Daily BrewHow filters can make your photos more popular
Our addictions to our smartphones and social media includes our never-ending obsession to take photos, be it of dogs in the backyard pool, or better yet, ourselves.
And now researchers at Yahoo Labs have looked at the use of our favourite photo filters and how they impact social engagement.
Turns out that after looking at over 7.6 million photos on Flickr, the researchers concluded that filters that featured warmer temperatures, higher contrast and greater exposures, tend to be the most popular, with the new study specifically saying that “filtered photos are 21% more likely to be viewed and 45% more likely to be commented on.”
(The researchers defined the level of engagement in terms of number of views and comments and did not incorporate likes and shares. They also accounted for things that could affect their statistics such as having a lot of followers.)
One of the co-authors of the study, David A. Shamma, a Senior Research Manager at Yahoo Labs & Flickr, points out that the debate surrounding photo editing goes back for over a century when photojournalism and capturing the truth was paramount. Today things are so much different thanks to our digital devices complete with onboard quick and easy image processing applications that allow us to choose a filter and apply it instantaneously.
“It’s amazing to me that we can capture, edit, view, and share all within our cameras now; the process used to be rather arduous, even after the darkroom was removed from the equation,” explained Shamma.
So what’s drawing people’s eyes to filtered photos in particular?
Science has shown that that there is a definite tendency for people to naturally gravitate towards images that are visually attractive and so Shamma believes that its natural in today’s digital, connected society that the most appealing photos would be the ones that get a lot of views, likes, comments and shares.
“From colors on Pinterest to people on Instagram to, now, filters on Flickr, we’re finding strong, significant effects that link visuals to engagement,” he added.
So whatever kind of social media sites are being used trends for engagements appear to be quite similar.
One of the most interesting results on the use of photo filters is the clear difference between professional and casual photographers and how each have their own reasons for applying certain effects to their images.
In the case of casual photographers, they found the filters fun and looked for bold effects, while the serious hobbyists were looking to make corrections like fixing white balance or colour curves.
And what the researchers discovered is that while both communities may use the same set of filters, the casual photographers can immediately point out what is engaging, while the hobbyists are able to identify the filters that need to be applied to achieve their desired results.
And people were particularly drawn to photos where filters were used to create warm colours as opposed to cool ones. However going too far with manipulation, and actually distorting photos do not do as well either.
“Unless those distortions made the photo look old-timey, in which case we saw a boost in engagement. It’s important to note we’re showing there is an effect here, but it’s not guaranteed to happen. We didn’t test to see if people notice the filters, which is a different research question actually. “
However Shamma says that much of the behavioural science going on is still poorly understood and will require a deeper look at the social and cultural structures of a whole range of online communities.
And when it comes to making a decision on how to snap that keepsake, it sometimes makes sense to try to capture a moment without alteration. There are definitely circumstances where unfiltered snaphots may be better suited in terms of getting noticed. For instance, in cases where it’s a matter of documenting an event, capturing and creating a record of it as it was at that instance, it makes sense to avoid applying any filters that may just distract from the photo.
“This could be from taking photos in an art gallery, where one wants to remember the colors as they are in real life, to taking photos with friends and wanting to capture the moment,” Shamma explained.
“Not picking a filter is an expression of preserving realism, which speaks to personal photojournalism.”
Internet and visual software pioneer Ramesh Jain, says photos basically capture a story and that the intent behind the photo is rarely captured in pixels. But any mechanism [like filters] that can convey this intent helps tell the story.
“Filters give people one more chance to show their creativity and hence people find them attractive,” he added.
“But I don't think this is unique to the digital age since people organized their scrapbooks and albums showing their creativity. So depending on the technology, people find mechanisms to express their creativity.”
Based on this vast survey of filter, what are the best photo tips?
“Participants in our study talked about using the filters to highlight salient objects or pull out details lost in the highlights and shadows of a photograph; both are quite useful to look for when applying a filter.
“That said, the number one thing I tell people is, regardless of filter, get closer and on eye level to your subject. Most people stand too far away. Just be careful not to fall into that pool.”
