How to make your instagram story cute

15 Instagram Stories Design Tips to Create Stunning Visuals -

Summary

To help you captivate your audience in your Instagram Stories, we’ve put together 15 Instagram Stories design tips that will have you creating high-quality visuals your followers will go back to view again and again.

You will learn

How to incorporate brand fonts and logos for stunning designs
Insider tips on formatting and graphics, backgrounds and overlays
How to create stunning highlights covers and templates

Your Instagram feed isn’t the only way to engage your audience and stand out among the crowd anymore.

In fact, since the feature was launched in August 2016, Instagram Stories have quickly grown to over 500 million daily active users, meaning at least half of Instagram’s overall user base create or view stories every single day.

This means you have the potential to connect with your Instagram audience in two different places on the app, and you don’t want to waste that opportunity with dull Stories and visuals.

To help you captivate your audience in your Instagram Stories, we’ve put together 15 Instagram Stories design tips that will have you creating high-quality visuals your followers will go back to view again and again.

1. Start with a storyboard

There are many different ways to use Instagram Stories. From promoting new blog posts to sharing new features and more, Stories are a great way to engage with your audience without having to be as polished as your feed.

This means you can take live video, behind-the-scenes footage, and iPhone photography without having to worry if it matches the rest of your content.

However, when it comes to your Instagram Story graphics, you still want to ensure you’re putting together visually appealing designs that make your audience want to tune in.

A great way to get started is by using a storyboard to fully plan out your story before you even start on the design.

If you’re wanting to promote a recent blog post, build a storyboard around several of your key tips or points that entice viewers to click through. Or you might put together a storyboard that showcases how to use your product or service.

The possibilities are endless, but having a plan in place can help make your entire design process that much easier.

2. Stay in the lines

Think back to your coloring days in elementary school (or maybe just last Tuesday in your adult coloring book). Learning to stay within the lines is a big deal.

Your Instagram Stories have some pretty important lines and parameters you want to stick between as well.

The top and bottom areas of your story graphics are covered by your username and ways to interact with your story, respectively. You don’t want to include any pertinent information or design elements in these areas.

Thankfully Instagram will warn you if you’re about to move an element too far up or down on the screen, but it’s important to ensure that anything you design outside of the app also stays within the lines.

So while Instagram Stories dimensions are 1080 x 1920 pixels, Instagram recommends keeping all key design elements between the center 1080 x 1420 pixels, leaving 250 pixels at the top and bottom.

3. Create a Story-specific style guide

While you can utilize fully produced graphics and short video clips for your Stories, Instagram also offers tons of design elements you can use to embellish your content.

Consider putting together a style guide specific to which font choices, filters, GIF types, and more, that your company can utilize from IG Stories to continue to stay branded.

You can create this style guide in many different formats to keep handy anytime someone on the team is creating and sharing Instagram Stories. Since there are many different design preferences, having a Story-specific style guide can help improve brand recognition even further

4. Use your brand fonts and colors

Keep everything you create on brand. Even your Instagram Stories.

This means you want to have your brand kit ready to go with your color hex codes, your fonts, your logo and more.

Incorporating your brand fonts and colors helps with brand recognition when your followers are simply scrolling through their stories. They’ll see one of your graphics and automatically know it belongs to your company, without even having to see your username.

5. Incorporate photography

Your Instagram Stories don’t have to consist of entirely custom graphic designs. It’s a great idea to switch it up and incorporate photography every now and then.

The beauty of Instagram Stories is that not everything you publish has to be high-quality and professionally created. Instead, use that smartphone camera and take some behind-the-scenes photography right in the app.

And don’t forget about the millions of free stock photo options that are available to use as well. Just make sure they’re relevant to your brand and the content you’re sharing!

6. Take boomerangs

Boomerang is an Instagram-owned app that has been incorporated directly into their Stories. Users can easily access it by opening the Stories camera and navigating to the option directly to the right.

A boomerang is a quick 1-2 second clip that loops and can be a fun way to create content. Use this instead of taking photos every now and then to add some personality into your Stories.

7. Add a text shadow

Get creative with Instagram’s in-app design assets. You can add a text shadow right in the Stories creation dashboard by adding two different colored layers of the same text.

Simply type out your text in either a lighter or darker shade and place it where you want it to sit on your Story. Then do the exact same thing with your primary shade, placing it overtop the shadow at a slight angle.

This gives you a fun way to add text overtop a photo or video that you took right in the app, making it quick and easy to design your Instagram Stories before publishing.

Instagram Stories has five different font options to choose from: Classic, Modern, Neon, Typewriter, and Strong.

This means your letters and symbols have five different styles. If you take some of these letters and symbols, rotate them, and blow them up, you’ve got some pretty cool design elements to help spice up your Instagram Stories.

