The edits you choose for your photos change how pretty they look and how many likes you get. That’s why every influencer always asks, “How can I make my pictures look better?” before posting.
Good influencer photos need smart editing, not just putting on filters. You’ve got to think about lighting and colors before starting retouching. Since Instagram photos should look real but perfect, your edits should be a little bit of both – not too much!
Try to use presets first to make the colors nice. Then fix the skin with a healing brush, but leave some pores. Brighten my eyes a little bit, but not like an alien. Now your photo looks amazing, but still like you! Remember, the best edits are the ones nobody can see.
Step 1: Use Presets or LUTs to Set the Mood Instantly
Using presets or LUTs is the easiest way to make your photos look pro. Even if you don’t know how to edit, just one click can change everything. The colors and tones will pop and give your pics a fancy vibe. Most influencers use them to save time and look cool. So, you already saw how magical they are.
Direction:
- Apply Lightroom presets or Photoshop LUTs (Look-Up Tables) to establish a consistent tone.
- These enhance colors, lighting, and vibe with one click.
- Use tools like Lightroom Mobile, VSCO, or Tezza for mobile-friendly options.
- Stick to 2–3 go-to looks to maintain brand identity.
Never tried presets before? No worries. Quick retouching with presets will make your feed stunning. You can play with warm tones for cozy feels or go blue for a chill mood. Slapping a preset and adjusting a little bit will give you wow shots fast.
Step 2: Smooth Skin Naturally with the Healing Brush Tool
Perfect skin in photos is what every influencer dreams about. The healing brush tool makes it easy, like eating cake! Just a few clicks and bye-bye pimples, hello flawless face. You don’t need fancy apps when you get this magic wand in Photoshop.
Never try this tool? Don’t be scared! It’s simpler than doing math homework. Just click on the bad spots and poof – they’re gone! You can fix a red nose from a cold or dark circles from no sleep. Make your selfies look perfect without anyone knowing you edited them.
Direction:
- Use the Spot Healing Brush Tool (J) to tap away blemishes or texture inconsistencies.
- Keep the brush size slightly larger than the imperfection.
- Avoid over-smoothing to retain realistic texture.
- For subtle smoothing, also try Filter > Blur > Surface Blur on a duplicated layer.
This is a full guide for making skin look soft like a baby. We tell you the best way to use a brush, how big it should be, and secret tricks for a natural look. After reading, you’re a pro at making skin perfect in all your pictures!
Step 3: Brighten Eyes and Teeth for a Fresh Look
Bright eyes and white teeth make photos look 100% better! It’s like magic how little changes make your face glow. The dodge tool is a best friend for making eyes sparkle and teeth shine. No need for a fancy dentist when you get Photoshop!
Yellow teeth or sleepy eyes in pictures? No worries! Just paint over them lightly with a dodging brush and watch them get brighter. Make sure not to do too much, or it looks fake. Best part is nobody will know you edited – they just think you wake up like this!
Direction:
- Use the Dodge Tool set to Midtones with low exposure (10–15%) to brighten the whites of eyes and teeth.
- Zoom in, use a soft brush, and paint gently.
- Alternatively, create a new layer, paint with white at low opacity, then adjust the layer blend mode to Soft Light.
Try to stand near a window when taking photos of natural light. Then use a toothbrush a little bit on your eyes and teeth. Now you have a perfect, fresh-faced look for Instagram! Remember – small changes make the biggest difference for pretty photos.
Step 4: Enhance Jawline and Cheekbones with Dodge & Burn
The shape of your face in pictures makes a big difference in looking good! Many people ask,” How do I make my face look slim and pretty?” before taking photos. That is why dodge and burn tools are so important for perfect selfies.
Good portraits need smart editing, not just random filters. First, think about the lighting and angle of your face before starting editing. Since influencer photos should look natural, use dodge & burn a little bit to make cheekbones pop and jawline sharp – but not too much!
Direction:
- Use the Dodge Tool (to highlight) and the Burn Tool (to contour) subtly on a duplicate layer.
- Focus on enhancing natural shadows under the cheekbones and the jawline.
