How to make instagram reels with pictures
How to Make a Reel with Photos on Instagram [2023]
Anyone can learn how to make a reel with photos, but our six-step guide below shows you how to do it in record time.
You don’t need to buy or use third-party apps to make reels on Instagram using only photos. However, leveraging certain tools will take your Instagram Reels marketing several levels higher.
Stick around until the end of this IG Reels tutorial for proven tips for promoting photo-only reels.
Let’s get this show on the road.
Table of Contents
- What are Instagram Reels?
- How to make a Reel with photos for Instagram
- How to make Instagram Reels with multiple photos
- How to make Instagram Reels with photos using tools
- Tips when promoting Instagram Reels with photos
- How to schedule Reels with Vista Social
- When to use Instagram Reels with photos?
- How to make a Reel with photos: FAQs
- Boost your Instagram Reels with Vista Social
What are Instagram Reels?
Instagram Reels let you promote entertaining and educational video content to other users.
Customize reels with effects, filters, stickers, layouts, and audio clips to create unique content experiences. If you don’t want to record reels from scratch, use the “Duet” feature, upload clips from your device, or use editable templates to quickly create engaging videos.
Unlike Instagram Stories and feed posts, your reels can be found by users even if they don’t follow your (or your client’s) account.
Reels can be discovered from the native Instagram app’s “Reels” page, including reels from accounts you don’t follow. This is a huge benefit for new brands looking to widen their Instagram reach.
Image Source: Instagram appAnother key difference between Instagram Reels vs Story is length.
While Instagram Stories are capped at 15 seconds per clip, reels can be up to 90 seconds long. This makes reels preferable if you want to share detailed videos, like tutorials, product reviews, and interviews.
How to make a Reel with photos for Instagram
Here’s how to create Instagram Reels using photos:
1.
Launch the Instagram appLaunch the Instagram app from your device.
2. Create a new Reel
Image Source: InstagramTap the plus button in the top-right corner of the app’s interface. Swipe the bottom menu to go to “Reel.”
3. Open your device’s gallery
Image Source: InstagramTap the gallery icon in the bottom-left corner of the interface to pull up your photo gallery.
4. Choose the photo you want to use
Image Source: InstagramWhile in gallery view, tap on the photo you want to use for your reel. Tap the ‘Add’ button in the upper-right corner of the preview to proceed.
Instagram will automatically apply the image as your reel’s background.
5. Build the rest of your Instagram Reel
Image Source: InstagramBack on the reel editing screen, use the toolbar on the left to use Instagram’s array of reel editing tools. If you want to add text, stickers, and drawings, tap ‘Next’ to reveal these options.
6. Finish sharing your Instagram Reel
Image Source: InstagramOn the “New reel” page, you can write a caption for your reel, insert hashtags, tag other users, and add location information.
If you used an original audio clip (e.g. voiceovers, recorded original music), tap ‘Rename audio’ to give it a recognizable name. You can also use the “Also share to Feed” toggle if you want the reel to be visible on your client’s profile page.
Take note that a photo reel allots five seconds per image.
That means you have exactly five seconds to convey your message if you create a reel with just one photo.
To extend the length of your reel, simply add more photos from your camera roll.
How to make Instagram Reels with multiple photos
The steps in how to make a Reel with multiple photos are straightforward.
Go back to the new reel editor and tap the gallery icon.
To add multiple photos, tap ‘Select’ above your gallery grid. This refers to the two overlapping squares icon.
Image Source: InstagramTap the circles on the images you want to add to your reel. It’s the same process if you want to post more than one photo on Instagram as a feed post or Story.
Tip: The timeline bar at the bottom should show the order of your reel photos. The numbers also indicate the order in which they appear, but you can change this later.
How many pictures can you post on Instagram Reels?
Instagram allows up to 50 multiple pictures in each reel.
That should be more than enough to create an elaborate reel that accomplishes your content goals. With Instagram multiple photos in a reel, you can create a comprehensive slideshow-type reel, showcase results with a voiceover, share event highlights with background music, and so on.
Note: You may also include video clips in your photo reel. Instagram will automatically trim video clips and adjust the display time of each picture to fit the 90-second limit.
How to make Instagram Reels with photos using tools
Another way to make an Instagram photo reel is to weave the images together into a video file.