Take a look at this example below. Each of these elements have been added with a different symbol, right in the Instagram Stories dashboard.

The top left design was created with capital I in the Modern font. Rotate it sideways, and you can create a bar chart or an underline/backdrop for your text.

Across from that, you see a pink asterisk also in the Modern font. Use these to create stars or snowflakes in your photo or video.

The green circles are periods in the Strong font that have been blown up and overlapped to create a funky design.

Then there are two blue hyphens in the Classic font, and the last element in the example above includes a line of periods in the Modern font that create a dotted line appearance.

See if you can play around with the different letters and symbols in each of the fonts to create accents, backdrops, and more.

9. Access even more colors

When you open up the text or drawing features, you’ll automatically have access to three pages of color options, but you’re not limited to only those 27.

Holding down on one of the available colors opens a spectrum of even more colors for you to choose from.

You can also use the color picker to grab a shade right out of your graphic or photo. If you have your logo in the graphic you upload, this allows you to add additional elements in your brand colors, or simply match them to the colors in your photo.

10. Give your text a rainbow or ombré effect

Let me start with a disclaimer: this is tough to master. But the end result is very cool. In order to achieve this effect, you need to type out your content before selecting it all, or the word(s) you want to ombré.

Then you’ll need to first hold down the screen on top of the first letter before then holding down the screen on top of the color you want to start with.

To create a rainbow effect, you’ll slide across the color spectrum while also sliding across each letter simultaneously. To create an ombré effect, you’ll go from top to bottom or bottom to top.

You can watch this in action in the GIF below:

If you move either of your fingers off the spectrum or off the letters, it can mess the entire thing up, so definitely practice this one a few times before putting it into play.

11. Create backgrounds and overlays

The drawing tool can do more than simply color or highlight information in your story. It can also help you to create backgrounds and color overlays.

If you want to share an announcement on your story without having to find a photo, simply open up the pen tool, find your background color, then press and hold until your entire screen turns that color.

You can also create a translucent color overlay by using the highlighter tool to do the same process – choose a color, then press and hold the screen.

You can also have fun creating sneak peeks by adding a background color overtop your image and moving over to the eraser tool to remove some of the color.

Use this feature to tease new products, blog content, and more.

12. Use Stickers and GIFs

Instagram Stories offers tons of different sticker and GIF options to add humor and pizzazz to your designs.

Scroll through the options or search for something specific to add to your Story. There are many different styles of icon, and you can even add polls, quizzes, Q&As, or hashtag stickers to further engage your audience.

Users can even create and submit their own stickers and GIFs for users to add to their stories, or for your own brand to easily access. Become a verified brand on Giphy to get started creating!

13. Show users how to access more content

Users with more than 10K followers get the “Swipe Up” feature in their stories. If you’ve met this milestone and you add a link to one of your Stories, use your story design to show/tell users to swipe up.

If you don’t have this feature quite yet, and users have to go click a link in your profile, use an arrow or other type of design element that draws their attention to exactly where they need to click.

This creates a call-to-action that lets your Story viewers know exactly what they should do next. Plus, there are tons of arrow stickers to choose from that can further spice up your design.

14. Create branded highlight covers

If you want to save stories for longer than 24 hours, you can add them to various highlights at the top of your profile. There’s no limit to the number of highlights you can create, but only the most recently updated five will appear on your profile. Users will have to scroll to view the rest.

You can create custom covers for each of these highlights, and we highly recommend you do so. Make sure these covers also match your brand and mesh well with your feed since they’ll be viewable at the top of your profile.

15. Start with a template

If you’re still not sure about your design eye with your business or personal Instagram Stories, there’s a solution for that. Start with a template instead of trying to create a Story from scratch.

You can find templates for nearly any purpose, like sharing your #ootd, recent blog posts, inspirational quotes, new product photos, and so much more.

Using fully customizable templates like the one above gives you a starting point for your design, while also allowing you to add in your own brand fonts, colors, and other flair.

Get started creating your own stunning Instagram Stories and wow your audience. Use your Stories to create calls-to-action to your website, to engage your audience with polls and quizzes, to showcase what’s happening behind the scenes, and more.

And to stay organized, you can easily schedule your Stories and simply get a notification when it’s time to publish!

What are your favorite Instagram Story design tips? Reply to our Tweet below with your ideas!

To help you captivate your audience in your Instagram Stories, we’ve put together 15 Instagram Stories design tips for creating high-quality visuals your followers will love! ✨ https://t. co/ShXeEedED5
— Buffer (@buffer) July 2, 2020

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Change Background Colors & More

Ready to take your Instagram Stories game to the next level?

Knowing the latest Instagram Stories hacks will keep your posts on point (and ahead of the trend!)

