On Instagram, photo editing trends move pretty dang fast. Just cast your mind back to those days when your feed was flooded with heavily filtered, square-cropped photos. Though it was only a couple of years ago, in 2022, that style looks so dated that you might as well be posting a daguerreotype.
Your average Instagram user spends almost half an hour each day on the app, and they’re smart enough to spot content that hasn’t managed to keep up with the times. That means last year’s interesting and original photo composition is this year’s tired cliche.
To hold your audience’s attention, you’ve gotta keep it fresh and stay up to date with the latest Instagram photo editing trends. So consider this required reading: We’ve got the top 7 Instagram photo styles for 2022.
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Instagram’s explore page so you can rack up those likes and new followers?
Taking a good Instagram photo is just the first step — how you present it matters, too. So brush up on your Instagram editing essentials, download the best Instagram editing apps, and take some inspiration from these Instagram editing trends.
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A post shared by Remi Riordan (@jerseygirll77)
Or blurry, low lighting…
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A post shared by Wafia (@wafiaaa)
Or leaving a rack full of unstyled clothes in the background of a fashion line launch.
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A post shared by Fashion Brand Co Inc Global (@fashionbrandcompany)
Just look at the soaring popularity of BeReal, the photo-sharing app that encourages users to snap and post their unfiltered lives.
(Of course, choosing what to post on Instagram at all is an act of filtering in and of itself. So, is striving to share a shot that looks real actually any more authentic than curating a picture-perfect moment? These are the things that keep us up at night.)
This Crown Affair pic looks pixelated and unposed — not exactly what you might expect from a beauty brand with over 57K followers. But the enthusiastic comments and likes are rolling in all the same.
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A post shared by Crown Affair (@crownaffair)
For brands, this emphasis on authenticity can certainly save you time and money on photo styling. But just because these photos look like no effort doesn’t mean you should phone it in. Everything you post should still bring value to your followers — does it inform, inspire, or entertain?
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Colorful, vivid hues are less common on Instagram today than in years past. Instead, you’re more likely to spot posts with desaturated hues and lowered contrasts. Glow levels and highlights have been muted in favor of moody, low-light shots.
Home scent company Vitruvi will show you how it’s done:
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A post shared by vitruvi (@vitruvi)
This effect can be achieved through photography, of course — shoot a gloomy scene, get a gloomy pic — but a few tweaks of the color and lighting levels in an Instagram photo editing app can help tone things down in a pinch.
Download our free Instagram preset pack to easily tweak the colors and levels of your Instagram photos with a few clicks.
the most action is on Instagram these days. And while these formats often incorporate audio, text is an equally common tool here. And now, text is showing up in posts on the main feed.
You can quickly add text to a photo or video in Create mode for Stories or Reels, using Instagram’s distinctive in-house fonts. (TikTok offers similar capabilities.)
It’s such a handy tool for adding context, jokes, labels, or explanations, that we’re starting to see this style used for memes or reposted screenshots in the Main Feed, too.
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A post shared by Jillian Harris (@jillian.harris)
Some big brands, like the New York Times, use text overlays to extend their reach and strengthen their brand. Their main feed posts are almost like mini infographics that feature text in their signature typeface.
These posts are designed for followers to reshare to their stories — a clever way to boost engagement.
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A post shared by NYT Books (@nytbooks)
But while some brands may have their own preferred fonts, using Instagram’s built-in fonts gives posts an authentic, just-part-of-the-gang vibe.
Don’t you want your followers to look at your delightfully scrappy post and think, “Stars! They’re just like us!”?
4. Extreme lighting
While soft, natural lighting was on-trend just a few years back, we’re in the thick of a more dramatic illumination phase.
Extreme, high-contrast lighting, in particular, is en vogue with editorial and advertising shots. Welcome to stark shadow season, baby.
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A post shared by Ryan Styne (@hesitantfailien)
A high-contrast steak spotted on chef Molly Baz’s page:
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A post shared by MOLLY BAZ (@mollybaz)
And on wine pop-up Vin Van’s account, too:
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A post shared by VIN VAN (@vinvan.ca)
If you aren’t working with a professional photographer or don’t have access to some sort of fully stocked photo studio, don’t worry. There are plenty of editing tools out there to help you mimic this high-contrast look.
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A post shared by Nike (@nike)
Our Place delivers the no-filter, bucket-hat vibes with zero apologies.
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A post shared by Our Place (@ourplace)
6. Photo dumps
Not really an editing trend per se, but get this one on your radar: users are maxing out Instagram’s carousel feature to casually, irreverently showcase their favorite snaps from an event, vacation, or time period, via “photo dumps.”
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A post shared by WOLF CIRCUS JEWELRY (@wolf_circus)
Carousels are actually prioritized by the Instagram algorithm, so this isn’t a bad one for brands to hop on at all. And hey, maybe you’re already using this feature to share up to 10 photos in one post.
But to capitalize on the photo dump trend specifically, the caption should be slightly dismissive and vague, and photos should be random, unfiltered, and authentic. Think “Spring 2022 photo dump,” “Springsteen collection launch BTS,” et cetera.
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A post shared by BOOM! PRO WRESTLING (@boom_pro_wrestling)
It’s almost the opposite of the standard recommendation to provide detail and context in your caption. Instead, the photo dump trend intrigues and titillates with real ‘inside joke’ energy. If that feels like a fit for your brand, then go for it.
If you’re ready to start dumping, check out our tips on mastering the art of the photo dump here.
Eve Gavel’s Instagram page…
… Fable tableware, meanwhile, goes all-in on warm tone neutrals.
Most commonly, you’ll see brands or creators posting photos that fit a particular color scheme. Pink is particularly popular, as it has been since Millennials first crawled out of the primordial ooze and evolved to use the smartphone, but you’ll see this compelling monochrome trend in a variety of hues.
Want some more inspo for crafting a stop-them-in-their-tracks Instagram grid? We gotchu.
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With files from Michelle Cyca.
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The post The Top Instagram Photo Editing Trends in 2022 appeared first on Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard.
