Get Noticed On Instagram in 2024: Grow Your Instagram Profile With Lightroom Presets
Let’s face it: Growing your Instagram profile can be hard and time consuming. You need to be active, interesting and consistent. Your fans need to know what kind of content they can expect. They want you to post regular updates and look great doing it.
All of that takes time and effort.
Luckily, presets make photo editing much easier and faster. At least part of Instagram’s success stems from their built-in photo filters. Using these filters allows you to transform your snapshots, making them more engaging. Your photos will look similar to other cool content on the platform.
Then again, using Instagram’s own presets will make your photos look like most other photos - at least on Instagram. Your photos may look better than before, but you won’t be standing out from the crowd with these filters. Too many other users make use of the built-in Instagram filters. All of that is fine, as long as your actual content is interesting, though.
To really stand out you need quality content that engages your audience. Pair this with a winning look that attracts your audience and you have engagement and aesthetics: Help your (potential) followers to recognize your style.
Let’s explore how to create a consistent look for your Instagram profile! (By the way: This approach works with photos and videos!)
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Lightroom Presets ROCK (and here’s why!)
Lightroom (or Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, as it is actually called) is a kick-ass tool to organize and edit your photos and comes in three versions. (Two desktop versions and an app)
It’s not as complex to learn as Photoshop and the best part: The Lightroom mobile app is completely free - no subscription, no one-time-fee - which makes it a killer companion for your Instagram editing.
Let’s take a look at why Lightroom and photo presets can be a game-changer for your social media presence:
- It’s Free: While the desktop versions come as part of a subscription, the mobile app is free to use. (You do need an Adobe account, though.) If you decide to also use it on your computer the cloud syncing will make the transition seamless.
- Tutorials/Community Support: Lightroom is popular among photographers, both professional and amateur enthusiasts, since it excels at converting (‘developing’) RAW photos. That means you can find tutorials for practically all possible questions and scenarios.
- Consistent Aesthetics: Lightroom is made for presets. Bulk-editing is as easy as applying a preset to many photos at once with just one click. You can stop worrying about a consistent look, once you’ve selected a preset.
- Save Time: Quickly applying presets doesn’t just make consistent results, it also saves a lot of time. Pre-made content creation just got a whole lot faster.
- Stand Out From The Crowd: With so many people using Instagram, it's important to find ways to differentiate yourself. By using Lightroom presets instead of the built-in Instagram filters, you can create a unique look and feel for your photos .
In short: You get pro-level photo editing, save time and make your timeline look consistent and professional.
How To Use Lightroom Presets On Instagram
You can't load Lightroom presets into Instagram: To use Lightroom presets on your Instagram photos you need to apply them before you upload your photos to Instagram.
You can either create your own presets: Style a photo and export your adjustments as a preset. Or load third-party presets like our own Professional Color Grading Lightroom Presets.
To install presets you simply navigate to the presets section, click the menu and select the option to load additional presets. After that you just navigate to the appropriate file and load your presets. See our How-To section for detailed instructions and videos on How-To Load And Install Lightroom Presets.
Once you’ve installed your presets you can go ahead and apply them to any suitable photo.
Warning: Some presets only work with RAW files, some only work with compressed files (such as JPG). All presetpepper presets work with BOTH compressed and RAW files!
You’re not forced to simply accept the post-processing: The preset might be too weak or strong for your photo. You can make changes on the fly to each photo individually, or apply changes to multiple selected photos.
Before and After: Examples of Lightroom Presets on Instagram
Let’s take a look at some examples, so that you can judge the impact of presets on your Instagram journey.
Moody Lightroom Presets: Moody presets are a popular choice for creating a moody and atmospheric feel in your photos. They often feature deep shadows, desaturated colors, and stark contrast with limited dynamic range. Check out our before-and-after demo video:
Lifestyle Lightroom Presets: A lot of photo editing is the creation of certain emotions. Lifestyle presets invoke well-being, fun and recreation and pair well with people. Check out some of our lifestyle presets here:
Cinematic Presets: Sometimes it just has to be a cinematic look, right? Modern trends favor dark and grainy scenes (which you can find in the Midnight Swagger Lightroom Preset Collection), but much of it is also Teal & Orange Color Grading at its finest:
Now it’s your turn: Browse our demo section on YouTube for some quick inspiration, or start trying presets yourself. By the way: If you want to start with expert presets without paying a dime, consider subscribing to the Hot List, our newsletter that comes with 7 free presets as a welcome gift!
Video Content: But Wait... There is more!
We hinted at video at the beginning of this article. And we will not leave you out to dry.
Sure, a consistent photo strategy and style is amazing. But social media, your online presence and Instagram are more than just photos. To truly win at consistency, your videos need to be on par with your photos. But video editing in Lightroom is just not practical.
There is a way to use all presetpepper presets for your Reels, YouTube Shorts, on Tiktok and even live on Twitch (for example with OBS Studio):
presetpepper presets are fundamentally color grading presets. Lightroom calls this “Color Profiles”. Video software calls this “LUT”, short for (color) lookup table.
This means all our presets can be used as Lightroom profiles, which gives you the most potential for your own editing on top of it. And as LUT in video software such as DaVince Resolve. (.cube files are included).
Making sure all of your photo and video content integrates seamlessly has never been easier.