From little-known design tricks to engagement-boosting strategies, we’re sharing every Instagram story hack you need to know in 2022:

Instagram Stories Hacks You Need to Know in 2022

Instagram Stories are getting a lot more creative — from responsive AR filters to interactive Instagram Stories stickers, there are tons of new features to experiment with.

Ready to get started? We’re sharing the best Instagram Stories tips and tricks you (probably) don’t know yet.

Discover the top Instagram story hacks in action! Watch the full YouTube tutorial here:

Table of Contents:

Instagram Story Design Hacks
Instagram Story Photo Hacks
Instagram Story Sticker Hacks
Instagram Story Video Hacks
Other Instagram Story Tips and Tricks

Instagram Story Design Hacks

Instagram Stories Hacks #1: How To Change The Background Color On Your Instagram Story

To change the background color of an Instagram story, tap the draw tool in the upper right-hand corner of the screen, and select a color.

Next, tap and hold on the screen for 1-3 seconds. If you’ve shared a feed post to stories, the background will fill with your chosen color behind the post.

If you’ve created a new story, the whole screen will fill with color, creating a layer of color on top of your photo or video:

You can then use the eraser tool to create a “scratch card” effect to reveal part of your image or video.

Tap the eraser icon on the upper right-hand corner of the screen and select the size of the eraser using the slider on the left-hand side of the screen. Now tap or swipe on the screen where you would like to reveal the underlying image.

And that’s it! If you’re looking to entice your audience and share just a tiny highlight, this Instagram Stories hack should come in handy.

Instagram Stories Hacks #2: Add a Background Image to Your Instagram Story

When you share a feed post to your stories, not only can you change the background color but you can also add in a background image from your camera roll!

If you want to add an image to your Instagram Stories background, here’s how to do it:

First, select the post you want to share to your Instagram Story and select “Add post to your story”.

Tap the sticker tray and select the Instagram “Add from Camera Roll” sticker. Scroll through your images and select the image you want to use as your story background.

Move the feed post to one side of your Instagram Story screen and expand the added photo using two fingers (in a pinch motion). While doing so, tap and hold the original feed post using your thumb. This will bring it to the front of the screen:

Positioning the feed post on the right-hand side of the screen will increase the likelihood of taps — as people typically tap here as they browse through stories.

TIP: If you don’t have access to the “Add from Camera Roll” sticker in stories yet, use an Instagram Stories template app like Unfold or Storyluxe.

Instagram Stories Hacks #3: Access More Colors in Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories are the best place to show off your brand’s personality. But, what if Instagram doesn’t offer your brand’s color in its default color options?

Luckily, there’s a hidden Instagram Stories hack that lets you access every color you could ever need!

Open your Instagram Stories and select the draw tool. Tap and long-hold any of the default color options at the bottom of the screen to open the color slider. Then, swipe across the slider to pick a custom color for your story.

BONUS HACK: Make a rainbow effect on your Instagram Story text.

To do so, open Instagram Stories and type out a message. Next, tap on text and tap “Select All” to highlight.

While your text is highlighted, press and hold one finger down on the color palette tool at the bottom of your screen (like you did before) to open the entire color spectrum.

With one finger held down on the color slider, and one on your highlighted text, begin to drag both fingers toward the left side of your screen at the same time.

You’ll see your text begin to change color, letter by letter, as you drag your finger across the color spectrum! You can move your finger faster or slower for additional color variations, or alternate the direction that you drag your fingers across the screen to achieve an entirely different result.

Instagram Stories Hacks #4: Add an Effect to Your Emojis

If you’ve ever wanted to make your emojis stand out more on stories, this Instagram trick is for you!

To add extra depth or a glow to your emojis, open your stories, tap the screen to open the text tool, and scroll through each of the fonts until you find the style you like!

Instagram Stories Hacks #5: Add A Custom Font to Your Stories

If you’re looking to make your stories feel a little more “on brand,” adding a custom font is a great option. Here's how to add a custom, branded font to your Instagram stories.

Start by downloading the GoDaddy Studio (formerly known as Over) mobile app. Once downloaded, AirDrop your font’s .OFT file to your mobile device.

Select “Over” from the menu that pops up.

Once you’ve got your custom font added, you can design stories in the Over app (there are tons of story templates to choose from) or you can write a line of text on a transparent background, save to camera roll, and then add them to your stories via the “Add from Camera Roll” sticker.

Looking for more ways to create Instagram Stories that match your branding? Check out our free video workshop on how to design captivating Instagram Stories!

Instagram Stories Hacks #6: Create Cool Effects with the Eraser Tool

Did you know you can actually use the eraser tool to create all kinds of cool effects on your Instagram Stories?

First, upload the photo of your choice and use the draw tool to draw an effect over the image.

Next, use the eraser tool to remove parts of the zig-zag to create a 3D effect.

