Key Takeaways

• Avoid overusing popular photo filters like Instagram’s Slumber to keep your images looking distinct and creative.
• Use vignettes sparingly to maintain focus on the main subjects; keeping it below 15-20 in editing can enhance visual appeal.
• Balance color saturation to prevent unrealistic tones; gradually adjust sliders and avoid overusing matte effects.

If you regularly add these overused photo effects to your images, you might be hindering your creative potential. Besides identifying these effects, we’ll also show you what you can do instead. Without further ado, let’s get started.

1 The Instagram Slumber Filter

Slumber is one of the oldest Instagram filters; after applying it, your image will look softer and more film-like. It’s one of my favorite filters, but I must also admit it’s very overused. The problem comes not from using it, but from solely relying on this filter to make all of your pictures look the same.

You can do several things instead of using the Slumber filter on Instagram. As a starting point, it’s worth trying out the other Instagram filters for your photos. You can also edit your photos with a vintage effect for a different film-like look.

Beyond that, I recommend experimenting with different editing software to see which styles you like and don’t like. Adobe Lightroom is my favorite, but you can also use VSCO—check out my VSCO vs. Lightroom CC comparison if you don’t know which to choose.

2 Heavy Vignetting

When done correctly, adding a vignette to your images is a great way to shift the focus onto your main subject. However, many beginner photographers overdo the effect and make their pictures look sloppy. I was particularly guilty of this when I first signed up for Instagram in 2013, and admittedly, I still sometimes get carried away.

There’s nothing wrong with adding a vignette to your pictures, but you should use it sparingly. If the effect is so overpowering that the viewer doesn’t know what to focus on, your images won’t be as visually appealing. As a general rule of thumb, I try to keep the vignette below 15 or 20 when adjusting the slider.

3 Everything in Black and White

Black and white photography can be a great way to create impactful photos. However, the problem comes when you start thinking that simply desaturating your image automatically makes it better.

Like color photography, black and white images are a unique art form, the best photographers in this space spent years honing their craft. I think that the best way to create interesting images is getting good at both color and black and white photography so you’ll know when to use which. You can also try a monochrome effect but with a color instead of black and white.

4 Oversaturated Colors

Adding too much saturation in general is one of the biggest editing mistakes to make in Lightroom and other editing apps. And adding too much saturation for specific colors is also a bad idea. I’ll admit being guilty of this, especially when I see anything red.

Oversaturating some colors can sometimes make a particular object stand out, plus it adds a cool contrast to your images when done correctly. However, you need to be careful not to add too much—especially when it makes skin tones look unrealistic. I always recommend starting with subtle edits and using saturation sparingly in your photos.

If you want a particular color to stand out, try editing everything in black and white except for that color. It will make for a more interesting photo.

5 Too Much Matte

This has been an overused photo effect for a while, and again, I have been guilty of this more than a few times. The matte effect increases the shadows so that your image has a cloudy look, and it’s achieved with filters or creating strong S-curves in editing software.

Adding too much matte to your photos might feel creative, and it actually works well in high-contrast pictures, but it makes other images look pretty ugly. I recommend doing the opposite of the S-curve in your edits and keeping the shadows neutral.

If you edit your photos, consider subtly tweaking the blue/yellow, red/cyan, and green/magenta graphs. And focus more on the lighting; here’s how I get the perfect lighting for my smartphone photos.

6 Overly Warm Tones

Another common trend is adding too much warmth to pictures where it isn’t necessary. Often, this is done by editing the white balance and moving it more into the yellow category. However, you can also use split toning and color grading to achieve the same result.

Adding too much warmth can work well in film-style photos and images where there’s already a lot of yellow light, such as golden hour. But in most cases, I’d recommend keeping your white balance neutral; anything white in your picture shouldn’t look yellow. Check out my guide to white balance in photography if you don’t know where to start.

7 Too Much Clarity

Adding too much clarity to photos is one of the all-time classic photography mistakes and overused techniques. We get it—you want to make your images look sharper. But bumping the clarity slider to 100 is going to make the picture look strange in most cases. Even though smartphone pictures are often flatter than camera images, the point still stands.

One thing I’ve started doing is actually removing clarity from my photos. Instead, I add some sharpness instead. The only exception is with objects that naturally have lots of textures, such as mountains, cliffs, and waves. Look at clarity as a tool, not a necessity.

8 HDR

HDR is a useful tool when used appropriately, but most people don’t know how to use it. It can sometimes make your images come alive, but if you use the feature all the time, your pictures are going to look oversaturated and too sharp. As we mentioned in our overused photography trends of 2022 breakdown, HDR should only be used when you have one over-or-underexposed layer and another that’s normal.

Instead of shooting HDR all the time, stick to normal modes unless you absolutely need the additional help. Your pictures will look much better as a result. If you really want to add that extra boost to your photos, try these AI-powered tools that I used to enhance my images.

There’s no right or wrong way to do photography, but avoiding overused effects and opting for more unique or subtle effects can make your images stand out. If you genuinely enjoy using some of these photo effects, by all means, continue using them. But if you’re looking for other things to try, consider these alternatives.