28.03.2024

8 Useful Instagram Tools Made Just for Photographers

Sometimes even the pros need a little extra help. Check out eight of the best Instagram tools to help photographers with everything from editing to scheduling.

Whether you’re trying to build a beautiful Instagram feed or want save time while editing your photos and videos, choosing the right Instagram tools can help you increase engagement, gain more followers, and even get clients from Instagram.

With so many different Instagram tools and apps out there, it’s hard to know which ones are right for you.

Shutterstock Illustration by Lepusinensis

From creating stop-motion videos to editing out power lines with the click of a button, here are eight Instagram tools that are perfect for photographers and videographers.

1: Create Stop-Motion Videos with Life Lapse

Stop-motion videos are a seriously trending option for both your regular feed and for Instagram Stories. If you thought creating stop-motion videos was a complicated process, it’s time to think again.

Thanks to the Life Lapse app, it’s super easy to create high-quality stop motion videos right from your mobile device, and their handy tutorial guides you through every step of the process.

All you need to create a professional stop-motion video is a tripod, good lighting, your phone, and the Life Lapse app. Whether it’s for your own travels or for a client, this is a fun way to express your creativity and show off your skills on Instagram.

Why it’s useful

Making real stop-motions can take days, but Life Lapse helps you achieve the same look in a lot less time. This Instagram tool is also packed with editing features, including a variety of different speeds, filters and stock music, and an interval timer to help you get the timing of your video just right.

2: Schedule Posts for Free with Later

Running a portfolio or brand account on Instagram can be time-consuming. Between planning shoots, capturing your photos, editing them, analyzing your performance, and more, it can be challenging to find the time to actually post to Instagram.

If this sounds like something you’ve experienced, you should consider using a free Instagram scheduler like Later. It can help you save a ton of time, and also will help you increase engagement and followers by planning ahead.

Later is an easy-to-use Instagram tool packed with features to help you manage your Instagram account right from your desktop computer. You can plan the look of your feed and easily drag and drop posts to achieve the perfect Instagram aesthetic before you post.

You can also schedule Instagram posts for free from your desktop! Later is free to use if you want to plan your feed and schedule posts, but with their paid plan (starting at $9/month) you can schedule Instagram Stories too, find the best time to post on Instagram, track your growth with Instagram analytics, and more.

Why it’s useful

Later is all about helping you spend less time posting to Instagram and more time optimizing and growing your account. Rather than spending thirty minutes every day coming up with an engaging post, finding new hashtags, and more, with a free Later account you can schedule all of your Instagram posts for the week in the same amount of time.

3: Create How-To Videos with Jumprope

Tutorials are a popular format in many industries. For example, one of the biggest trends among photographers is sharing editing tips and guides.

If this sounds like the content you share on Instagram, you should check out Jumprope. It’s a great Instagram tool that can help you capture, edit, and share professional-looking how-to videos.

After you download the Jumprope app, you can either shoot a new step-by-step guide or you can import a pre-made guide from your camera roll. Once you have your content, you can then use the app’s built-in editor to crop, trim, speed up, and add filters before exporting your video to Instagram Stories or IGTV.

You can even add links to each step of your how-to to highlight featured products, brands, and more.

Why it’s useful

Creating and sharing relevant and educational tutorials is one of the best ways to engage your followers and build a deeper connection with them (and even generate some revenue if that’s your goal). For example, you can use Jumprope to create a photo editing guide with before-and-after sequences of your edits.

4: Create Perfect Scenery with TouchRetouch

Have you ever taken a great photo only to discover that a telephone wire or some other unwanted object ended up in your shot? We’ve all been there. Luckily, there’s an Instagram tool called TouchRetouch that can help you solve this problem.

The app offers several different editing tools, including one-tap spot removal for quick edits, a paint tool for object removal, a line removal tool, and more.

What’s great is that it works in all kinds of situations, whether you’re trying to remove a rock, a telephone line, or even a person! Just tap on the unwanted object in your photo and the app will immediately remove it.

