How to make your instagram story not blurry
Are Your Instagram Stories Blurry? Top 13 Ways To Fix
Instagram is undoubtedly the hottest, hippest lifestyle and photography social media app in the world. So it’s a shame that its Instagram Stories feature sometimes results in blurry, stretched, upside-down, or otherwise ruined photos.
If you aren’t happy with the quality of the photos in your Instagram stories, one of these tips might just clear things up for you.
Table of Contents
Instagram Stories Recapped
Instagram Stories are a separate feature from regular Instagram posts that appear in your feed. The main feature of these special posts is that they disappear after 24 hours.
You can document things that happen during your day and post as much as you like without cluttering your feed. Stories come with various text and drawing tools to let you be creative with your posts, and you can connect with your most active followers on what’s essentially a separate channel. If you want to know more about Stories, check out What Is An Instagram Story & How To Make One.
1. The Problem Is With Instagram
Before you start poking around your phone or app settings, consider that the problem isn’t you but Instagram itself. Check Instagram’s official Twitter Account for any announcements, or see if any other Instagram user complains of the same problem. If it’s a server-side issue, that could be why Instagram Stories are coming out blurry. All you can do is wait it out and keep an eye on any official announcements.
2. Update the Instagram App to the Latest Version
While this is not a fix specific to the blurry image problem, it’s always a good idea to check if a new app version is available for updating in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. If you haven’t updated your app in a long time, it may no longer be properly compatible with the service. The latest update may also be fixed if the issue is caused by a bug that Instagram has discovered.
3. Your Image Is Formatted Incorrectly
Instagram Stories have a fixed image format. If your image isn’t cropped correctly, Instagram will crop it for you. This could result in a stretched or pixelated image. So you’re better off cropping your image yourself before uploading it.
Instagram Story Videos and Instagram Photos have a 9:16 aspect ratio. Instagram limits these media to 1080×1920 pixels at the high-quality end of the scale. Your phone’s image editing app should have cropping templates for various aspect ratios, so choose 9:16. Your video size must be, at minimum, 600×1067. This offers good quality while saving on bandwidth.
It’s okay if your image has a higher resolution than 1080×1920 since Instagram will just resize it down. However, if the image is lower, it will be scaled up, leading to quality loss. A poor quality source will result in a poor quality result.
The best practice here is to take photos that are 9:16 and set your camera app to take high-quality images. Then there should be minimal quality differences. Your image must be no larger than 1MB, so don’t go too high with the quality settings.
4. If Your Story Is Upside Down, Upload It Upside Down
Sometimes users encounter a weird bug where certain photos are upside down once uploaded. We’re not entirely sure why this happens, but you can try to upload the images upside down in the first place so that they are correct once uploaded.
Based on what we’ve seen, it’s usually only a particular image in the group that turns upside down, so open it in your phone’s editing app and rotate it, then upload it and see if that fixes the problem.
5. Disable Data Saving Features
VIdeos and images can be data hogs, and if you’re on a mobile data connection, you may have a data cap in place. To help lower your bandwidth, the Instagram app has a feature where lower-quality versions of videos and photos are displayed but have significantly less impact on your cellular data use.
If you’re seeing photos that seem too blurry or low-quality, you can either switch to a Wi-Fi internet or turn off the mobile data saver feature.
Go to Instagram Settings > Account > Data Usage, then toggle. Use less mobile data off.
6. Enable High-quality Uploads
If you’re not happy with the quality of your video uploads, you can also change Instagram’s settings to upload a larger, better-quality video. This affects both Wi-Fi and mobile connections. Be aware that the video will take longer to process and upload.
Go to Instagram Settings > Account > Data Usage, then toggle High-quality uploads on.
7. Send The Photo or Video to a Friend or Post it to Another Social Media Platform
Your photo or video may be blurry because the original content on your phone is blurry to start with. Try sending the content to a friend and have them tell you if it looks blurry at the other end. The source material has an issue if the photo appears blurry after sending it to a friend.
You can also try posting your photo to another platform such as Snapchat. If the other app uploads your picture correctly, but Instagram doesn’t, the issue must be either with the Instagram app or the service.
