Just a few days ago, Instagram was celebrating its 10th anniversary . And it did so by launching several new features, including a private “Story Map”, which offers an interesting retrospective of the different stories that, as users of the social network, we have shared over the last three years. It even brought back some of its more classic icons, in addition to some variations, such as offering access to an Easter egg.
To access these icons, we will only have to access the Instagram Settings, and slide down the screen of our iPhone until a series of emojis appears. Then, we will have to continue sliding across the screen until, suddenly, confetti starts to rain and the new icons appear. Of course, it is very likely that you will have to restart your device before you can see the changes on the home screen. Be that as it may, in total you’ll find a dozen new icons to choose from, excluding the default options.
Since then, we know that Instagram has achieved the not inconsiderable figure of more than 1,000 million active users in a month , thus becoming one of the fastest growing social networks, even managing to double the number of active users in just two years. But to succeed on Instagram , it is essential and necessary to master it, and know how to use it to the fullest. Here are some useful tips that will help you a lot.
Saving our original photos
The different photographs that Instagram uploads to the social network, and that we share with the rest of the world, have a size of 612 x 612 pixels. But the truth is that, if we want to access a higher resolution version, it is possible to find it on our mobile phone or digital tablet.
For example, if you use Android, the full-size images are automatically saved in an Instagram folder, which you will find in the gallery. Whereas, if you use iOS, they will be added to the camera roll. Of course, whether you use one operating system or another, you must make sure that the option Save original photos (which you will find in Settings, Account, Original Photos) is activated.
Be patient when editing the photos (before uploading them)
The truth is that Instagram is characterized by having one of the most sophisticated and interesting image editing tools, which makes it possible to use a wide variety of automatic filters, as well as being able to access a large number of different additional options. Therefore, when it comes to uploading the best snapshots, it is not only necessary to take the most spectacular photographs, but also to be good at the editing process.
Tips: You can use the Saturation slider to increase or decrease the intensity of the colors in the image, or use the Shadows option if part of the image is too dark.
Be careful when choosing hashtags
If you use Twitter , it is very likely that you know what are known as hashtags, a simple system that serves to tag our images, to help other users to find them more easily when, for example, they enter it in the search form of the application.
The best? Avoid those very common hashtags, since they will end up getting lost in the ether, unless you are a well-known and renowned Instagrammer. Experts also advise going a little further, and browsing the related hashtags already used on Instagram to check for niche hashtags, or even relevant official hashtags.
Customize and take care of your profile to the fullest
Remember that your profile becomes the first page that all users see about you, especially when they check your Instagram feed. Therefore, you should give them some good reasons to click on the Follow button when they find you, especially if you want to get more followers.
A recommendation? Write things about yourself, what kinds of photos you will share, and what you do. It’s even wise to use the ‘Website’ switch to direct visitors to your entire Twitter account or portfolio.