Use free tools like Canva to do this.
Stitching photos into a video with Canva allows you to seamlessly repurpose your reel on other platforms. It also lets you use social media management tools to schedule your reel at optimal times.
1. Create a new design
On the Canva dashboard, click ‘Create a design’ in the upper-right corner of the screen.
Search for “Instagram Reel” and choose any of the results.
Image Source: Canva.com2. Choose a reel template
Canva’s Instagram reel templates use the same dimensions, allowing you to create precise content that matches the app’s aspect ratio.
Different templates, however, give different, pre-made layout suggestions. These are fully customizable, including the headers, effects, and the background assets.
If needed, use the search bar to look for different reel layouts that perfectly suit your photos.
Image Source: Canva.comYou can also use a blank template and build your reel using just pictures. In which case, skip ahead to creating your reel without clicking on any of the template suggestions.
3. Upload your images to Canva
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On the Canva editor, drag the images you want to use into the empty page.
Canva will automatically assign it as the first, five-second clip of your reel. Take note that you can manually adjust the display time of individual pages using the timeline below.
Image Source: Canva.comReposition and adjust the image’s size to your liking. Canva’s flexibility also lets you add multiple photos to the same page of your reel.
Image Source: Canva.comTo add a photo as a new page, click the ‘Add page’ button indicated by the plus sign.
Drag your photo to the new, blank page to add it to your reel.
Image Source: Canva.comRepeat these steps to continue adding all the photos to your reel.
Below are tips when creating your reel with Canva:
- Don’t hesitate to use templates. Templates cut the time it takes to create reels by half. They also help you create professional-looking reels with minimal effort.
- Explore animations. Unless you want to add photos for simplicity’s sake, consider applying animations to make your reel more dynamic. Canva animations, like “fade,” “breathe,” and “stomp,” spice up the presentation of your photos—perfect for creating thumb-stopping reels.
- Take advantage of stylized fonts. A key advantage of creating reels with Canva is the versatile text tools. Mix and match different font combinations while making each line pop using effects like shadows, neon backlights, and colored backgrounds.
- Use data visualizations. Apart from shapes, logos, and photos, Canva makes it easy to insert data visualizations into reels. Use charts, graphs, and tables to make data-driven information more digestible to Instagram users.
4. Download your Canva design
Once you’re happy with your reel, click ‘Share’ in the upper-right corner of the Canva editor.
Select ‘Download’ to save the reel on your device. If you already linked your client’s Instagram account to Canva, you may also share the video directly—but only as either a Story or feed video post.
Image Source: Canva.comIn the download settings window, leave the “File type” drop-down menu to ‘MP4 Video.’ This file type preserves the resolution and clarity of your Instagram reel.
Under the “Select pages” drop-down menu, specify the pages you want to include in the reel. In most cases, you can leave it to ‘All pages.’
Image Source: Canva. com5. Upload (or schedule) your reel
Upload your reel to Instagram using the mobile app.
If you’re on a desktop device, send the downloaded file to your smartphone or tablet (Instagram for desktop browsers only allows uploads as feed posts).
Alternatively, you can use Vista Social to schedule your reel.
Vista Social is one of the few social media management platforms that feature direct publishing to Instagram Reels.
Select ‘Publish’ from the main menu and click ‘Publish a single post.’
In the “Publish” window, select the video icon and click ‘Add video’ below. See to it that your client’s Instagram profile is selected under “Social Profiles” on the left.
Click ‘Upload from computer’ on the pop-up menu and search for the reel you downloaded from Canva.
A preview of your reel should appear to the right, confirming if you chose the right file.
Add the finishing touches to your reel, like the caption, hashtags, and mentions. Just be sure to select ‘Reel’ from the “Publish as” drop-down menu, which is found under the preview.
If you don’t want the reel to appear on your client’s Instagram profile, disable the “Show Reel in Feed” toggle. Otherwise, leave this setting as is and proceed with the next step.
At the bottom of the “Publish” page, select ‘Schedule’ or ‘Add to queue’ (if you already have an automated Instagram posting schedule. Click ‘Next’ to proceed.
If you chose ‘Schedule,’ you have to manually set the publishing time for your reel.
