How to edit your photo after publishing on Instagram

That photo you just shared on Instagram looked perfect before you posted it. But now that you look at it, it doesn't look so good anymore. It would be much better if you just used a different filter.

You're not the first person to want to edit a photo after posting it on Instagram. Poster's remorse is widespread, but now you'll learn how to change your photos - at least the things you can change anyway. Here are some changes you can make to photos already published on Instagram.

Changing the filter of published content

It's always best to start with bad news. That way it will only get better in the future. So the bad news in this case is this you can't change the filter on photos published on Instagram. That's probably not what you wanted to hear, but that's the unfortunate truth.

For Instagram moderators in this kind of scenario, there are many factors to consider. Any editing of photos after they have been published will affect all the people who interacted with the image. Even something seemingly insignificant, like changing a filter, can significantly change the context of a photo. Just think: if you liked a photo or commented on it, you wouldn't like the content of that photo if it were to change in the future.

However, there are several changes you can make. You can change the photo's caption and edit the location. You can also change the people you tag in it.

Changing captions in published content

You can change the captions on the photos after they are published. If this is what you want to edit, you're in luck. Follow these steps:

1. Open the post you want to edit, and tap the icon "vertical ellipse" (three vertical dots) in the upper right corner.
   
2. Choose "Edit." From the menu.
3. Enter the new signature in "text box" below the image.
   
4. When you are satisfied with the signature, tap the checkmark in the upper right corner.

The above process may seem small, but it can significantly affect creativity.

Change of location after publication

Changing the location is also relatively simple. In most cases, you will use the same approach as when you edit the signature.

1. Open the post and tap on "vertical ellipse" (three vertical dots) in the upper right corner.
2. Select "Edit."
3. Tap either "Add space" (or the location you tagged) above the image and below the profile picture.
   

It is worth remembering that Instagram does not give you the option to tag a photo very far from where you are. However, you can undoubtedly re-tag your photos as you travel, if you think the change will affect your audience.

Changing who or what is labeled in the published image

At this point you should be familiar with tagging people on Instagram. Here's how to change the person tagged in a published image.

1. Open the image and tap the "vertical polygon" (three vertical dots).
2. Choose "Label" In the lower left part of the image.
   
3. Choose "Mark people." Or "Tag products" in options.
4. Instagram now asks you to tap anywhere in the photo to search for contacts to tag people, products or stores.
5. Select the accounts you want to tag in the photo, then drag and edit them now or later.

When not to edit a published image on Instagram

OK, so you have to admit that there is not much you can do to change a photo after it has been published. If you are not satisfied, your only option is to delete the photo and start over. Before you do that, however, here are some considerations.

If your photo doesn't generate the expected engagement, a different filter probably won't make a colossal difference. Just accept that it's not a winner.

On the other hand, if your photo is generating a lot of interest and you want to improve it piecemeal, you may want to think about it. If you have achieved a good level of exposure, perhaps you should leave it alone and accept that perhaps a change might make things worse. You may decide that not changing the photo is the best you can do.

Plan and prepare before you post photos on Instagram

It's not easy to create the perfect post on Instagram. There are many considerations about what to say and how to attract an audience. Unfortunately, there's not much you can do after the fact, so you should do your due diligence before you decide to post. If you are very unhappy with your photo, at the end of the day you can get rid of it and try again. Other than that, you can change the caption and tags, but not much else.

Frequently asked questions about editing published photos on Instagram

Once published, can I add or remove a photo from a post on Instagram?

Unfortunately, no. Once you submit a post, you cannot add Neither delete the image nor the video. Instead, you must delete the entire post and republish it. If you are not satisfied with the post, but no longer have images, you can change the visibility of the post by clicking the three horizontal dots and selecting the "Archive" option. This will move your post from the main news feed to the archive folder in your Instagram settings. You can set this folder as private, save the photos to your phone (so you can republish them) or delete them.

Can I add or remove hashtags after publishing?

You can add or remove hashtags by editing the text as described above. Click the text box and type or delete in the usual way.

Can I edit a story on Instagram after it has been published?

While you can't edit the relationship on Instagram, you can save it to your camera roll and resend it as you choose. Click the relationship and tap "More" in the lower right corner. From there, tap "Save." Upload it back from your camera roll as if it were a new post, and make the necessary changes before publishing. Story highlights on Instagram provide a bit more editing flexibility. If you want to keep your Story so that others can view it for longer than 24 hours, you can change your Story to a Highlight and edit the content that way.

Do you often delete photos? If you could give advice to people new to Instagram, what would it be? Let us know in the comments below.