This is just one of many ways you can use the eraser tool to create cool design effects on your Instagram Stories!

Instagram Stories Hacks #7: Add Your Brand Colors to Your Story

While Instagram’s full color palette is extensive, it can be hard to pick out an exact color.

Thankfully, there’s an Instagram hack for this.

Use the Instagram Stories “Add from Camera Roll” sticker to add an image with your chosen colors in it.

Next, use the color picker tool (the pipette icon on the left-hand corner of the screen) to sample your desired hue:

You can then use this color for your stories background, the draw tool, or your text.

You can remove your color reference by holding the image down with your finger and moving it to the bottom of the screen until the little trash can appears.

See more tips for branding your Instagram stories here.

Instagram Story Photo Hacks

Instagram Stories Hacks #8: Add Multiple Photos to Your Instagram Story

You can now add extra images to your Instagram story! Here’s how:

#1: Use Instagram’s “Add from Camera Roll” Sticker

To begin, tap the Instagram story sticker tray.

Once you’re in, select any photo from your camera roll, change the size, and place wherever you’d like.

To change the shape of the image, tap the image and select from a circle, star, rectangle, and more.

#2: Copy and Paste an Image from Your Camera Roll

Start by opening a photo from your camera roll and tapping the “export” button.

Now tap “Copy” and head to your Instagram story.

Double-tap the screen to pull up the “Paste” option.

And that’s it! The photo you copied earlier should now appear on your story. Repeat this process for as many photos as you’d like.

NOTE: Only available to iOS users.

Instagram Stories Hacks #9: Turn Live Photos Into Boomerangs

ICYMI: You can turn live photos into fun Boomerangs!

Open Instagram Stories, swipe up, and pick a live photo from your camera roll (you’ll see the boomerang icon on eligible photos).

Once selected, press on the screen for a few seconds until you see the word “Boomerang” appear briefly.

Now you’ve turned your shot into a Boomerang!

NOTE: This hack only works for iOS users.

Instagram Stories Hacks #10: Create Videos That Are the Perfect Instagram Story Length

If you add a photo to your Instagram Story, it’ll play for five seconds. If you add a video to your Instagram Story, it’ll play for 15 seconds.

However, there’s still a way to share longer videos to your Instagram Stories.

If you have a video that is longer than 15 seconds, the whole video will split into 15-second segments. However, you’ll have to add extra elements (such as GIFs, stickers, and text) to each segment. For more tips, check out Later's Ultimate Guide to Instagram videos.

Instagram Story Sticker Hacks

Instagram Stories Hacks #11: Share Multiple Question Answers on a Single Story

The Instagram Stories question sticker has gotten a lot of love from businesses on Instagram — the only drawback is that you can only share one question sticker answer per story.

Luckily, there’s an easy workaround to share multiple responses on one story.

First, create a story where you share a response to your question sticker. Take a screenshot or save the image and exit out of the story.

Open that screenshot and create a second story using a different question sticker response.

Repeat this until you have multiple question stickers on a single story.

And that’s it! Your followers will thank you for saving their thumbs!

Instagram Stories Hacks #12: Pin Stickers, Emojis, Text, and GIFs to Your Instagram Stories

Did you know that instead of layering design elements on top of your Instagram Stories, you can pin text, stickers, emojis, and GIFs into your videos and boomerangs — so they show up at the perfect moment?

To do this, simply record your video then add a creative element like text, a sticker, emoji, or GIF. Then tap and hold the element that you added.

Use the slider bar at the bottom of the screen to scroll through the video and find where you want to pin your creative element.

Once you’ve found the right location in your video, tap “Pin.”

Instagram Stories Hacks #13: Find On-brand GIFs

There are thousands of GIFs available to make your Instagram Stories more interesting.

In fact, there are so many that it can be hard to find good options.

Here are some of our favorite keywords to search in the app to find the best Instagram story GIFs:

Instagram Story Video Hacks

Instagram Stories Hacks #14: Use “Create” Mode to Add a GIF Background

Instagram’s collaboration with GIPHY has been a huge win for businesses and regular users alike.

To create a GIF background to your Instagram story, head over to Instagram’s “Create” mode by tapping the letters icon in the Instagram Stories camera screen, and scroll across to the GIF tab.

From here, you can search from thousands of fun GIFs. They’ll either layer up or display in full length, depending on their aspect ratio.

This is a great way to share content with your audience if you’re running low on original content.

Instagram Stories Hacks #15: Create an Animated GIF with ImgPlay

If you’ve been looking for a way to create fun GIF videos for Instagram Stories, look no further.

The ImgPlay app lets you select multiple photos to create your own looping GIF.

To begin, download the app and select the source for creating your GIF — whether it’s photos, live photos, or a video — then tap “Make.”