Use the interactive calendar and drop-down menus to set your schedule. Or, click ‘Show optimal times’ and choose from Vista Social’s publishing time suggestions, which are based on your campaign’s past user engagement data.
After setting your posting time, click ‘Schedule’ and you’re done—your reel should now publish automatically.
Tips when promoting Instagram Reels with photos
Now that you know how to add photos to Reels (or create new Reels from scratch with photos), here are tips to make the most out of them:
Use other elements to convey your message
Using photo-only reels means missing out on the capabilities of video content to ramp up user engagement.
And since Instagram users expect to see video when watching reels, using only still photos leaves huge gaps in their experience.
Bridge these gaps by using helpful captions, text overlays, informative voiceovers, and interactive stickers.
Mind the optimal Instagram Reels length for specific goals
Use the right Instagram Reels length to maximize the marketing benefits of your video content.
For example, reels that are 30-90 seconds long are generally better for generating conversions. Reels that are only 3-15 seconds long, however, perform better in amassing views.
Repost your reels
You can learn how to repost a Reel on Instagram to get the most mileage out of content.
Reposting can be done by downloading the reel you want to share and re-uploading it on Instagram. This gives your content another shot at capturing the target audience’s interest.
Instagram reposting also allows you to experiment with different hashtags, posting times, and caption copywriting strategies.
If your content production team is lagging behind, you can also repost relevant content from other creators. This is a surefire way to provide fresh and valuable content to the target audience—without creating the content yourself.
How to make a Reel with photos: FAQs
Can you do reels with photos?
Yes, you can absolutely create reels with just photos. When creating a reel, tap the gallery icon and select your favorite photos to add them to your reel.
How do you make an Instagram reel with pictures and videos?
Create a reel and tap the gallery icon. Select the photos and videos you want to include in your reel—you can change their arrangement later.
How many photos can you add to a reel?
Reels can have a maximum of 50 photos (including videos). Exceeding a certain number of photos automatically adjusts the display time of each to fit the 90-second reels limit.
Boost your Instagram Reels with Vista Social
So, can you make a Reel with photos?
Absolutely.
The question is, how will it benefit your Instagram marketing campaigns?
Vista Social will enable you to reap the full benefits of Instagram Reels. It lets you schedule reels at optimal posting times, track user engagement, get hashtag suggestions, and more.
Create a free Vista Social account today to power up your Instagram marketing.
How to Make Reels on Instagram with Photos
Instagram Reels are short vertical videos similar to TikTok videos and Youtube Shorts. Reels offer a different, unique way to showcase your photos and videos. According to Instagram, “Reels are short, entertaining videos on Instagram where you can express your creativity and bring your brand to life. ”
While the best, most effective reels are usually personalized clips that show the photographer’s face, some photographers are not as comfortable doing that. For the more introverted photographers, recording videos of themselves talking into the camera or showcasing a BTS clip can be a daunting task. With practice and a little extra courage, you can iron out your presentation skills and improve your process. But in the meantime, you can still get exposure within the Instagram Reels algorithm with a video slideshow of your work, along with adding music to the video. In this article, we’ll review how to make reels on Instagram with photos in a slideshow format.
We’ll review the following:
- Example of Instagram Reels with Photos
- Method 1: Make Reels on Instagram with Photos in the Native App (not recommended)
- Method 2: Make Instagram Reels on Canva (Recommended)
Example of Instagram Reels with Photos
Let’s get started with an example of Instagram Reels with Photos from an actual recent wedding photoshoot. If it’s not showing up, you can click here to view it on Instagram. With the following process in this article, you should be able to create a similar video in 20-30 minutes from start to finish.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Lin & Jirsa Photography (@linandjirsa)
Method 1: Make Reels on Instagram with Photos in the Native App (not recommended)
One way to make reels on Instagram with photos is to use the native app exclusively. However, we do not recommend this process since it takes longer and lacks features. However, if you prefer to keep things within Instagram, follow these steps:
- Tap the “Reels” tab/section in Instagram
- Tap the camera icon at the top-right to create a new Reel.
- Tap the Gallery icon at the bottom-left corner (or swipe up).
- Select the image (or select multiple images)
screenshot of adding multiple photos
- Choose the time duration for the photo.
- Add the photo to your Reel.
- Repeat to add more photos
- Next, press the “Audio” button to add music to your Reel.
