your image as opposed to just writing a caption. This is a great opportunity for you to do something like:
- advertise a sale
- promote a new product
- build hype for an event
- run a contest
- get more followers
- draw attention to a link in your bio
You can download Afterlight 2 for $2.99, and that’s all you’ll ever pay for this app. They don’t have any other in-app upgrades or additional charges to access their best features.
2. Snapseed
Snapseed takes your editing effects to a whole new level. You can apply effects and filters to specific areas of your image with high precision:
They’ve got a really cool editing feature called a perspective tool. This helps you automatically adjust or correct any skewed lines in your images.
Let’s face it, a picture taken by hand won’t be 100% perfect. You might think your horizon is level or buildings are lined up properly, but that’s rarely the case.
That’s when the perspective tool can make your photos look professional.
What’s the best part about Snapseed? It’s free. It’s definitely worth checking out since there’s no risk involved.
3. Aviary Photo Editor
Aviary Photo Editor is an Adobe product. If you’ve used Adobe software and were happy with the experience, you should give this Photo Editor a try:
The editing tools on Aviary allow you to saturate colors within your photos as well as soften or sharpen areas for an effect.
Aviary also has a large collection of frames, stickers, and other overlays to embellish your images. You can even hand-draw captions across the pictures.
I like to use Aviary because of the features allowing me to fine-tune my images. With just a couple of clicks, you can eliminate blemishes or brighten shadows to make your images more lively.
Aviary saves your images to the cloud. If you have an Adobe ID, you can access your images from anywhere and edit them from any device.
This feature comes in handy if you’re taking and editing images as a team. Everything can be stored in one place.
4. Vintagio
For those of you who want to add a vintage feel to your videos, Vintagio has what you need, as the name suggests.
If you’ve got a fashion company or ecommerce store that sells clothing, this app can be useful for promoting products from bygone eras.
If you want your video to appear to be from a certain time period, their video filters can match the style of that time. That way, it’s clear to your audience that the setting of your video is not supposed to be the present day.
You can also trim and piece together different video clips with this app.
And you can change the video quality of your clips if you want to create something that looks like it’s from the 1950s.
Vintagio has great soundtracks from different eras as well. You can adjust the speed and timing and add other effects to your clips too.
Combining all these elements together will help you make a unique Instagram video.
5. Average Camera Pro
The name says it all. Average Camera Pro was created to help regular people edit photos like professionals.
Unlike other apps that just edit photos, Average Camera Pro has a built-in camera function. You can use it to take multiple pictures at the same time or set a timer for the photos.
You’d find these tools on high-quality and expensive cameras. But you can have them on your phone for just $0.99.
This camera function works best if you want to take pictures in low-light settings. Since you’re increasing the exposure time, you’ll get brighter pictures that would normally appear dark on a regular phone camera.
Sometimes when you try to brighten a really dark photo, the editing looks obvious in your final image.
But you won’t have to worry about that if you take the pictures with Average Camera Pro.
6. TiltShift
TiltShift is great for bringing focus to a specific area of an outdoor scene. So if you’ve got a business with a physical storefront, you can use this app to bring your location to life.
The effect makes your image appear as if it’s a miniature. Instagram has a tilt-shift feature built into their editing tools, but this one is far more advanced.
If you take lots of landscapes or other outdoor photos, this app is worth getting for just $1.99.
7. Superimpose
Do you want to change the background of a picture you took? Instagram doesn’t have any tools for that, so you’ll need to get the Superimpose app.
Superimpose lets you remove the background from an image.
Then, you can combine it with another picture. This is awesome from an advertising perspective.
Want to take an exotic beach photo without leaving your office?
No problem.
Check out these creative images above. Superimpose allows you to blend images together or even change an image into something unrealistic, such as a fish with the head of a chicken.
Using Superimpose as part of your arsenal of photo editing tools will make your brand stand out on Instagram. You can create images that are fun, exciting, and imaginative.
Plus, their software creates a smooth final product that’s believable. Your pictures won’t have that unprofessional crop and paste feel to them.
It’s only $1.99 to download. In no time at all, you’ll be uploading new photos to Instagram that will get your followers talking.
8. 8mm Vintage Camera
The 8mm Vintage Camera is great for shooting and editing longer videos. Now that Instagram lets you upload videos that are up to a minute long, this app is perfect for you.
You can get really cool video effects such as:
- light leaks
- scratches
- flames flickering
- dust
All of these can make your videos feel more authentic.
