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Photos with filters likely to draw more engagement: Study

SINGAPORE — You’ve taken a photo and posted it online, but how do you get more people to take notice and comment on it? Use filters that create a warmer colour temperature, increase contrast and correct exposure, according to a new study.

SINGAPORE — You’ve taken a photo and posted it online, but how do you get more people to take notice and comment on it? Use filters that create a warmer colour temperature, increase contrast and correct exposure, according to a new study.

The study by Yahoo Labs — a division of Yahoo that is focused on academic-style research and innovation — found that filtered photos are 21 per cent more likely to be viewed and 45 per cent more likely to be commented upon. However, not all filters affect engagement equally.

“Filters that increase contrast and correct exposure can help a photo’s engagement, and filters that create a warmer colour temperature are more engaging than those with cooler colour effects,” wrote the study’s co-authors Saeideh Bakhshi and David A Shamma in a post on the Yahoo Lab website.

Filters that show exaggerated transformation effects or cause a loss of photo highlights are less engaging, with the exception of filters which make a photo look antique, the study found.

Examples of (a) a raw image and (b) an engaging filter that adds contrast and warmth,and (c) a less-engaging filter, which introduces artifacts and adds a cooler temperature. Photos: CC-BY-ND ayman/Flickr

The study sought to understand what filters get the most comments and views online. The researchers interviewed 15 users of Flickr mobile to gain deeper insight into motivations behind using filters. They then analysed how filters affect a photo’s engagement from the consumers’ perspective by studying a collection of 7.6 million Flickr photos.

Two main groups of Flickr users were also found during the study: Photo enthusiasts and casual social photographers, with each group using filters differently.

“We found that serious hobbyists apply filters to correct their photos, expose certain objects, or manipulate certain colours. More casual photographers like to add artificial vintage effects to their photos and make them more playful and unique,” wrote co-authors Bakhshi and Shamma.

“What we have begun to unravel with this research is an understanding of community engagement through the modern practice of photography,” they said.

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