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Creating content for social media can be confusing and overwhelming. Fortunately, I've found a few apps that I reuse constantly to edit video and photos for social media. I'm going to break down a few for you to help make creating content A LOT easier!
1. Instasize
This app is super helpful if your photo doesn't fit completely in an Instagram post. It also works really well when you're needing to add white space around the picture so that it fits better. For example, occasionally I'll find a great quote on Twitter and want to reshare that on my own page. If I take a screenshot and crop it, it won't be a perfect square, so I upload the screenshot to Instasize and I'm able to pinch the picture to make it smaller, and it automatically adds the white space around it. Example below:
*Bonus Tip: This is how people repost their own quotes from Twitter over on other social media platforms. Post a quote as yourself on your Twitter feed, then screenshot and upload to Instasize to further build your brand over on another social media platform!
2. Lightroom
This has to be one of my all time favorites. I love creating a cohesive style with my Instagram posts and this app makes that possible. This app allows you to import professional editing presets. If you're wondering what a "preset" is, "A Lightroom preset is a configuration of settings, designed to achieve a certain look or style of your photo." Once you find the preset that you like best, you can upload that preset to lightroom, then copy the settings of the preset and then paste those settings on your own photos and BAM, you've got a professionally edited photo in the color scheme you love. Below is a preview of before adding a preset and after.
3. Unfold
This app allows you to upload your own photos and add text to create beautiful and engagement worth Instagram Story posts. I'll include a screenshot of some of the free templates I like to use! You'll see that the creative possibilities are endless!
4. WordSwag
This app allows you to either create quotes or simply upload a photo and add your logo to it! The "add your logo" is a paid option, but is so helpful and absolutely worth the upgrade! If you want a detailed look at how to add a logo to your pictures using WordSwag, click here for a step by step guide.
5. InShot
This app is my go to for creating videos. I've started playing with Instagram Reels and have seen a huge spike in my engagement and views. If you're not yet on reels, just go for it! Currently, Instagram is rewarding creators for creating reels by displaying their reel in the explore tab, which allows you to get a huge amount of views. If the algorithm decides to put your video in the explore page, chances are the views will spike. I'll include a screenshot below of a few recent videos I've posted. You'll see the two painting videos have over 10k views and one has less than 500 views. The one with less than 500 didn't get deemed to be in the explore page, so it didn't do as well... but think quality over quantity. Some videos will perform well and others won't, just focus on staying consistent and thinking - 'How will this video add value!' The videos that generally end up with the most views either made someone say, "Wow, I've got to send this to a friend!" or "Wow, I need to save this for later!" Obviously I could talk about this A LOT, so if you're interested in an entire blog post on video content strategy, shoot me an email and let me know. Below is an example of the number of views a reel can get. You'll see that some of mine are hits and some of them are not, this is completely normal, so if this happens to you, don't worry just keep creating.
6. Photoleap
This app allows you to remove the background on a picture. And let me tell you, doing this in Photoshop isn't not the easiest thing if you're not very familiar with that program! Below is an example of a little photo I created of the cutest dog in the world... okay well, I'm pretty biased because she's mine ;) My boyfriend left his work shirt at my house one day, so I decided to put it on her like a costume. I saved a photo from Google Images of the building and added it to the background. A lot of people asked if I actually took a picture of her in front of the building, which cracked me up! If you really look closely you can see how it doesn't remove the background perfectly, but it makes for some fun and creative content.
7. Canva
This is my go to for small creative projects that I don't necessarily need to use Illustrator for. You can create business cards, posters, Instagram posts, Pinterest posts... the list goes on and on. If you're looking for more ways to show up professional and continue growing your brand's awareness, this is the app for you! For a more in depth look into this program and how to use it, click here!
8. Camera360
Okay full disclosure, this app is probably not the best for your mental health... but I'm including it because SOMETIMES I use it. You can upload a photo smooth out wrinkles, smooth skin, remove eye bags, and MUCH more. I don't have the paid version, but if I want to post a photo or video and smooth out my skin a bit, I use this!
9. Photo Editor
This was the first app I ever used for editing pictures! I don't use it much anymore, but occasionally it comes in handy if I need to blur something out. If I take a photo to sell an item on Facebook marketplace, the blur effect comes in handy. For example, you could blur out your car's license plate number, a password or code, any personal information that you don't want to include in a public post.
Whewwwww that was a lot! I don't recommend going and downloading all 9 of these, but just pick and choose the ones you need for the content you're working on now. This blog post will always be here to reference if you need to find the name of another one you didn't download right now. I'd love to hear if this was helpful for you and I can't wait to see what you create!