Those were the days... Shout ‘Cheese!’ and hope everyone had their best angle perfected without glare from the dreaded flash...
We’ve come a looooong way since then, haven’t we?
Today, you can now add filters, amend the brightness, skew the image proportions and tweak the colour saturation. Just to start with.
Uploading photos to Instagram has a whole host of options, as well as the standard filters and editing options that come with your iPhone or Android camera.
So just how many ways you can post a photo on Instagram? Here are some of the popular posting options…
Get creative with Instagram photo uploads
Filters
The most popular filters worldwide are Clarendon, Juno and Gingham, in that order, according to Canva. You can access filters once you’ve selected or taken your photo via the app and you will be directed to some edit options.
Carousel
You can now share up to ten photos in one Instagram upload using the Carousel feature. This is essentially similar to uploading a photo album like you would on Instagram’s owner’s platform, Facebook. This is how you create a Carousel post on Instagram.
Panoramic
A panoramic image is a large image – or panoramic photograph – cropped into three smaller squares that fits Instagram’s ideal image size parameters. It works using the carousel - or multi-upload - feature. This is how to post panoramic Instagram photos.
Style your Feed
‘Insta feed envy’ is real! If you’ve ever stumbled on those impeccably organised Instagram feeds you will know what we mean. A whole block of black and white shots, only alternating between portrait and landscape uploads, or opting for a ‘washed out’ style to your uploads makes for a stunning feed - consider if it’s something feasible for your Instagram profile. Get inspiration from this Later blog post.
Get started with videos on Instagram
Two years ago, Instagram revealed it was expanding into sharing videos on its exclusive image-sharing platform.
True to the speed of the social media landscape, Instagram has gone from ‘zero videos’ to ‘60 minute videos’ with the introduction of IGTV, in just two years. We’ll come to that over the next few pages, but for now, let’s explore the regular Instagrammer’s options with video…
Post a standard video
Instagram’s key role in your social media toolbox is to grab the attention of your audience and shape their perceptions about your brand’s personality (Source: Jeff Bullas).
From the Instagram app, navigate to the camera and either select a pre-recorded video from the Library or opt for Video. Alternatively, from your Instagram feed swipe right to see all of your video options...
Boomerang
Takes a burst of photos, then speeds them up and plays them forward and backwards to create a looping Boomerang video. To create a Boomerang of up to 20 frames, tap the circle at the bottom of the screen. To control the length of your video, you can tap and hold the circle, then let go to stop recording. Tap or swipe the screen to switch between your phone’s rear and front-facing cameras.
Focus
Take a selfie or switch to the back-facing camera to find a friend. Once there’s someone in the shot, you’ll notice the person stays in focus while the background softly blurs - making sure they stand out in a striking way. Tap to take a photo or tap and hold to record a video.
Superzoom
Scroll to Superzoom. Now point the camera at someone - anyone - and let the hilarity ensue! Instagram will slowly move the camera closer and closer to your subject’s face until it’s creepily close. You can then share the slow creep in the video that you can share!
Rewind
In a similar fashion to one of Snapchat’s oldest options for videos, Instagram’s Rewind allows you to take videos then play and share them in reverse... Just choose the Rewind camera mode option and tap ‘Record’!
Browse more advice and insights in our SME's Guide to Instagram ebook!
