Today we’re going to dive into how to create an aesthetic Instagram feed! I’m sharing what I’m thinking about when I’m planning my feed, how I create images that match in colors and tones, and my whole strategy behind my Instagram feed layout. I’m proud to share that this is all brought to you by my mobile presets which launched yesterday and I can’t wait to see how you use them to edit your images for an aesthetic Instagram feed! 

Choose Your Colors 

When I began thinking about this topic, the first thing that came to mind is that you have to choose your colors. These are the colors that you want your Instagram feed and photos to have. If you have an existing brand/business, that’s a good place to start! For me, my brand has a lot of whites and neutrals, a pop of light yellow, burnt orange, and a little bit of light pink. These colors help me decide on which colors and tones I use online. Basically, your images should reflect the colors you already see in your brand – this comes both in the colors and the way you edit your images.

If you don’t have an existing brand or business to pull from, think about what colors you’re drawn to. I like to use Pinterest for that! Create a board where you can pin things you like. Then, you can look through what you pinned and you’ll see some themes come out. From there, you can figure out what your aesthetic is going to be. You’ll quickly see if you’re drawn to pastels, bolder colors, earthy tones (or so many others!). 

Just remember as you look through inspiration, don’t COPY someone else! It’s helpful to see inspiration from the people you already connect with and follow – but make sure you’re creating your own brand and images. 

Shoot + Edit Your Photos the Same Way

The next thing to think about is that you should be shooting and editing your images in the same way. It doesn’t matter if you use the same preset on every photo if you aren’t shooting images that really match your brand’s aesthetic to begin with. If you shoot on dark walls but your brand is light and airy – no preset is going to fix that image. You want your photos to match your style from the start!! That means locations and outfits should really be in line with your brand when you start taking photos. Then, when you go to edit them, it’ll be much easier to make sure you’re fitting in the aesthetic you were going for. PS. If you want help with how to light your videos, check out my FREE lighting lesson! 

Once you have photos ready to edit, download the Lightroom mobile app. I personally love being able to edit photos quickly on my phone! It’s totally free and super easy to use. (Side note: my light and airy mobile presets are designed to work on Lightroom mobile!). You can use presets on the app or edit in your own way. If you want to edit your images yourself, check out the color grading tool. It’s a great way to add a simple color overlay to your images if you wanted! 

Plan Your Feed

If you’ve been around here before, you know that I LOVE using Later to plan out my feed because I quickly see how my feed will look before it gets posted. And it’s drop and drag so I can easily re-arrange to get the look I’m going for! I’m a firm believer that your feed should reflect real life but still look polished and flow well. I don’t think anyone really cares about a totally perfect feed these days. They want to get to know you!

Planning ahead helps me make sure my Instagram feed is matching the aesthetic I’m going for. When I actually plan my feed, I generally want my feed to feel balanced. I do that by alternating between a photo with lots of white between photos with darker colors. Additionally, I stagger images of myself – some are up close and others are not, and I work to mix them up. It seems to work well for me! 

Developing an Instagram feed aesthetic isn’t as hard as it sounds! It requires some thought and planning ahead but it’s totally possible! Don’t forget.. If you need help creating a cohesive look for your Instagram feed? Grab my mobile presets! These presets will help you make sure that your Instagram feed has a consistent style that you love – and they’re super easy to use. Happy planning!!!