Once you’ve created your GIF, you can change the playback speed and duration, and add text, filters, and other customizations using the icons in the bottom bar.

Once you’re done, upload your new GIF to Instagram Stories!

Instagram Stories Hacks #16: Use “Hidden” Instagram Story Filters

Did you know there are a bunch of hidden Instagram Story photo and video effects? To access Instagram Story effects and add a filter to your stories, open up your camera and swipe all the way to the end and select “Browse Effects”.

Here you can scroll and find hundreds of fun effects.

Not sure where to start? Here’s a list of some of our favorite Instagram Story effects to search for:

“Presentation” by rendi_vendi
“Background” by luisgilson_18
“Greenscreen” by Instagram
“iPhone Screen 1” by pvikinga
“Presentation” by gulim. satekova

Instagram Stories Hacks #17: Add Music to Your Instagram Stories

Adding music to your Instagram stories is a great way to make your content more entertaining.

Make sure you’re using the latest version of the Instagram app, open the Instagram Stories camera, and take or upload a photo or video.

Once that’s done, select the music sticker at the top of the screen (or search for “Music” in the Instagram Stories sticker tray).

This will open the Instagram music library where you’ll find thousands of songs to choose from.

You can scroll through a “For You” tab of suggested songs, browse by categories, or search for a specific song.

When you’re happy with your song choice, you can fast-forward and rewind through the track to choose the exact part that fits your story. You can also choose how long you want the music clip to play for (the maximum is 15 seconds).

Finally, you can customize what the sticker looks by tapping it before publishing (there are six variations in total!):

NOTE: If you have a business account, you may only have a limited selection of music due to Instagram’s licensing agreements.

If you don’t have access to music on stories, check out this blog post for our top trouble-shooting tips. Learn more about adding music to your Instagram stories here.

Other Instagram Story Tips and Tricks

Instagram Stories Hacks #18: Automatically Add Closed Captions To Your Stories

Thanks to the new Captions sticker, it’s easier than ever to automatically add closed captions to stories.

Here’s how:

Head to the Instagram Stories camera and either record or upload a video from your camera roll.

Once uploaded or recorded, tap the sticker tray icon and select the “Captions” sticker.

At this stage, you can choose from four different text formats, move the text around the screen, and change the color.

And that’s it! Your captions will now be generated on your Instagram story.

Be sure to watch and read captions before posting as Instagram may not accurately transcribe your audio.

NOTE: The Instagram captions sticker is currently only available in English and English speaking countries.

Instagram Stories Hacks #19: Schedule Your Instagram Stories in Advance

The most successful stories have a clear flow, a consistent aesthetic, and tell a strong story.

Which is why it’s a good idea to plan and storyboard them in advance!

By scheduling your Instagram Stories posts with Later, you can visualize how your posts will flow together.

Planning and scheduling Instagram Stories posts takes just a few minutes and it can all be done from your desktop.

When the time comes to make your Instagram Stories live, you’ll receive a push notification to your phone and with just a few taps, you’ll be able to share your posts with your followers.

Ready to start scheduling your Instagram Stories posts? Later’s Instagram Stories scheduler is available now on all paid plans. Upgrade now to get access or start scheduling stories!

Instagram Stories Hacks #20: Create and Share Multiple Stories at Once

If you want to add a number of stories at once, Instagram’s multi-capture tool is the way to go.

To access it, press the multi-capture icon on the left hand side of the screen.

Here, you can take up to 10 photos in a row. When you’re happy with the photos you’ve taken, you’ll see the photos in a lineup at the bottom of your screen.

At this stage, you can tap and edit each individual slide. You can change your story background, add text, stickers, music, or effects to each slide.

Instagram Stories Hack #21: Use the Correct Instagram Stories Size

Not sure the correct Instagram Stories dimensions?

Luckily you can share pretty much anything on Instagram Stories, as long as it has a minimum dimensions of 1.91:1 and a maximum dimensions of 9:16.

Because most people prefer their stories to take up the whole screen (no borders), we recommend using an aspect ratio of 9:16 with a size of 1080px by 1920px.

Instagram Stories Hacks #22: See How Many Times Your Post was Shared on Stories

Instagram collects a ton of great data about your post’s performance, like the number of impressions, saves, follows, and more. But there’s one piece of data you might be missing out on: story reshares.

You won’t find this in your Instagram Insights. Instead, you’ll need to tap the ellipsis in the top right corner of a post to pull up a menu with the option to “View Story Reshares”.

This will take you to a screen with a list of public reshares that are currently live.

You can tap one of the reshares to see it live on the user’s account.

If you don’t see the option to see reshares, this either means your post isn’t currently being shared in anyone’s public stories.

This can be particularly useful for finding and replying to shares that you’re not tagged in.

Given the number of updates and new features on Instagram Stories, it can be difficult to stay on top of all the cool features at your disposal.

