I'll just be honest and tell you all I have an obsession with taking pictures. We go out to eat, I take a picture. Brutus gives me a cute look, I take a picture. Hubby is being funny, I take a picture. My nail polish color is perfection, I take a picture. You get the point. Well I'm on instagram and have quite a few people asking how I edit my pictures because they always look so bright and clean and I've found a few picture apps that I can't live without so let's chat about how you can update those nasty, grainy phone pictures, yes?

After Light // This app is the first one I pop my photos in. This gives me the ability to brighten, adjust exposure, clarity, contrast...etc. I also like to add a white background in this app to all my pictures so if it's a shot I want to be vertical versus a square, I don't have the ugly black lines on the sides. Same goes for horizontal. Once you've uploaded here, play with the settings they give options for. This is also the app I like to use for Black and White filters because they have one (ash) that brightens the lighter spots which gives an effect I personally like. 

Pic FX // After I've brightened and adjusted in After Light, I pop it into Pic FX to brighten slightly more if the picture requires or add a fun filter. I'm not huge on filters but I love the section of PFX Film filters this app offers. I use PFX 5 mostly, which brings it a shade lighter and slightly more crisp looking.

Instagram // Obviously a great social media outlet and a great way to share snap shots. I haven't used an Instagram filter in probably 6 months but evidently, I use this app for the networking aspect.



Huge difference, right?

Taking pictures with your iPhone can either be a blessing or a pain in the toosh. I've learned a few things over my course of owning the iPhone and how to accomplish better pictures while using it. 

Lighting // Natural lighting is your best friend. I like to stand next to an open window with a good source of light filtering it so when I take my picture, the quality isn't grainy from being so dark.

Stability // Make sure when taking your photos you aren't shaky or moving too much because you'll end up with an image that's a hot mess of blur. To best succeed in a stable image, tap your screen so the camera focuses before taking the picture.

Adjusting // When you're taking a picture on your iPhone, you can easily make it lighter by tapping the screen of your image. When you're about to take the picture, tap the darkest area of the image and the camera will automatically brighten on the screen giving you a better quality image after it's taken.

Cropping // Nothing is worse on a picture than an ugly background. That room of yours with clothes thrown everywhere? Not so cute. If you don't have the ability to snap something outside or in an area with a neutral background, play with cropping it as needed to disguise anything that's sore on the eyes.

Flash // If at all possible, do not use your flash. If it's at night in a bar, it's a hot mess of fog and it's not a good image you'll want to use. I recommend always snapping under a street light or even where it's dim and then edit the exposure so you can see what the image is better. Again, natural lighting is your best friend.

All in all, I encourage you to take a little time and play with these tips of mine and those apps. It really makes a difference in the quality of image you leave out for all to see. I've noticed I get many more "likes" on images I've spent the time editing to make eye pleasing so I'm sure it'll be worth all the time you do learning them!

I N S T A G R A M : @aubreykinch