8mm Vintage Camera was even used in the filming of an Oscar-nominated movie.
If a professional director can use this app to get on the red carpet, you can certainly use it to edit your Instagram videos. It’s available for download for just $1.99 with some additional premium themes available as in-app purchases.
9. CrossProcess
If you love adding filters to your photos but are sick and tired of using the same ones, it’s time for an upgrade. CrossProcess has over 70 filters.
I’ve seen many businesses on Instagram using the same one or two filters over and over again.
It’s boring.
Your followers will realize pretty quickly you’re not being very original. Once this happens, they may start ignoring your posts. Or even worse, they could unfollow you.
If they aren’t following you, you won’t be able to keep them informed of other promotional information that drives engagement and gets conversions.
You can prevent this from happening by simply spicing up your photos with new filters available from CrossProcess.
10. PicFrame
Instagram allows you to upload multiple photos to one post. The only problem is you have to rely on your followers to scroll through each one.
This is not always the case.
If you want to combine multiple photos into one image, you can do it by creating a collage with PicFrame:
One of the coolest parts of this app is you can apply different filters and effects to each image within your collage as opposed to having one tone across the entire picture. That way, they can all be unique and stand out from each other.
You can also adjust the color and design patterns of your frames with this app.
If you really want to enhance your collage, PicFrame has lots of bonus features like stickers, shapes, text, and even music.
I think it’s worth the $2.99 price tag.
11. Facetune 2
If the majority of your Instagram photos contain people as opposed to just products or landscapes, you need to consider Facetune 2.
Nobody is perfect. Sometimes, we get blemishes, breakouts, or acne. After a long night of tossing and turning, everyone gets bags under their eyes.
But these imperfections shouldn’t discourage you from posing for a photo.
This app can make photos of people more flattering. Sometimes, all it takes is a slight adjustment to the lighting.
Facetune 2 also has specific filters designed for selfies. Sometimes the front-facing camera on our phones doesn’t take the best pictures, so just apply one of the filters to make up for it.
With a few easy steps, you can easily:
- whiten teeth
- change eye color
- remove wrinkles
- eliminate shine on oily skin
- make dull skin appear vibrant
The Facetune 2 app is completely free, so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t at least try it.
12. Tiny Planet Photos and Video
Tiny Planet lets you take images and videos with a fisheye lens effect.
This effect creates the appearance of a “tiny planet”—hence, the name.
Have you checked Instagram today? How many photos have you seen so far that look like this?
I’m willing to bet you haven’t seen any. I know I haven’t.
Get this app if you want to create images that are fun. The circular and warped photos this app creates can also be used as background images on phones, computers, or other devices.
You can suggest that to your followers.
13. Quick
Quick has really cool fonts that you can add to your photos.
They simplified the photo editing process with this app. Quick advertises that it’s designed to be used with “just a thumb.” So you won’t need to get on your computer or do anything too fancy to get great photos.
You can send your edited image straight to Instagram or other social media platforms directly from the app.
As you can see from the example above, their text overlay features are great for captioning a photo or listing a price for something on your ecommerce store.
14. DXP FREE
The whole purpose of the DXP FREE app is to create multiple exposures on one image.
As a result, your pictures will stand out. Check out these examples:
Instagram doesn’t offer such tools.
This app does require a little bit of patience and precision. You’ll need to understand the concepts of blending, or you might get a bit frustrated when you’re trying to edit.
But like with anything else, the more you use it, the easier it’ll get. Just as the name says, it’s free to download.
15. Tangent
Tangent lets you add patterns, textures, and geometric shapes to your images.
It’s another way to let your creative juices flow.
It also has some features that allow you to add framing overlays to your photos.
Tangent gives you an opportunity to express yourself. If your company has an audience that recognizes art and creativity, you’ll definitely want to use Tangent to impress your Instagram followers.
Conclusion
To captivate your Instagram followers, you’ll need to make sure your photos and videos are edited properly. That doesn’t mean you have to hire a professional editor.
There are plenty of apps available that are really easy for anyone to use. Lots of these are free of charge or only cost a couple of dollars, so they are worth a try.
Everyone with an Instagram account has access to the same filters and editing tools.
Editing your photos with another app can separate your pictures from the crowd. If you’re not sure where to find the best apps, refer to this list as a guideline.
All of these apps are unique and offer different features depending on what you’re looking for, such as collages, text overlays, face touch-ups, or vintage themes.
What types of camera effects do you like to use when you’re editing photos and videos on Instagram?