Hopefully, these Instagram Stories hacks help you create fun, artistic, and creative Instagram Stories that set you apart from your competition!

Start scheduling your Instagram Stories with Later today, available on all paid plans.

Instagram stories for birthday

Birthday is a special day for any person! Whether it's a small child or an elderly adult, this is the day when a person's phone is filled with happy text messages and positivity.

In today's world, this is not limited to just text messages. Positive and kind words fill our social networks.

If you have a friend or loved one who is an instagram user, then you will really make his day if you wish him happiness on Instagram! nine0003

But among all the available ways to post on Instagram, an Instagram story is undoubtedly the best and more personal way, as it allows you to tag your loved one in that story. This will allow them to quickly repost your wish video into their own story and showcase the love they received.

I know what you're thinking!

You are not a designer and don't want to go through a long creative process just to wish your loved one on Instagram. nine0003

Well. Do not worry! We will take care of you! 🙂

We know you don't have time to come up with a new idea or learn complex design tools to wish your loved one a happy birthday. That's why we've done all the hard work for you.

In this article, we will share with you 10 simple birthday Instagram story ideas that you can try.

Idea 1: A whimsical Instagram birthday story
Idea 2: Make a Birthday Story video! nine0024
Idea 3: Classic font birthday story
Idea 4: Cute collage birthday story
Idea 5: Simple birthday story
Idea 6: Hanging letters - birthday story
Idea 7: Birthday Story Photo Frame
Idea 8: Birthday Story with Multiple Photos
Idea 9: Creative Birthday Story
Idea 10: Birthday Story in Color

To help you further, we have also included an easy-to-edit template with each Instagram story idea and in addition, we have also created a video on how to edit these Instagram story templates –

Start by registering for free on Animaker. To register, go to the register button at the top right corner of the video maker's birthday page and click " Register ".

After registering, all you have to do is choose an idea for a birthday story from the list below and click on the template editing link. Once you click the edit link, your chosen template will open as a project and you can quickly make it your own by replacing text, images, and effects. nine0003

Idea 1: Whimsical Instagram birthday story

Want to surprise your friend with a quirky birthday message and picture? Then this Quirky Instagram story template will be the right choice for you. In this template, you can customize and add your own text, photos, and other elements.

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Idea 2: Make a birthday story video!

Is your friend obsessed with creativity and is constantly working on short films, vlogs, etc. ? nine0003

If yes, then this film reel template is perfect for you. This template allows you to replace 5 photos and will definitely be a refreshing take on the person you're surprising and everyone else looking at your story.

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Idea 3: A classic typography birthday story

Want to surprise a friend who enjoys posting stylish photos of himself on Instagram? Then this template is for you. While the template is highly customizable just like any other template, you can simply replace your existing photo with your friend's stylish photo and complete the creation process. We promise that your story will look stylish even if you just replace the default image with your friend's image. nine0003

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Idea 4: Cute collage birthday story

Want to surprise your best friend with a super personalized Instagram story? Then this template is for you. This template features an aesthetically pleasing color scheme and three custom photo sections.

Replace existing 3 photos with photos that are special to you and your friend. We are sure that with this template you will make their day brighter. nine0003

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Idea 5: A simple birthday story

If you are looking for something simple and not funny, then this idea will be the best choice for you. This is a very simple and flat themed story to wish your best friend a happy birthday. If you're looking for a quick birthday template that you can customize, then this is the one for you.

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Idea 6: Hanging Letters - Birthday Story

Catch the trend and make heads turn towards this birthday idea. With the birthday story template, you can get creative and add multiple scenes with different text to make this template even more personalized.

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Idea 7: Birthday story photo frame

If you are looking for a simple birthday story photo frame idea, then this template is what you need. This template allows you to add a single photo along with your own text and other elements. You can make it even more personalized by adding even more photo frames, music, multiple scenes, and more. nine0003

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Idea 8: Birthday story with multiple photos

Instagram with multiple photos is a simple Instagram story idea for birthdays. This template takes a simplified approach and allows you to add two photos. You can add more scenes, different photos and make it a perfect birthday surprise for your friend.

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Idea 9: Creative birthday story

Are you looking for a modern and creative idea? Then the “Creative Birthday Story” template definitely stands out from other birthday story templates, which allows you to add 3 of your own photos and customize the text elements to make it your own.

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Idea 10: Colorful Birthday Story

If you are looking for something fun, then the colorful Birthday Story Template is the right choice for you. This template has everything you need, from lots of custom text to adding your own elements. nine0003

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We hope these birthday Instagram story ideas will help you put a smile on your friend's face.