Why it’s useful

Editing out unwanted objects from your own photos or photos that you license usually requires some pretty advanced editing skills. What’s more, it usually isn’t a quick fix. With TouchRetouch’s innovative editing tools, you can wipe away unwanted content from your photos in a fraction of the time it would take on Photoshop.

5: Create Instagram Stories with Shutterstock Editor

Want to step up your Instagram Stories content? Whether you want to use pre-made templates or create a design from scratch, Shutterstock Editor is a powerful photo editing and graphic design app that’s perfect for your Instagram needs.

With Shutterstock Editor you can upload your own photos or search the Shutterstock collection to find the perfect image. Then add filters, text, shapes, emojis, and more. You can even upload your own logo to customize your design.

Shutterstock Editor also has a huge library of professionally-created templates that you can use to design your next Instagram post or story. You can also use the app’s preset sizes feature to optimize the size of your photos for different social channels.

Why it’s useful

Shutterstock Editor can help you significantly cut down on the time it takes to design and edit your Instagram content. With its functional tools and easy-to-use interface, the app is perfect for creating gorgeous Instagram posts and stories that will stop your audience in their tracks.

6: Edit Vertical Video with InShot

We’re definitely not the first to tell you that video content is an important investment right now. If you haven’t yet, it’s time to add Instagram videos to your rotation, whether it’s on your feed, in your stories, or on IGTV. Instagram videos are great for sharing complex, in-depth stories, and they can also help you get more engagement on your account.

If you’re looking for a powerful yet user-friendly Instagram tool for creating and editing your videos, then InShot is a great option.

InShot makes it super easy to crop your videos for any size, whether you need 9:16 for stories or square mode for your feed. You can trim and crop your videos, or enhance them by adding effects like music, voice-overs, text, stickers, filters, and much more.

InShot is filled with a ton of handy tools for making quick edits to your videos. And the best part is that it’s extremely easy to use. Even if it’s your first time creating videos for Instagram, you won’t have any problem navigating InShot’s library of tools and features.

Why it’s useful

While photos are still the most common format on Instagram, a lot of users and brands are beginning to diversify their feed with Instagram videos. If you’re just getting started with the format, InShot is a tool for easy, professional-looking videos.

7: Animate Your Photos with Enlight Pixaloop

Adding animation to your Instagram photos and stories is a big trend right now, and Pixaloop quite literally “brings your photos to life” by adding movement to your static images. This is a great way to add an element of surprise to your Instagram Stories and break up the routine.

To animate a photo, place arrows to define motion within the image.

Next, add anchors to gradually reduce the speed in the animated area:

Why it’s useful

Pixaloop editing tools give you precise animation control so you can create jaw-dropping Instagram posts. This app definitely takes some practice to get used to, but you can head over to their feed to get inspired with adding animation to Instagram.

8: Add Finishing Touches with VSCO

Thanks to its simple aesthetic and millennial appeal, VSCO is one of the most popular Instagram tools on the market. In fact, the app is so popular that its branded hashtag #vscocam is one of the most-used Instagram hashtags of all time.

You shouldn’t be surprised. VSCO is often ranked by photographers as one of the best photo editing apps on the market.

The VSCO filters are in a league of their own. They’re subtle and modern, and in addition you can adjust the photo’s individual elements including brightness, contrast, temperature, fade, sharpness, and more.

Why it’s useful

VSCO filters are especially great to achieve a unified visual brand for your feed. They offer a mix of darker, moodier tones, as well as light and bright tones that can help balance out your photos to match your overall aesthetic. In other words, it’s the perfect tool if you’re trying to achieve a consistent look on your feed.

A great Instagram tool can be the difference-maker in your success, whether you’re a freelance creative, an influencer, or a major brand. Regardless of your goal, you can use these smart Instagram tools that help you save time, build a visually consistent feed, try new formats, and get more creative.

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