8. Download a High-Quality Version of the Photo
If it turns out that your photos are blurry because the copy on your phone is low quality, you may want to check your Google Photos or Apple iCloud galleries to download the original quality asset. It’s possible that if you have a data saver option enabled or you’ve restored your phone from a backup, the high-quality versions of the image haven’t been downloaded yet.
On an iPhone, browse your gallery for the photo and tap on it, it should download the full-quality version automatically, and you should see a difference in crispness compared to the preview image.
If you’re an Android user, open the Google Photos App, search for the image you need, and then download it to your gallery manually.
9. Test With a Fresh Photo
Another good way to check if the problem is only happening with older photos on your phone or photos restored from a previous backup is to take a new image and share it with your stories. If that doesn’t work, it likely means that there may be something wrong with your camera hardware, poor camera quality, or the camera app settings need adjustment.
10. Check Your Camera Settings
If your freshly-taken photo is blurred, the problem must be your camera or camera app. The only real action you can take regarding your physical camera hardware is to ensure that your lenses are clean.
When it comes to your camera app, you should check the quality settings to ensure that you are taking the highest quality photos you can. Camera apps differ by brand and phone model, so there are no universal steps we can provide here.
Start by making sure you’re using the correct camera mode, that the photo is in focus, and that you aren’t accidentally shaking the camera when you take your snap. Some phones suffer from significant shutter lag, so it’s possible to start moving the camera when you think the photo has already been taken and then mess up the shot.
11.
Take Photos With the Instagram Camera ItselfThe Instagram app has a built-in camera function. If you’re having problems with your photos or videos getting garbled in the upload process, it may be worth using the Instagram camera app rather than the default camera app. This way, you’re guaranteed that the format will be perfect and that there’s no need for any quality loss during the conversion.
Of course, this also means that you won’t have a high-quality original or benefit from the image processing features of your phone’s camera software. However, that’s still better than a blurry or garbled image ending up in your story’s upload.
12. Try a Different Internet Connection
While we aren’t entirely sure why this makes a difference, some Instagram users have reported that having an unreliable internet connection can cause blurry uploads. Whether this is the case or not, it can’t hurt to switch internet connections and try again.
13. Delete and Reinstall Instagram
Sometimes mobile apps just go wrong, so you may want to delete the Instagram app and download it again from the app store. This should clear out any weirdness accumulated in the app’s cache and ensure you have a fresh copy of the latest version. You’ll have to log into your Instagram account again, but hopefully, this last-ditch effort will be why your Instagram Stories are blurry.
How to Fix Blurry Instagram Stories (Android + iPhone)
Alexandra | Sep 27, 2021
Is your Instagram Story photo or video bad quality after you upload it?
Instagram Stories can become blurry on iPhones and Android.
Let’s look at 9 tricks you can try to fix this issue.
- The reasons why Instagram Stories are blurry
- Trick #1: Send a test photo to a friend
- Trick #2: Update the Instagram app
- Trick #3: Test a new photo or video
- Trick #4: Use your mobile data only
- Trick #5: Adjust your camera settings
- Trick #6: Turn off “Data” saver in the Instagram settings
- Trick #7: Turn on the “High quality upload” settings on Instagram
- Trick #8: Use the Instagram camera
- Trick #9: Upload your Stories in Preview App
Why are your Instagram Stories blurry?
Instagram Stories can become bad quality because of one or more of these issues:
- You recently backed-up your phone, some of your photos and videos might not have backed-up properly and are corrupted
- Your Internet connection (most common issue)
- Your phone automatically takes higher resolution photos and Instagram automatically crops or lower it
- Your Instagram version could have an issue
- You need to change your Instagram photo and video quality settings
Let’s look at how to fix blurry Instagram Stories.
Fix Blurry Insta Story Trick #1. Send a test photo to a friend
First, let’s check if the issue is or is not your phone.
Send the photo you want to post in your Instagram Story to a friend, as a private message.
- Does your friend see the photo in good quality or bad quality?
- Ask them to post the photo in their Story: is it good quality or bad quality?
- If they see a good quality, then it might not be your phone’s photos fault.
- If they see bad quality, then your phone needs help.
Keep reading to see what you can try.
Fix Blurry Insta Story Trick #2. Update the Instagram app
Second, let’s check if it’s an issue with your Instagram version.
