How to Get Instagram-Style Filters on Your Smartphone

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Key points

  • Use Lightroom to create custom Instagram-style filters; save presets and easily apply them to photos.
  • Canva offers filters with customization options, but you can't save them as presets.
  • VSCO and FLTR are great apps for ready-made filters, and you can save recipes for future use.



You'll find plenty of filters in the Instagram app, but you may want to create your own filter with a unique style that you can't find in the app. There are plenty of tools available if that's the case, and you'll discover five of them in this guide.


1 Adobe Lightroom

Adobe Lightroom is my top recommendation for getting Instagram-style filters on your smartphone. You can either do this using the presets already in the app or create your own.

To create your own presets, simply save the settings you've adjusted to your current image. When you add them to another image, your slider adjustments, etc., will appear automatically.

To save your Instagram filters to Lightroom on mobile, follow these steps:

  1. Click on the three-dot circular icon in the upper right corner.
  2. He chooses Create a preset.
  3. Give the preset a name and choose the settings you want to transfer to other photos. Then click hashtag icon In the upper right corner.


After you save your Instagram-style filter, here's how to apply it to your photo:

  1. Select the image you want to add the preset to.
  2. Click on Venn diagram icon In the lower left corner.
  3. Specify for you tab and click User presets.
  4. Select the filter you have listed and then select the check mark.


You can then export your photos and share them on Instagram. Before you do this, it’s worth knowing the size of the photos and videos you post to Instagram. To use Lightroom on mobile, you need a paid subscription (starting at $9.99 per month).

download: Lightroom for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases available)

2 Canvas

Canva is another tool that I’ve talked positively about several times before. You can create Instagram-style filters using a variety of in-app features, such as sliders and effects. Additionally, you can customize your image with Canva’s pre-designed filters.

Here's how to create Instagram-style filters in the Canva app on your smartphone:


  1. Specify + Choose a template for Instagram posts or stories. This will save you time when you need to crop later.
  2. Swipe down when the list of pre-made templates appears to reveal the blank canvas.
  3. Click on camera Code and allow full access to your camera roll. Select the photo you want to import.
  4. Set your photo as wallpaper.
  5. Go to Effects, filterand Modifies Tabs, and edit everything until you are satisfied with the result.
  6. When you are satisfied with the look of your image, click the icon with the down arrow to save your image. When the options menu appears, select Save image.

When you create filters in Canva, you can't save them as presets. For this reason, I still suggest using Lightroom if you plan on editing a lot of photos.

download: Canva for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases available)


3 Visco

VSCO is one of the best apps for creating and getting Instagram-style filters on your smartphone. I use this app for several designs, and sometimes I use it as part of my photography workflow on my blog. The app lets you use a variety of presets, and you can also adjust your images using different sliders.

When using VSCO, you can also add changes like film grain and more. Here’s how to create Instagram-style filters in the app:

  1. Select or import the image you want to edit.
  2. Adjust the sliders and add a VSCO filter if needed. Some features will only be available with a paid plan, but you'll find plenty of others for free.
  3. Save your image to your smartphone by clicking on the icon with the upward arrow.


You can also save your filters as “recipes” in VSCO; if you have a free plan, you can save one for free. Here’s how to save your recipe for future use:

  1. Go to Icon with circle and spinning arrow.
  2. He chooses + Your recipe will be created immediately. You can delete it later by clicking on it and selecting Delete recipe.

download: VSCO for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases available)

4 Futur

Fotor is a great free alternative to Lightroom for general photo editing, and it's also a good option for creating Instagram-style filters on your smartphone. The app has a ton of filters you can apply to your photos right away, though most of them require a paid subscription.

To create Instagram-style filters in Fotor, follow these steps:


  1. Select “Edit” and change the sliders as you feel necessary. I suggest you boost the shadows, edit the brightness, and add some thumbnails as a starting point.
  2. Once you've finished editing the basics, use curve and other more advanced tools.
  3. handle Saves After cropping your photo save it to your camera roll before importing it to Instagram.
  4. If you want to save your filter for future use, go to Recipe > Add > Create New Recipe With current modifications.

If you want to learn more about using Fotor, check out this piece explaining why Fotor is one of our favorite affordable AI-powered photo editing apps.

download: Fotor for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases available)


5 FLTR

If you don’t want to do most of the manual work yourself, FLTR is a great place to find Instagram-style filters on your smartphone. The app has a ton of free filters, and you can even have someone at FLTR edit your photos for you (with a custom preset, too).

To apply a filter to your photo, follow these steps:

  1. Go to Filters > Download.
  2. Select the image you want to apply the filter to.
  3. Select the filter you want to add and its intensity. You will see the filter available only to Pro subscriptions marked with a crown.
  4. Scroll down and adjust the other sliders until you are satisfied with the final result.
  5. Select the icon at the top right and choose either Save to images or Share on Instagram.


download: FLTR for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases available)

You don’t need to pay a fortune to get Instagram-style files on your smartphone; there are plenty of free and affordable apps that will do the job for you. You’ll also find a few that require more or less hands-on editing, so you can choose based on your level of experience. While I recommend Lightroom, you can easily use apps like VSCO if you want a free option.

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