- Keep exposure low (5–10%) for control.
- This adds depth and dimension like makeup does.
Try to use a dodge brush on high points of the face where light hits. Then use a burn tool softly under the cheekbones and jaw. Now your face looks perfect, but still real! Remember – small changes make the biggest difference for pretty photos that get many likes.
Step 5: Add Instant Glow with a Soft Light Layer
You can use light layers to make your photos look magical and special. But don’t just put any light – pick the one that makes your face shine right! If you like warm colors, use golden light. If you’re cool, try blue light.
Good glow comes from thinking about what matches your photo. If you are outside in the sun, use soft yellow light. In the night photo, the little white glow looks best. Make sure the light is not too strong or you look like a ghost!
Direction:
- Create a new layer, fill it with 50% gray, and set the blend mode to Soft Light.
- Use a soft white brush at low opacity to paint highlights on cheekbones, nose bridge, and forehead.
- Paint with black in shadow areas to sculpt the face.
Try to make a new layer and paint light where the sun would hit – cheeks, nose, shoulders. Change layer to “soft light” and play with how see-through it is. Now you glow like an angel, but still look like you! Remember – the best glows look real, not fake.
Step 6: Use Liquify to Subtly Refine Features
You should try different tools in Liquify to make small changes that make you look your best. Pushing, pulling, and smoothing are the basic ways to use it. These simple moves can make a big difference when you do them just a little bit. For noses that look too big, you can push the sides a little to make them smaller.
If you get photos where the face looks squished or too wide, the liquify tool helps fix it easily. For a more natural look, try smoothing the edges of the face, but not too much! Front, side, and three-quarter angles all need different tiny fixes. You can try many small changes like making eyes bigger, lips fuller, but remember – real is best!
Direction:
- Go to Filter > Liquify. Use the Forward Warp Tool to gently adjust curves, smooth clothing lines, or refine jawline/hair.
- Avoid extreme changes—think micro-adjustments.
- Use the Reconstruct Tool to undo over-adjustments without exiting the tool.
Just click filter, then liquify, and use the forward warp tool gently. Zoom in close so you see what’s going on. Make changes slowly and check often to not overdoing. When you finish, you look like you but your best!
Step 7: Create Background Blur for a DSLR Effect
Taking pictures and blurring backgrounds go together like peanut butter and jelly. Normal phone pictures get everything in focus, which looks boring sometimes. The usual problems are messy backgrounds, too many things behind you, or just wanting to look more pro. There are many free apps that say they can blur backgrounds well.
But the blur never looks as nice as a real camera or Photoshop makes. That’s because pros use special tools where they can pick exactly what to blur and how much. They can even make some things more blurry than others to look extra real!
Direction:
- Duplicate the subject layer and separate it from the background using Select Subject and Layer Mask.
- Apply Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur or Lens Blur to the background layer.
- Adjust blur radius for subtle depth without losing realism.
To do it yourself, first pick the blur tool in your editing app. Then paint over the background, but be careful not to get your face! Make the blur stronger far away and closer to you. This fake depth makes the picture look expensive, like a real photographer took it. But don’t overdo it, or it looks weird!
Step 8: Export for Social Media with Correct Settings
For square photos that fit Instagram nicely, pick 1080×1080 pixels. But if you want full size for Facebook stories, use 1080×1920 instead. Girls should check that their whole outfit shows, and guys make sure their heads do not get cropped out!
Direction:
- Export at 2048px on the long edge for Facebook, 1080px wide for Instagram.
- Use File > Export > Save for Web (Legacy) and choose JPEG with 70–80% quality.
- Convert to sRGB color profile for best appearance online.
- Save a PSD copy in case you need to revise later.
The best way to save is to click “Export” and then choose JPEG quality at 80-90%. Too low looks blurry, too high makes big, slow files. Name your file something easy, like “beachpic_final,” so you find it quickly later. Now your pictures are ready to post and get many likes!
Final Thought
Do you like to make pictures pretty fast? These easy tricks help you edit like a pro without spending lots of time! When you look back at your photos later, you remember how good they turned out with just a few clicks.
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