Sometimes, Instagram does a new update that changes the quality of Instagram Stories.
- Go in your App Store / Google PlayStore app
- Search for Instagram
- Check if there is an “Update” button you can press
- After the update, post in your Instagram Story again
- Check if it is better quality
If it is not better quality, try trick #3.
Fix Blurry Insta Story Trick #3. Test a new photo or video
This trick is for you if you recently backed up your phone.
Sometimes, a backup can change / corrupt photos and videos.
So let’s check if it is an issue with your old photos and videos.
- Take a new photo or video
- Post it in your Story
- If it is still bad quality: go to trick #4
- If it is good quality: it means your old photos and videos have been corrupted. They will always look blurry. But you can try trick #11.
Fix Blurry Insta Story Trick #4. Use your mobile data only
This is one of the most common reasons why Instagram Stories look blurry.
It happens to me so many times.
And when that happens, there’s only one solution:
- Use your phone’s mobile data – not your WiFi (turn off your WiFi and make sure you are using your mobile data only).
- Post in your Instagram Story
- If it is good quality: congratulations, you found the solution!
- If it is still bad quality: go to Trick #5
Usually, mobile data has a more stable Internet connection.
Fix Blurry Insta Story Trick #5. Adjust your camera settings
On Android:
- Open the default Camera app on your phone
- Press on the Settings icon (it’s the gear icon)
- Adjust the picture and video size to the highest quality
On iPhone:
- Open your iPhone Settings app
- Find “Camera”
- Adjust camera quality and toggle the “Smart DHR” on
Other iPhone trick:
- Take photos using the 16:9 option, like this:
Fix Blurry Insta Story Trick #6. Turn off “Data” saver in the Instagram settings
Instagram usually automatically turns off your mobile data usage. This can make your photos and videos take longer to upload on Instagram. And it can make your Instagram Stories blurry.
Do this:
- Open your Instagram settings
- “Account”
- “Data usage”
- Turn off “Use less mobile data”
Post your Story:
- If it is good quality: awesome, you’ve fixed the issue!
If it is bad quality: go to Trick #7
Fix Blurry Insta Story Trick #7. Turn on the “High quality upload” settings on Instagram
Under “Use less mobile data” you should see “High-quality uploads“
Turn this on.
This will help Instagram upload higher resolution photos and videos.
Post in your Stories:
- If it is good quality: awesome, you’ve fixed the issue
- If it is bad quality: go to Trick #8.
Fix Blurry Insta Story Trick #8. Use the Instagram camera
If none of the tricks worked so far, there are 2 more tricks you can try:
Trick #8 and Trick #9 below.
Trick #8: Use the Instagram camera.
Why?
Because you will take photos and videos that are exactly the official Instagram Story size, for the best photo and video quality.
The official Instagram Story size is:
- 1080×1920
That is:
- Width: 1080 pixels
- Height: 1920 pixels
This size will not crop or stretch your Instagram Stories.
The photo or video will be Instagram-ready.
You can post now, or press on the “Save” button to post it later.
Fix Blurry Insta Story Trick #9. Upload your Stories in Preview App
Use Preview App if:
- Your photos or videos have been damaged after a backup, or
- You want to post with Instagram’s requirements.
Here is what to do:
- Press on the Insta Story button
- Press +
- Upload a photo or video
- The photo or video will appear in Preview
You can post the Story now or later.
To post on Instagram:
- Press on the Story you want to post
- Press on the “Share” button
- Choose “Story” to post in your Story
That’s it!
I hope one of these tricks will work for you to fix blurry Instagram Stories.
If one trick worked for you, please let us know which one in the comments below to help other people.
And if you know any other tricks that work, please share too!
All about Instagram news, strategies and tricks:
Click here.
Click here to use it
Instagram stories are blurry - what to do?
Users report that their Instagram posts become blurry after loading. If this is happening to you, there are a few things you can tweak or troubleshoot to fix the problem.
Try capturing new Instagram stories and make sure the photos are still blurry.
Use the app's camera
Even if your phone's default camera is much more powerful, the Instagram camera can produce better images in the app. This is because the camera automatically adjusts to the best possible format for the application, and there is no clipping or loss of quality during compression. nine0003
The Instagram camera can create stories that adjust to the format and do not come out pixelated, stretched, or poor quality.
