How to add a story to Instagram, create stories from photos and post them from your phone

In 2016, a new format of “short films” called stories appeared on the social network Instagram. Despite being three years old, it still enjoys incredible success among most users. Often, newcomers who have not yet figured out the application wonder how to add a story to Instagram. It’s simple, just read this article and everything will fall into place.

Why do we need stories on Instagram?

So what are these “shorties” and why do we need them? Instagram Stories are short videos with a maximum duration of 15 seconds, made using materials (photos, text, etc.) taken within a day.

Added stories are displayed not as usual in the feed, but in a separate line at the top in the form of a circle with the author’s avatar. This is quite convenient, as you can no longer miss the long-awaited news from your favorite idol.

Note. Your mini-video will be deleted by the system after 24 hours. If you want it to last longer, upload it to your main feed.

So, in what cases will you need to make a cool story on your page? There are many situations, let’s consider some of them. For example, when a blogger wants to:

share emotions or an event;
show off their surroundings (for example, in a restaurant or at the movies);
show the preparation of a delicious breakfast;
communicate with their subscribers in real-time mode, etc.

Also, “short films” are an integral part of promoting products on company pages (for example, selling smartphones and other gadgets).

What are the options available in the service for stories?

Before directing your selfie camera towards yourself, don’t forget to learn about the shooting options and modes related to Stories that are available on the social network. These include:

Regular photo and video. Perfect for everyday and calm messages to your followers.
Shooting with effects and masks. With the help of these tricks, you can record beautiful stories on Instagram.
Adding photos/videos from your gallery.
“Live” photos.
Live streaming.
Text posts.
“Boomerang”.
Reverse shooting mode.
“Hands-free”.
“Focus”.
“Superzoom”.

It is important to know that outside of Russia, there is another mode of stories – musical.

Let’s take a closer look at each type of “shorty” in the sections below.

Photos from the gallery

If you want to share your experiences with your friends in the app, you don’t have to frantically grab your phone and record everything “online”. You can upload stories to Instagram from photos already in your gallery. However, don’t forget that the pictures should not be older than 24 hours. Of course, any prohibition can be circumvented, so we will explain below how to insert “stale” images into your publication.

Life mode for photos

The latest trend in the Instagram world is live photos. This means that with the help of a special utility, a blogger can upload more interesting videos with various effects on top of the picture (snowfall, rain) or with movement of certain elements on it.

Since this mode is just becoming popular, it is not possible to add photos with weather phenomena directly in the program. For Android, you will need to install a “helper”: Cinemagraph or Plotagraph for Android and IOS respectively. To do this, you can go to the official store of your device and find the necessary application using the search bar.

Then follow the instructions:

Download CinemaGraph.
Take or upload a selfie in the application menu.
Determine the area that will “move”.
Add an effect.
Save and upload to social media.

Finished video

If a blogger has recorded a video and wants to upload it to Instagram, the process is the same as with photos from the gallery. Specifically:

Switch to the story shooting mode by clicking on your avatar.
Open the gallery by swiping up from the bottom.
Select the desired file.
Edit and add a filter if desired.
Publish.

Note that by clicking on the gear icon in the upper left corner, you can choose which followers will not be able to view your video.

Track recording and live broadcasting

You can also organize live communication with your friends or fans on the Instagram social network. To do this, you will need the live streaming mode. To turn it on, you need to:

Prepare for the conversation.
Turn on the “short film” creation mode.
In the menu at the bottom of the screen, scroll left to the “Live” function.
Confirm your choice by clicking on the “Go Live” icon.
End the conversation using the button in the upper right corner.

Note. If you are a beginner and are afraid of live communication, it is worth inviting a friend to answer questions together during the broadcast. This will help you relax and get rid of shyness.

Creating text stories

Another interesting feature of stories is text. You can add an image with text or create a text-only clip. To do this:

Open the video camera.
Swipe left in the bottom menu until you see “Text”.
Select an image from your device or leave the background (you can change it by clicking on the icon at the top).
Click on the middle area and enter your text.
Customize it: change the font, add emojis or hashtags.
Confirm.

Boomerang function

Another opportunity for fans of posting unusual “shorties” is video boomerangs. They are a looped clip lasting one second, which repeats four times. This means the story itself will last for four seconds.

To activate “Boomerang”, you need to:

Scroll the menu in stories to the “Boomerang” icon.
Record something creative and decorate it as desired.
Review the result.
Post it.

