Tech Bytes: How to use Instagram

(WPRI) --  Facebook helps keep you in touch with your friends, Pinterest helps you share projects you like, and Instagram helps turn your photos into art. Today on the Rhode Show we have an inside look at the creative social media application that is capturing the world's attention.

Instagram is a mobile app that allows you to turn an ordinary photo into an extraordinary one. It's only available on the iPhone or Android devices, which allow you to take photos on the go!

Instagram works by clicking the blue camera button to take a picture, or choose a picture already saved to your phone by clicking the double-square button on the lower-left of the screen. For some reason, Instagram only has photos that are perfect squares, so keep that in mind for cropping purposes.

Once you've chosen your photo, it's time to add a filter. This is the fun part! There are 17 to choose from. Some give your photos a vintage feel, or enhance colors. Scroll through the filters and experiment with the best one for that particular image. You can play with the borders, as well as enhance the photo. After deciding upon your favorite filter, click the check button.  Add a description, possibly a hash tag or two, and decide which social medias you'd like the share the photo on.

Friends and followers can now like or comment on your pictures. You can like their photos as well - check out your feed, and you'll see real-time updates from your friends that you follow on Instagram. See a photo you think is cool? Tap it twice, and your friend will know you like it.

There's a popular tab - where you can admire and comment upon other's work. As well as a news tab, which tells you when someone likes or comments on one of your photos.   It also lets you know when someone new follows you, or if one of your online contacts joins Instagram.

If you'd like to get more followers on Instagram, you MUST use hash tags - it helps others search for topics over the Instagram universe.

Mary recommends that you try to take less pictures of yourself, and more pictures of things. Instagram users like to show what’s around them, rather than just themselves.

There are over 50 million Instagram users worldwide, who have uploaded over 400 million photos!  Check out the free app, and let us know what you think.

Now go out, explore, and happy Instagramming!