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Update the app
Instagram should update automatically by default. However, this is not always the case. If your version of the app is old, the quality of the stories may look much worse.
In this case, you should open the Play Store and search Instagram. If the app requires a new update, you will see an "update" option on the app store screen. Click on it and wait for the app to update.
You can also uninstall the application and reinstall it. This may update the app if there are no updates available.
Your phone might be too good
Instagram limits the size and quality of uploaded photos to a maximum of 1080 pixels. This compresses and reduces the size and quality of your image, especially when you have a better camera. So even if you take a 4000 x 3000 pixel photo, Instagram will compress it. This should speed up loading and minimize data usage. nine0003
For example, cameras with Infinity Display phones are not optimized for Instagram. Images may look good when previewed, but when you download them they become pixelated or out of focus.
The best way to fix this is to use some photo editing apps to get the correct resolution.
Use photo editing apps
There are many third-party apps that you can use to change pictures and videos to match the Instagram story format. nine0003
Apps like Canva and Snapseed compress an image to fit the Instagram story without losing quality. Your story also has a wide variety of effects, stickers, filters, and icons.
On the other hand, you can prepare videos for your stories with apps like inShot. This video editor will automatically convert your videos to the best format for your story.
Not only are these apps extremely fun to use, but they are also the best solution for customizing stories if your device is not well optimized for this app. nine0003
If it doesn't work
If you're still having problems with your Instagram Stories, there's help through Instagram. In the Instagram app: Click on your profile picture and scroll down to "Settings". Click on the "Help" option.
You can report the problem to the developers on Instagram and get feedback.
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Similar posts
Background for Instagram stories: how to make beautiful, change the background color
Stories may soon become the main type of content on Instagram, but along with the number of stories, competition is growing. You need to come up with new ideas for stories and ways to design content to stand out.
We have already given 16 examples of text design in posts, and in this article we will offer several ideas for creating an unusual background using the standard story editor. nine0003
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Read also : Who is a story maker and how to become one
How to change the background of the story on Instagram
By default, in the story editor, you can shoot a video or make static stories with a background. The background can be a picture from your phone or a gradient.
To add your picture, click on the square in the lower left corner and select a photo from the gallery.
To use a gradient fill, click Create at the bottom. We will talk more about the gradient in more detail. nine0003
Story background hacks
Sometimes a picture or a built-in gradient may not be enough for a spectacular story. How else can you transform the background using the editor?
Plain background
Sometimes you may need a simple plain background, for example to emphasize text. First you need to add a picture from the gallery as a background (it is written above how). Then go to the drawing tool - the wavy line icon.
Select the leftmost marker icon, and at the bottom select the desired color, for example, green. Or you can use the eyedropper tool.
Then pinch any place on the photo with your finger and hold until the background becomes solid. In the same way, you can change the color if you change your mind - select another one from the palette and again pinch the screen with your finger until the color changes.
Now you can add the desired text, photo or GIF. You can use this method for the background of current stories. nine0003
P.S. If the proposed palette is not enough, then you can hold down any color and a more diverse one will appear.
Text Rectangles
This trick can be used to add design elements. We take a photo from the gallery or make a solid background. Click on the Add Text icon. We put a point (you can use another sign, most importantly, a small one), then 10-15 spaces and one more point. Add a background to the text - icon A.
A colored rectangle is obtained.
Now stretch and move the rectangle to the corner.
You can do this several times, making rectangles of different colors, experimenting with shapes. It turns out a frame.
P.S. The more spaces, the less you need to stretch the rectangle, and the stripe is already obtained.
Gradient
We already wrote above that the gradient is a standard editor feature. When we click "Create", a gradient opens, to change it, you need to click on the gradient icon in the lower right corner. nine0003
There are 5 types of gradient in the editor.
If you want to make your own gradient, you can use the trick. Click on the sticker icon. Scroll to the emoji and select the one that suits us in color.
Stretch the emoji to make a color.
Do the same with the other emoji and then combine them.
