How to edit photos: Make your pics ‘Instagram-ready’

Wondering how to edit a photo?

Perhaps you took a great selfie over the weekend, or just got back from a trip, and are looking to post your photos on social media.

Whether it’s cropping out that unaware photobomber in the corner or brightening the image, it’s easy to edit a photo. You don’t need to be a photography savant. With a few basic steps, your images can be elevated in mere moments.

How to edit a photo

There are several free services available like Canva, BeFunky, etc. However, many users default to using Adobe’s Photoshop simply because of its toolset and array of features. Be aware that Photoshop does cost $22.99 per month.

Step 1: Import your photo by selecting File and Open. Next, select your image.

Step 2: To adjust vibrancy and color, select Filter from the top menu and Camera Raw Filter. Select Auto from the right-hand bar to use Photoshop’s suggested adjustments.

Credit: Steve Vegvari

Alternatively, scale Exposure, Contrast, Highlights, etc. manually to your preference.

Step 3: To crop an image, select the Crop tool from the left-hand sidebar (or C key). Select and adjust the grid to your liking. You can also type in the desired width and height in the top menu bar.

Credit: Steve Vegvari

You can also straighten a photo by selecting the Straightening tool. Draw a line across the photo and Photoshop will automatically straighten it to match the line.

Step 4: To clean up an image, select Spot Healing from the left-hand bar. This can help remove unwanted pixels, spots, and blemishes on the photo.

Step 5: Clone Stamp, also found on the left-hand bar, can be used to select a reference point and paste those referenced pixels elsewhere. This is useful for removing or adding subtle elements to the photo.

Step 6: Go to File and select Save As. You’ll then want to select whether to save it on your PC or via Adobe Creative Cloud. If saving on your PC, the file will automatically save as a .psd file.