Reverse shooting

If you want a video in reverse, use the ‘reverse shooting’ option. It will allow you to surprise your friends with an original story. You can switch to this mode by scrolling through the same menu until you find the corresponding button. Then all you have to do is capture something harmonious and interesting.

Important to know: in order for the formatted video to be uploaded to the gallery, among other things, you need to open the story settings and check the ‘Save recording’ box.

Free hands

Due to the fact that regular shooting is done as follows:

1 click of the button – photo;
holding the button – video;

Instagram has added the “hands-free” option. This will allow you to make a video by simply tapping the icon once to start and once to end the recording. So, if you specialize exclusively in video, take note of this.

How to upload stories to a page

Now let’s move on to the most basic thing: how to post a story on Instagram in different situations:

from an Android device;
from an iOS device;
from a computer.

Each of these methods is simple and does not require any incredible efforts. Let’s take a closer look at them.

From a smartphone

As the social network Instagram is most popular on mobile devices, let’s first determine how to post stories on Instagram from a phone. Specifically, on the IOS and Android operating systems.

Android

For owners of the “alien” it will be necessary to perform the basic steps to record a 15-second video. Specifically:

Login to Instagram and authorize under your username and password.
Click on the “home” icon and swipe from left to right.
Select the appropriate mode and press the white circle at the bottom of the screen (the record button).
Finish shooting, add hashtags and effects.
Determine the recipients.
Share.

In addition, there are two more ways to open the stories menu. The first:

Click on the “home” icon.
Find “Your Stories” at the top.
Click the plus sign.

The second:

Click on the “person” icon.
Type on your avatar.

Note. To publish in “short film”, you can add not only selfies, but also regular photos. To do this, click on the two arrows in the lower right corner.

iPhone

For the owners of the ‘apple’, the step-by-step instructions are absolutely identical to the top one. On the iPhone, the menu and icons are similar, so it is simply impossible to get lost.

Add a story from the computer

PC users don’t have to despair, they also have the opportunity to create stories on Instagram, but it will require a little effort. There are three ways to go:

download the official Instagram program on your computer;
install the BlueStacks Android emulator;
use the SMM Planer delayed posting website.

The first option is suitable only for those with Windows 10. Here’s what you need to do:

Open the official Windows store.
Find the corresponding social network through the search.
Install it.
Log in and post videos just like on your phone.

The second option is suitable for everyone. You need to:

Go to the main BlueStacks website and download the file.
Install the utility and open it.
Click on Google Market and log in with your Google account.
Enter the required name in the search bar and start the installation.
Open the social network program and publish stories in the usual way.

In the third option, follow these steps:

Go to the SMM Planer website and register.
Log in to your account by connecting it to SMM Planer.
Open your profile and click on “Post” – “Schedule”.
Add an image or video.
Determine the appropriate posting date.
Check “Set as Story”.

Done. It’s a little complicated, but for the determined, it’s nothing.

How to add multiple stories on Instagram

If you have accumulated ideas and emotions that you can share with your friends, don’t forget about the opportunity to add multiple stories to Instagram at once. You can also add two or even three photos/videos to one story. To do this, when selecting images in the gallery, press and hold one of them and check the desired ones.

Rules for publishing images older than 24 hours

So, we have come to the point of how to trick Instagram and post an old photo. Because sometimes it’s just necessary. So, in order for a picture older than 24 hours to please your followers, you will have to use one of the methods described below.

The first method:

Open the photo in your gallery and delete the metadata (date of shooting).
Try to post the story again.

Unfortunately, this feature is not available on all phones, but don’t despair, there is a second method:

Install Gallery Stories for Instagram.
Authorize in your profile and calmly add non-fresh videos to “short films”.

The third method:

Open the photo in your gallery.
Take a screenshot. For Android – hold down the lock and volume down buttons; for iPhone – the lock button and “Home”.
Use the screenshot as a fresh photo.

How to view stories

To view new stories of your friends or idols, you need to keep an eye on the status of the shared feed. A circle may appear at the top, and:

if it has a red outline, then the story is new;
if it has a green outline, then it is new, but exclusively for the “Best Friends” group;
if it has a gray outline, then the story has already been read by you.

Note. If you do not want to receive videos from certain users, hold their avatar in the story bar and select the “temporary block” button from the menu that appears. Done.

Instagram stories are a useful feature for both businessmen and regular users. Be sure to use it and share your news and mood with friends.