- Optionally, you can add text, effects, stickers
- When you’re done, press the blue “Share” Button
While the native Instagram app works for creating an image slideshow Reel, the process can be time consuming and the features are not as robust as using a 3rd party app. Instead, our preferred method is Canva, which we’ll detail below.
Method 2: Make Instagram Reels on Canva
Our preferred method is to use Canva for your Instagram Reel image slideshows. While there are other options out there, we find that Canva gives you intuitive, versatile features without overwhelming you with too many options. This is why we prefer Canva over software like Adobe Premier or iMovie for creating Instagram Reel slideshows.
Reasons to Use Canva
Here are a few reasons we prefer Canva:
- Free – All of the features in this article are available in the Free plan (as of the time of writing this article). The paid version will give you even more templates and features, but you don’t necessarily need them.
- Desktop and Mobile – Most photographers have their full resolution images on their desktop. Instead of having to transfer the images to your mobile app to use within the native Instagram app, Canva lets you upload your images and create your Reel on your desktop. You can then use the app to download the final video on your mobile device.
- Templates! – The ability to use their available templates or create your own makes the process quick and easy. After you create your first reel, you can simply copy the project and replace the images for your next one.
- Font and Transition Options – Canva gives you plenty of font options to match your branding. You’ll also be able to select from animations and transitions from image to image in your reel.
- More than Just Instagram! – Canva offers design templates for all types of uses, from presentations to other social media uses. So getting started with Canva and having image assets uploaded to the platform may come in handy again in the future for other uses.
How to Make Reels On Instagram With photos on Canva
Let’s walk through a complete workflow for creating IG reels on Canva. As mentioned, you should be able to get this process down to 20 minutes or so with some experience.
1) Select a base template
Instagram Reels Templates in CanvaCreate an account on Canva or Login to an existing account. Then, search for “instagram reels” and browse the existing templates.
Find the template that matches the overall feel of your brand. Don’t worry about the music, as we’ll be selecting the audio track within the Instagram app.
2) Select your images
Number of Images – Select around 20-30 images to use in the slideshow. Since the Reel is limited to 60 seconds, and you want to give each image at least 1.5 seconds, your absolute maximum should be 40 images.
Type of Images – To speed up your process, limit the images you select to certain types of images. The last thing you want to do is spend hours sifting through thousands of images. If you’re a wedding photographer, feel free to follow these general guidelines:
- 1-4 venue images (establishing shots)
- 2-4 bride prep images
- 2-4 groom prep images
- 2-4 first look images
- 5-10 couples session images
- 5-10 ceremony images
- 5-10 reception images
- Ending photo – night session photo or couple on the dance floor
- Your Logo
3) Upload Your Images to Canva
Optionally, you can order and rename your images prior to uploading if that speeds up your process. We use Adobe Bridge for this, but if you don’t have it, then it’s not absolutely necessary. You can just upload all of your selected images in Canva and go from there.
4) Create your lead photo
Use the fonts and animations within Canva to create your lead photo. For weddings, we typically use the strongest couples session photo from the day and overlay the couples’ names.
5) Add your photos
Add the photos with the following tips in mind:
6) Standardize your transitions
7) Login to the App and Download the Video
From here, you can either export and download your video to your desktop or you can log into your Canva app on your smartphone and download the video from there. We use the latter so that we don’t have to transfer the video from our desktop to our smartphone (to upload to Instagram). So creating the slideshow in Canva on desktop and downloading with the app is the fastest way to make reels on Instagram with photos.
8) Upload to Instagram Reels
Use the same process as we outlined above in the first section get to the Instagram Reels section. Then add the video clip that you created in Canva.
9) Add an Audio trackFind the right audio track based on your branding and your style. We prefer chill instrumental music for our brand such as lofi or acoustic remixes of popular songs. We typically avoid pop songs and songs with too many lyrics because we want these picture slideshows to be timeless and not too “dated.”
Tip: As you browse for songs, be sure to swipe left and save the good ones for future use. This will save you a ton of time in the future as you make more reels on Instagram with photos.
10) Publish! (Share)
After that, select your share settings and press the “share” button. If your audience doesn’t respond the way you’d hoped, make a few tweaks and try again with the next one. There is a chance that your audience is not used to the new format, and it might take a few tries for your Reels to start getting the engagement you’re looking for. If you would like, you can also reuse the video you created for your Youtube Shorts or Tiktok.
