Instagram Tips

Instagram has started to become my favorite social media platform. You might be asking yourselves how I like it better than Pinterest, and there is only one answer - it’s more personal. I feel like my personality can shine through more on Instagram, plus it’s kind of a game with the likes and comments :lol: . The only thing is, there are so many new editing apps that are created everyday, it’s hard to stay up to date with the cool things you can do. Most instagram tips will tell you how to take better pictures, how to show your personality, and how to use the filters. But no longer do the plain old Instagram filters suffice - you have to use an outside source. I’m all for it! I love me some editing. So I'm going to share my most recent Instagram find with you: I recently started using the VSCOcam app (available in the app store), and I love it. It replaces all the other complicated apps because it’s easy to use and it has some really cool features. So no complicated Instagram tips, just one big tip and how to use use my favorite tool!

Here’s a little peek on how I typically edit a picture....

This whole process takes about five minutes - that's including taking the picture itself. It’s not too slow which is why I love using just one app. I’ve heard of people using up to three separate apps per picture, but for me that just takes away from the insta in Instagram.

{1} Clearly you have to choose your picture. I usually take a bunch and then pick from the best one.  I have way too many pictures on my phone, but it just feels so wrong to delete them in case "who knows what" happens. And by that, I mean my little brother.

{2} I then open up my picture in VSCOcam.

{3} I love the filters that are already in this app. I almost always use the T1 filter  because I like the white wash it gives the photo. Choosing the filter is totally up to you, and remember: your personality should shine through! I also like G3 and M5.

{4} I then crop my photo so that it’s a square so I can make sure I will like it once I post it to Instagram. If you have a taller/wider picture and want white space on the edges, I recommend the app Whitagram, another one of my favorites.

{5} I then jack up the exposure, because I like the effect it gives the photo. Clearly this is where your originality starts to shine through, and your tastebuds do the choosin’.

{6} Depending on the picture, I either slide the temperature up or down. This feature either puts more color into your picture or takes some away. See how my photo is just... softer?

{7} Lastly, upload to Instagram! Follow us and check us out to see what I've been doing lately with our photos - I'd love to hear what you think!

I hope this helps you find your own style a little bit!  And I'd love to hear more...

How do you typically edit your pictures? Are you a fan of VSCOcam?

Internet Loves

Hey y'all, it's Chloe and it's my turn to share my fave links I love this week. I spend waaaay too much time getting lost on my computer. Honestly, I don’t know where I would be without the internet; I could probably be found sitting in my room staring at the wall with nothing to do. That may or may not be an exaggeration. But lets just thank the technology gods that the internet is a thing I can enjoy... a lot. On to the links I love!

1} I am a lover of all things cute. Clearly, this Danielle Kroll print is no exception. As an aspiring graphic artist I love all of her original, simplistic, colorful prints. Anyone wanna buy me a couple to make an art wall in my room? I’m taking offers.

2} Any DIY that has “easy” in the title is my kind of DIY. I wish I was crafty, but I usually get so frustrated when things don’t look as perfectly as I know they can I just give up. *pathetic* However, I do think I could manage to make this star block. I’m also diggin’ the neon paint.

3} Some of y’all don’t know this, but I am a wannabe photographer (check out our Instagram). Amy Stone is basically who I would like to become as a photographer. I love how she can make the most simple thing into something that looks like an amazing time.

4} Clearly, I am obsessed with PopCosmo cute phone cases, and so are those of you who see me carrying them. I mean they’re just too darn cute not to include. Wink-wink!

5} Apparently “twerking” is the new trendy dance move. This YouTube video basically sums up all of my feelings towards this dance - in elder’s points of view. I have tried twerking though, and no, I can not, nor will ever be able to, twerk. My butt just doesn’t move like that.

3 simple steps to make a round picture

Have you seen all those cute round avatars or round pictures on sidebars? It took me forever to make ours until I learned how simple it could be! So I'm sharing the simple way to make a round picture with you. The secret is... my favorite photo editing tool: PicMonkey - and if you aren't using it then I suggest you start. If you are, then you already know it rocks. (And no, they are not paying me to say this - but I'd say the same thing if they were! I just love them, plain & simple.) PicMonkey is a very simple photo editor and is quite intuitive. Chloe uses PhotoShop and loves it, but it's complicated to simple folk like me. And there are rumors of a rental fee now, so it doesn't seem like a great time for me to start learning it.

Something I learned recently is that it is quite simple to take any online photo and and turn it into a round picture. I should have learned this a long time ago, but just wasn't experimenting enough! Not only can you make a round picture, but you can also make it look fun and funky in an instant.

Here's how: 1. Drag a picture to the PicMonkey editor.

2. In Basic Edits CROP the photo to make it square by simply making the actual size of equal length and width.

3. in Frames under Rounded Corners, round them until you have formed a circle by dragging the corner radius to 222 degrees. Click "transparent corners." And then you have your round picture!

To get funky with your round picture... goto Effects and play!

Well now, that's as easy as... 1, 2, 3! So what are you waiting for? Jazz up your photos and start making them round pictures! It's not hip to be square :)

Any questions? Leave them in the comments! Or do you have another way to make round pictures -- I'd love to hear!