When it comes to making your images pop on Instagram, filters are the secret ingredient. These overlays offer a quick and easy way to transform your ordinary photos into eye-catching artwork. It’s also super simple to add one: via the Instagram camera or the editing screen later on. If you’re looking for your next inspiration, you may want to check out our post for the best Instagram filters you should try.
Good to know: make your Instagram Reels more appealing by adding trending audio. Learn where to find the best musical backgrounds.
Best Instagram Filters for Posts
Instagram lets you enhance your (standard) posts by adding filters that were created by the social network. You can add them after you’ve selected an image from your device or snapped a photo via the Instagram camera. The best part about these filters is that they are editable. If you think you can improve them, you can, by tweaking things like Brightness, Contrast, Color, or Warmth.
Lo-Fi (by Instagram)
Effect: makes colors pop
Ideal for: product shots, cityscapes
Lo-Fi stands out by adding a sharpening effect and making the colors in your images appear more vibrant for a more dramatic look. If your photo looks a bit washed out, this filter might be what you need to revitalize it, but you may want to skip it if you want to keep the look of your image natural.
X-Pro II (by Instagram)
Effect: intensifies darker colors
Ideal for: urban/street, vintage shots
Use this effect if you want your photos to display a higher contrast. The filter also adds a vignette effect around the edges. With X-Pro II, shadows become more accentuated, and the colors pop out more for a striking effect. Again, this is not an effect for those who prefer more natural-looking photographs.
Tip: to create even more contrast, change the background color of your Instagram post.
Lark
Effect: brightening
Ideal for: outdoor/nature, scenic views, food shots
You should apply Lark to brighten and lighten your photos, making them appear more vibrant and cheerful. The filter adjusts the exposure and brightness to give your images a fresh, airy look. While Lark is more natural-looking than the previous options, it also makes your image appear softer.
FYI: if you want to see someone’s posts on Instagram, mute them.
Best Instagram Filters for Stories and Reels
For Stories and Reels, Instagram offers many more options when it comes to the effects you can apply, as users can create and upload their own filters as well. The choice is considerably more generous.
You can apply effects in real time, while you’re simply pointing the camera at the subject before snapping the photos/videos. This allows you to get an idea of what the result will look like. At the same time, you can also apply these filters to Stories and Reels you’ve uploaded to the app.
Note: to find these filters when recording a Reel, press the icon with sparkling stars on the left side of the display.
RETRO FILM (by rivensmeicky)
Effect: old photograph
Ideal for: vintage portraits, family and personal, travel shots
Retro filters such as this one can give your photos a vintage – or classic – appearance. The style may be particularly appealing to those who appreciate the charm of older photography or wish to mimic the look of film cameras. There are quite a few retro effects to choose from on Instagram, but this particular one offers a pleasant combination of tones that will help you enhance the narrative quality of your photos.
Part of Manga (by zuzianaaa)
Effect: collage
Ideal for: fan art, playful shots
Manga enthusiasts are going to love this filter. It allows you (or the subject of your photo) to be part of a manga strip. The filter adds a manga strip backdrop and gives the impression that the subject blends into the comic. The overall result looks like a fun collage.
Red Light (by shxxdng)
Effect: dramatic
Ideal for: artistic shots, nightlife scenes, Halloween-themed shots
A red light filter will add a powerful effect to your photos, often inducing a sense of mystery and intensity. If you’re aiming for a cinematic or film noir aesthetic, give this one a try, as it will infuse your images with a strong visual storytelling element. But while red light effects can be visually striking, they should be used sparingly, as applying them indiscriminately may diminish their overall impact over time.
Tip: want to know who appreciated your posts on Instagram? Learn how to check who shared your posts on the app.
Neon Frame (by Instagram)
Effect: abstract, futuristic
Ideal for: urban, nightlife shots
This neon effect adds vibrant and electrifying colors to your image or video, creating a futuristic atmosphere. It’s great to use if you want to emphasize specific elements within your photo. In this particular case, the filter will add a neon frame around the subject, making it stand out even more.
BubbleGum (by rubyynna)
Effect: dreamy
Ideal for: selfies, candid, childhood memories, melancholic shots
If you’re looking for a way to make your images appear ethereal and soft, then you should try this effect. The overlay can instantly inject a sense of playfulness and lightheartedness into your images, making them engaging and entertaining. Designed as a face filter, BubbleGum also works to beautify your selfies, making you look more adorable than ever.
Light (by hanailaananda)
Effect: soft light
Ideal for: selfies, nature & landscape, still life, and product shots
This filter adds a beautiful soft light to your images that can subtly enhance the overall quality of your photos by reducing harsh shadows, improving skin tones, and creating a gentle, diffused lighting effect. The effect can add an emotional depth to your creations, making them feel more intimate, with a hint of sensibility.
Tip: not happy Instagram moved away from photography? These are the best Instagram alternatives for photographs.
Fisheye (by nhannaa.tasmin)
Effect: fisheye
Ideal for: cityscapes, interiors
Fisheye lenses create a highly distorted and exaggerated perspective, making everyday scenes and objects appear surreal and captivating. Your images can have the same impact using the Fisheye filter. The effect will help you distort the reality presented in your shots in interesting ways, bending lines and shapes and creating a sense of abstraction, giving an extraordinary quality to ordinary scenes.
Broken Lights (by canysway)
Effect: surreal
Ideal for: experimental shots, Halloween-themed shots
You might want to use Broken Lights to create a creepy reel or an eerie-looking photo to post as a story. The result can remind viewers of a sequence from Psycho, the classic horror film by Alfred Hitchcock. Spooky holiday aside, the filter can still be a great addition for those who enjoy using a darker aesthetic as a means to tell their story.
Black & White (by intomytravel)
Effects: monochrome
Ideal for: artistic, landscape, and nature shots
Using a back-and-white face filter on your self portraits can make the mood they portray more pronounced. It helps to emphasize contrasts, shadows, and light in your shots. Removing all colors can also reduce the impact of distracting and irrelevant elements in your photos. While there are many B&W filters on Instagram, this one stands out, as it also adds an interesting-looking grainy texture. While this is designed as a face filter, it can, of course, be used to take pictures/videos with your phone’s main camera.
Polaroid (by linevesamorim)
Effects: vintage
Ideal for: creative and candid shots
Polaroids are making a comeback in the digital era, and with this filter, you can relive the nostalgia of the old days. The effect adds a vintage look to your images, as well as the classic white border. It also applies a grainy overlay that makes the result look even more unique.
+50 CAMERA FILTERS (by ya_gadya)
Effects: mixed
Ideal for: all kinds of shots
If you don’t like the idea of browsing through effects until you find the perfect one, you can use +50 CAMERA FILTERS and save time. It includes a mini library of filters that you can apply from your Instagram camera. The options range from more retro and vintage to soft light. There are many options to choose from, so you’re bound to find something you like.
Tip: learn how to check your liked posts on Instagram.
Augmenting Your Instagram Posts
Now that you know which are some of the best Instagram filters, get up to speed on how to search for camera filters and effects on Instagram to start adding them to your posts. If you’re new to Instagram, you may want to learn what an Instagram handle is and how you can change it, should you ever want to.
Image credit: Freepik. All screenshots by Alexandra Arici.
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