With a powerful app like Animaker at your side, there are plenty of other ideas you can come up with on your own and get your hands dirty. If you want to learn more about how to create your own birthday video, then you should check out our blog "How to Make a Super Unique Birthday Video in 15 Minutes" with Animaker. nine0003

Do you have any other cool birthday story ideas you can make with Animaker? Please let us know in the comments below

How to make an Instagram story from your phone and computer

In this article, I will show you how to make an Instagram story and show you how to post a story from your phone or computer. Let's see all the features of the story editor - I'm sure you didn't know about some of them.

How to make stories on Instagram from your phone nine0024
How to take a story on Instagram
Modes and effects for shooting stories on Instagram
How to edit stories on Instagram
How to post a story on Instagram
How to add story to instagram from computer
Autoposting services

How to make stories on Instagram from your phone

The easiest way is to post a story on Instagram through a mobile application. You will need the official Instagram app, download it from the Play Market or the App Store. We install, log in or register, draw up a profile if necessary.

Article on the topic: "Instagram design: how to make your profile attractive to the audience."

How to make a story on Instagram

There are three ways to exit the Instagram story creation window. The first is to click on the plus icon in the bottom bar of the app. The second is to go to the main page (the section with the house icon) and click on the circle with your avatar.

Buttons that will take you to the story editor

The third way is to drag the main page to the right.

If you drag the screen to the right, the story creation window will also open

In all three ways, you go to a window from which you can create not only a story, but also a post, and also start a live broadcast:0003 From one editor, you can create a post, story, or start a live broadcast.

You can post a ready-made photo or video to stories, or take them directly from this window. To select ready-made materials, click on the square gallery icon in the lower left corner.

Through the icon in the lower left corner you can go to the media gallery on your phone and select files from there

You can select one file or several at once, to do this, click the "Select Multiple" button, it looks like two squares superimposed on each other. nine0003 This is what the "Select Multiple" button looks like.

If you want to remove material, use the round button at the bottom center. To take a photo, click on it. To shoot a video, press and hold for as long as you need. A colored bar will run along the edge of the button: one full circle of it is equal to one full story duration. This will help you fit the video at the right time.

Press the button to take a video. Short press to take a photo

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Modes and effects for shooting stories on Instagram

Instagram has more and more features for decorating stories: effects, shooting modes, elements that can be used to decorate a story. I'll tell you about all these functions in order.

Shooting Effects - a row of circles at the bottom near the shoot button. To the right of it are pre-installed effects, to the left - added by you. How to add an effect, I'll tell you further.

Effects create a background, add snow or hearts to videos and photos, and also change the color of the frame or the face in the frame

Each of the circles will add a visual or sound effect to the photo or video you take through the app. Many of them are interactive: for example, masks that are applied to the user's face and change along with facial expressions.

Interactive masks react to your facial expressions and change with it

Life hacks on effects:

When editing, you can reset the effect by clicking on the cross above the circle. Then go back to the top of the list. Convenient not to scroll to the beginning. nine0024
You can add new effects to yourself. To do this, scroll through the filters to the end - there will be a magnifying glass icon that will take you to the gallery. You can also add a filter from someone else's story, just click on its name. The added filters will be displayed to the left of the capture button.

Shooting modes - icons on the left. They can be used to create another fun video effect, such as a boomerang video loop or zoom video.

Shooting mode options. This is not the whole list - expand it by clicking on the arrow below

Here is a list of available modes:

Text - text, GIF or sticker on a colored background. A quick option to create a poll, vote, or wish someone a happy birthday.
Boomerang is a short looping video.
Collage - several photos on one screen. Here you can combine materials: shoot something from the application, and choose something from the gallery on your phone.
Shooting from multiple sources - Capture multiple stories in a row, each with different effects. nine0024
Level - grid to level the camera when shooting. This mode can be combined with any of the list.
Photo booth - video of four successive shots.
Superzoom - video with automatic zoom.
Hands free - a mode for shooting long videos in stories. With it, you do not need to record each story separately: just turn on the mode and shoot as much as you need.

This is what the Text mode looks like

Some modes have additional settings. For example, in a collage, you can select several grid options, and in a photo booth, an imitation of different photographic film. nine0003

How to edit stories on Instagram

When you have taken a story or selected it from the gallery, the final editing is in progress. You can add an effect, text, stickers and gifs to stories, draw something and add a link.

I'll show you how to edit stories on Instagram using different functions.

Color filter. It can be changed by moving your finger left or right. Just scroll to the right filter.

To apply a color filter, swipe left or right on the screen until you find the one you want

Effects - button with a smiley face and two stars . Here they are similar to shooting effects - here, too, there are masks, filters with snowflakes, with color changes, and so on.

The mustache effect is amazing on me 🙂

Please note that if you have already used the effect when shooting, you cannot add an additional effect to the video or photo while editing so that they do not conflict. You just won't have an add effect button.