More Information
For more information on web marketing, we invite you to check out the Photography Business Training System in SLR Lounge Premium.
InstaVideo: How to quickly create a beautiful video for Instagram* on iOS
Have you ever wondered what you use Instagram* for? Everyone has their own goal: someone boasts about what a great shot with protruding lips turned out in the mirror of the toilet, someone - a photo of food from a restaurant, but someone just shares interesting photos taken during the trip with friends. With the advent of the ability to add videos, as in Vine, short videos of various quality and performance began to appear on the popular social network, however, the photo-oriented service still prevails over video content. The InstaVideo application is designed to correct this situation, which allows you to create a video from a set of your photos. nine0003
How the app works is very simple: you select a few photos, add music, text and effects, and then save the video to add to Instagram*. Sounds promising, right? Let's also try to make our own little video.
After opening the application, we are given a choice of several options for preparing a video: creating a slide show, video collage and a new recording from the camera. Editing and splitting videos - for processing ready-made videos. nine0004
To create an effective slide show, select the appropriate menu item. From the iOS gallery, add several photos (up to 15 pieces) that will be displayed in it. After that, a preview of your video will be available to you. Now we need to add music to our video. To do this, there are three buttons with which you can select a musical composition from your library, set the playback start time, or ask InstaVideo to select a random track.
In the advanced settings, you can specify what video you want to make for Instagram*, then it will be optimized to 15 seconds. In addition, you can set "Photo Zoom" so that each photo in the slideshow has a slight zoom effect - this will make your video more "alive" than a simple series of photos following one another. It is also possible to adjust the effects, the transition from one photo to another. There are 10 different transitions available, including a random transition from frame to frame. The set itself does not stand out with anything special, but leaving the default "random" - the end result will be more interesting in any case. nine0004
After all the preparations and settings, the final touch remains: adding text to your video. You can choose not to write anything or choose one of eleven text templates that will be displayed at the beginning of the video. The templates themselves are quite common, but overall not bad.
That's it, the video is ready and now we can either save it on our device for later adding to Instagram* or share it via iMessage, AirDrop or email.
Creating a video collage works in the same way: select photos or videos (up to 8 pieces), adjust their location on the screen, add music if desired and save. Everything is extremely simple and fast.
Given that the application is absolutely free, it will definitely find its fans. Together with ease of use and fairly fast video processing, it can become a kind of simplified analogue of iMove for iOS for those who do not want to get into the intricacies of video processing, but simply share with friends a nice video made in a few minutes right on their smartphone. nine0003 Here's what I came up with from a few photos, a music track and InstaVideo:
Do you think that in the future, video processing software for mobile devices will be able to replace full-fledged products used on desktop operating systems? Share your opinion in the comments!
Download
Price: Free
*Meta Platforms Inc. activity. and its social networks Facebook and Instagram are prohibited in the territory of the Russian Federation. nine0036
How to make videos and animated Stories with your own hands, even if you are not a designer - Marketing on vc.
ruA review of the 8 best services for creating videos and stories with your own hands for those who do not know how or do not want to spend time on this. Free and paid options.
201 207 views
Created videos and animated stories in Mooovie Me in a couple of minutes.
Hello, my name is Irina Yaroshchuk, I am a system marketer. At work, I constantly need visual materials - for public, Instagram, target, articles, letters. Pictures are boring, and even coverage has fallen in VK. I decided to use animation and video. nine0004
It takes +3 hours a week to create a video on your own: you need to come up with a video, a concept, meanings, a visual scenario, adaptation for a social network. A designer's video costs from 3,000 to 15,000 rubles. In the end, I decided to use constructors. I went through the existing services, chose 8, described briefly and scored in a table for comparison.
Read and write in the comments what you yourself used and recommend. If there is a feature I didn't see, please let me know. I would appreciate that! nine0004
Yaroshchuk Irina, system marketer
Supa
Shareware (not really) video editor for posts, ads and Instagram.