Of course, the transition here is not as smooth as in standard gradients, but you can experiment. It is better to choose solid-color emoji so that dead pixels are not very conspicuous. Alternatively, you can arrange activities or games in stories like this. nine0003
You can use not only emojis, but also gifs or any PNG image from the Internet.
Another way is to use text rectangles (previous point). We make a solid background - choose the main color. Then we make a rectangle from the text of a different color. It is better to choose a color from an expanded palette.
Now enlarge the rectangle and tilt it to the desired angle. It remains to add text. This method is better than the GIF gradient, as it has a smoother color transition. nine0003
Semi-transparent background
Semi-transparent background is useful if you do not want to use just a picture or a solid background. Adding a neutral picture from the gallery. Go to the drawing tool (wavy line icon) and find the highlight marker there.
Select it, select the desired color in the palette at the bottom (you can use the pipette) and pinch the screen with your finger until a translucent fill appears. The principle is the same as for a transparent background, only there we used a regular marker. Then you can add an inscription and other elements. nine0003
P.S. Unfortunately, the percentage of transparency cannot be adjusted, and sometimes the translucent fill flies off and changes to a solid color.
It's interesting : How to set up ads in Instagram stories
Patterns for the background of symbols
For this life hack, we need coolsymbol.com. Here you can find interesting symbols and fonts and insert them into your story as text. Yes, new beautiful fonts have recently appeared in the story editor, but they still do not suit many. So let's go to the site. nine0003
Scroll down and select the desired symbol. Click on the symbol, it is saved to the clipboard.
Now we need to add text to the story (we add all the characters from this site like this). Click on the Text tool (the icon with the letters Aa), pinch the screen with your finger so that the “Paste” button appears, click on it and paste the copied character.
The pattern can be enlarged, duplicated and moved to the right place.
You can change the color of the pattern because it is recognized as text in the editor. Click on it and select the desired text from the palette. nine0003
Depending on the type of text, the symbol may change. True, in this case, the pattern again becomes small, it must again be enlarged and moved to the right place. And the size is limited - if with the classic style you can increase the pattern to the maximum, then in the rest the increase is negligible.
Symbols can be used as frames and patterns for photos, and can also be used to make a pattern.
Erase a part of the background with an eraser
You can make an interesting pattern with an eraser — first select a photo and apply a solid background over it (the very first life hack). Then we go to coolsymbol.com and select the desired pattern for the frame, for example, a square (described in the previous paragraph). We impose a square in the place where it will be necessary to develop part of the photo, for example, where the face is. nine0003
Now take the eraser tool (for this we go back to the drawing panel) and click on the eraser icon. Erase part of the photo. It turns out such a sticker effect. Can be used to arrange a swipe in stories.
Pattern (stripes, circles and other patterns)
Here we go back to coolsymbol.com. First, we make a solid background, then go to coolsymbol and select the appropriate pattern for the pattern. Copy, paste as text, select the desired color. nine0003
Now zoom in and do it a few times until the whole background is filled with squares. Elements cannot be copied into stories, so each square must be inserted as a separate text and then enlarged / moved. You can make smaller squares so that the lines are not as thick, but then you need more squares. Change the color of the background and squares until you get what you need.
Usage example for : This is how you can make a background for a story where you want to share a post. nine0003
The outline on the photo
You can make a doodle effect using markers. Add a photo from the gallery to the background, then go into drawing mode and select a marker. You can use plain or neon.
Select the thickness of the brush (slider on the left). You need subtle touches. And we start drawing.
Patterns with a brush
Open a photo in the gallery and draw any pattern. For example, coils. You can choose from a regular marker, a neon marker, or a highlighter marker. Neon looks better. The main thing is that the brush should be smaller. nine0003
Then we very carefully erase what comes in the photo (it may not work the first time). As a result, you need to achieve this effect:
You can experiment, everything is limited by your imagination and ability to draw. The drawing tool in stories takes some getting used to.
Translucent gradient
Secret story function
- Adding a photo from the gallery.
- Then we swipe to the right, as if we want to scroll through the photo. nine0254
- A translucent gradient appears and overlays over the photo.
Effects
You can apply animated and static effects on top of photos or videos in stories, for example, glitch effect, mosaic, multiple faces, duotone, bokeh, golden dust. This feature is clearly peeped from Tik-Tok.