In the example on the right, I used the hoarfrost effect when shooting, so there is no additional effect button

Reference - button with chain link. On a personal account, you can only add a link to a video from your IGTV. You can add external links on the account of the author or business, but on condition that the audience is more than 10,000 subscribers.

Add link button

Download - arrow button . With its help, you can download the story that you have turned out to your phone.

If you need to save what you got to your phone, click on the arrow

Sticker or Gif Curved Rectangle Icon . Through this button you can add a so-called sticker, also known as a sticker. With the help of a sticker, you can beautifully design a hashtag, mark a geolocation or another account, make a test, vote or poll. The element can be made larger or smaller and rotated, filled with your own text. If you want to delete an added item, drag it to the bottom of the screen, where the trash can icon will appear.

The sticker will help you make a beautiful hashtag and at the same time suggest popular options

Here you can also find gifs, they are pulled from the Giphy service. Press the magnifying glass button labeled GIF, select a GIF from the list, or search by keyword.

Select GIFs from the list or search for the ones you need by keywords

You can also take a photo and attach it as a sticker, to do this, press the button with the camera. Take a photo and just like with a sticker or GIF, adjust the size, tilt and place.

A sticker with a camera icon is needed to add another photo to a photo

Marker. With the help of a marker, you can draw something on the story. There are several types of lines and an eraser, you can choose the thickness and color of the marker.

Choose line type, color, thickness and draw directly on video or photo

Text. Write the desired text and edit. There are three options here. Left aligns text to the edge or center. The middle one is responsible for changing the font or its color. Right - adds effects to the font.

Write, arrange, move the text

Life hack. To quickly add text, click anywhere in the editor. The Add Text window will open. nine0003

Please note that when you move elements on the story, the editor shows guides at the edges. It’s better not to step behind them, otherwise the element may be partially hidden - for example, in the upper left corner it will be covered by your avatar.

Guides are shown when moving an element to the edge of the screen

Sound. If you shot a video with sound, there will be an additional button to turn it off.

If you need to turn off the sound of the video, click the speaker icon

That's all the settings. Now you can start publishing. nine0003

Important! Read our article about the features and interesting features of Instagram stories - we talked about invisible stickers, time-saving templates, delayed posting and other useful things.

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How to post a story on Instagram

The settings for publishing stories are under the gear in the upper left corner. Here you can choose:

people who won't see your stories;
close friends to show stories only to them, if desired;
who can respond to your stories;
whether to save your stories and live broadcasts and where;
whether other people can share your stories;
whether you want to automatically publish your story on Facebook as well (for this you need to link Instagram and Facebook).

Customize your stories to show them where you want them, and only to those who need them

There are three options for posting: post for everyone, post for a friends list, send a private message.

"Share for everyone" - the story will immediately appear in the general list, and all your subscribers will see it, except those added to the black list.
"Publish to friends" - the story will also appear in the story feed, but only those whom you have added to the list of close friends will see it.
"Recipients" - go to the list of your subscribers. There will be everyone you can send a private message to. nine0024

Three options for sending stories

How to add a story to Instagram from a computer

I will show two options - through the auto-posting service and directly through the Instagram website.

Auto-posting services

Some social media auto-posting services support posting stories to Instagram. Try:

SMMplanner,
Amplifr,
Parasite,
InSMM,
Only console.

However, in most services, the function of publishing stories is only to upload a photo or video. From the above list, only Parasite and SMMplanner support more or less advanced design: add text or gif, see how the story will look after publication. nine0003

Please note! In order not to screw up with the size of the picture, save yourself our cheat sheet on picture sizes for social networks.

Browser

If you want to post your Instagram story without any frills, post directly through your browser. To do this, you need to go into the simulation of viewing from a mobile device, this is called the adaptive design mode, and it definitely exists in Chrome, Opera, Firefox. I'll show you how to do it in Firefox.

We go to the Instagram website and log in to the desired profile. Then we press the key combination Ctrl_Shift + I, it will open the developer panel. In this panel, you need to find the devices icon - it is at the top of the panel, it shows a phone and a tablet. nine0003 Turn on the mode with the button with the image of the phone and tablet in the developer panel

The site will look like you opened it on mobile, and the mode settings panel will appear on top. Here you need to select some kind of mobile device so that the buttons for creating posts appear, as in a mobile application.

Select any mobile device from the suggested list

I'll choose the first option, Galaxy. Now the site finally looks like a mobile application - there is a panel at the bottom, and my avatar appeared at the top, which you can click on to create a story. nine0003 Now the site looks like you are in a mobile application

Click on your avatar at the top. The site will immediately prompt you to select a file from your computer, the file you selected will open in the story editor. Please note that the editing functionality here is severely curtailed: in my case, only four gifs were available in the stickers, and the elements added to the photo could not even be moved.