How do I Edit My Bookstagram Photos (@visiblepages)

Hello, everyone! This post isn't a book review or a book recommendation. I'm taking the opportunity that I have to share with you on how I usually edit my bookstagram photos. Refer to the picture above to see how my bookstagram feed looks like. It's not the epitome of beauty, but I'm trying to answer those who've asked me on how I create this particular theme on my feed. Without any further ado, let's move on with this post.

1. Editing Apps

The only editing app that I use consistently is Vscocam. Picsart is necessary for certain photos only. But I don't really use Picsart, to be honest. I'm mostly on Vscocam, as I'm not that good at editing on Picsart, hence the lack of usage. So, do not worry. I'll make things easy for you guys by showing how I edit my photos on Vscocam only. 

2. Camera

I only rely on my iPhone XR to take my bookstagram photos. It's easier for me to get along with my editing job right after taking the photos. You can use any types of camera or simply your smartphone to take pictures. 

3. Lighting 

Lighting is super important for me. I'd only take pictures during the day as I'm relying on the natural light from the sun. Natural light definitely makes everyone's pictures better and I definitely love the outcome. I'd highly recommend you to take your photos when the sun is up to chase the beautiful natural light.

4. Props, Books, etc.

This is an example on how I assemble my props. I don't really have much stuff at home, but I do get some beautiful props from Mr. Diy and Kaison (Malaysia) sometimes since the prices are pretty reasonable. Just use whatever you have at home; your flowers (fake/real), some leaves, your books, candles, your shawl, etc. Just get anything that you have. It's not necessary for you to buy anything but if you're like me who loves to be a bit creative - though I'm not creative enough, to be honest - then you can get yourself some props that you like. 

For this particular photo, I'm trying to emphasize the beautiful cover, so I need to make sure my props match the main theme/color. You can decide on the arrangement of your books and your props. It's completely up to you.

5. Vscocam

We're finally here, guys! Make sure you have this app beforehand. The very reason why I only use Vscocam to edit my photos is because it's quick and pretty flexible. The filters aren't that bad, either. At the end of the day, I get the outcome that I want.

The only filter that I use for my bookstagram photos is VSCOCAM - A4. 

Let's move on to the fun part. This is where you're going to play with the settings. 

• Exposure. I'd prefer to bring down the exposure. Sometimes it can go higher, depends on the quality of the original picture. The lowest that I'll go is -3.0 and the highest is +1.0. I don't have a fixed number for this one, so just play around with the exposure and match it according to your liking.
• Contrast. The same thing applies for this one, too. If I adjust the exposure, the contrast may be a bit out of order, so you gotta adjust it properly. Once again, do it according to your liking. My number will be less than -1. No, I don't have a fixed number for this one, either.
• Saturation. My saturation is usually less than -0.1. Most of the time, it's -0.7. I do, however, need to make sure the natural light is perfect for this number. You can go a bit higher than that but not more than +0.1.
• Tone. I'm focusing mainly on the highlights. The highlights is pretty much fixed most of the time, and it's more than +8.0. Going lower than that won't give me the exact result that I want. But I won't go completely high, either. I'll adjust this setting moderately.
• White Balance. For temperature, it's more than +1.0. I won't go lower than that. You can go up to +2.0 if you want to, but not too much. Meanwhile, for tint, I'll always go lower than -1.0. You can go up to -2.0 if you want to. 
• Skin Tone. I'll always make sure that the setting is between +1.0 - +2.0.
• Grain. Yes, I do use this. It's in between +4.0 - +5.0. I won't go lower or higher than this particular range. 

This is the original picture.

And this is the outcome.

The color is pretty much exposed now, isn't it? I'm loving this tone at the moment, and I might stick with this one for a long period of time, depends on my mood.

So there you have it, peeps. I'm sorry I can't give you the most accurate tutorial. At first, I did not want to spill the beans. I think I've given you guys enough ideas by now and it's up to you guys to do the adjustments according to your preferences.

I do hope you guys get something beneficial from this blog post. Forgive me if it isn't that helpful in any way possible. 

Assalamualaikum.