A lot of possibilities, just feel like a designer. Here's a square for you, draw whatever you want on it, add elements and text. There are many templates, from memes to slideshows, mostly made by the users themselves (you can save your result and it will be added to the templates). There is autoplay. Most of the templates seem to be made by the users themselves. nine0004
The creation of the first video took 30 minutes and spawned Frankenstein's monster. Made the impression of an editor for professional designers, artists and very experienced visuals. You need an impeccable sense of taste and a clear idea of what you want to end up with. Perhaps you can do better.
Cost: 0 for basic functionality and video with Soups logo, 990 r and 1690 r per month for PRO accounts. Rollers are not sold separately.
Website: https://supa.ru
Editor illustration. nine0004
Mooovie Me
A very simple and convenient video clips constructor with text and animated Stories. Even a child will cope.
You choose a ready-made design template and change texts, colors, elements, images, even sound in it. There are videos with animation, folding text boxes, rotations and other whistles. You can make whiteboard explainers (visual explainers). 15 music templates, you can upload your tracks. There are enough opportunities, while even I did not manage to screw up. nine0004
Everything is very simple, done in a few minutes from a computer or phone. There are instructions but I haven't looked at them. When creating videos, there is a preview, as in Tilda or HTMLAcademy, however, with some delay - while the video is being processed. Intuitive. All videos are saved and you can return to them later.
There is an API module to integrate into any affiliate network - for example, SMMPlanner. This is for those who fumble.
Cost: 0 r subscription, from 49r per video, monthly PRO account 1499 r.
Site: https://mooovie.me/templates/square
Convenient storyboard, captions with cool fonts, animation. Similarly, animated stories are simply made.
Upsaleslab
Video maker with photo effects and text-to-speech.
Animation seemed obsolete to me, like commercials on screens in markets and squares somewhere in the regions. Indescribably, in short, for an amateur. See for yourself on the main page, below. nine0004
The first impression is tailored for product promotion, online shopping and teleshopping on the couch.
When editing, it is not clear what will happen. Something. But you can voice it, and there are a lot of voices, with different moods. I liked the soundtrack.
Cost: 379 rubles for 5 videos, 669 rubles for 10 videos, 2499 rubles for 50 videos, 2999 rubles for 0 videos (probably for 100).
Website: https://www.upsaleslab.ru
Screenshot from online editor
ViRocket
Video maker for social networks and YouTube.
When I saw the site with the presentation of the service and sample videos, I was ready to buy immediately. It was as if Steve Jobs himself was in the producers and directors of these videos. And then I went to the demo version and ofigela. You won't know without vodka.
Number of templates: 20.
Cost: 990 rubles for lifetime access (limited offer just for you).
Website: https://virocket.com
This is a very difficult quest, I never passed it.
Unfold
The application allows you to make stories in the form of slides, where you can place photos and videos, add a caption. Most of all I liked the templates, where there are 6 sections of visual content and 3D. The templates themselves do not change. The main problem is that there are few Cyrillic fonts.
Pleasant opportunities:
- Inscription in a circle. nine0135 Watercolor strokes.
- Blurred bezels on the sides.
- Old film effect with date.
Cost: 0 r basic functionality, separate templates are paid.
Nice. Too bad it's only stories.
Canva
Cute templates, the ability to create a cover for stories from your phone and computer. A huge plus - millions of templates. Free templates and features are, of course, limited. There is no animation (or I did not find how to do it). nine0004
Cost: 0 for basic images with logos, 30-day free trial, $12.95/month, charge for photos separately.
Covers for stories without animation
Crello
Service for creating pictures and stories (regular and animated). Foreign, but there are Cyrillic fonts. In principle, accessible, you can figure it out. Lots of templates. It is convenient to create pictures, covers and visuals for social networks, in the free version, stories and animations turned out with watermarks, i.e. For normal operation, you still need a paid version. As a result, I began to constantly use this service. nine0004
Cost: 0 for basic functionality, $19.99 per month paid version
Website: https://crello.com/home/
Nice animated stories. $20 a month - and they are yours.
Picture.plus
The service can do many things, but the most interesting are Facebook cover videos and square videos. There are very few templates and they are not very interesting, but everything is extremely simple and Cyrillic fonts are built-in. It’s convenient that you create 1 template, and you get 3 pictures at once, already adapted for VK. FB and Insta. As part of the general free functionality (pictures for social networks), in principle, it will do.