why instagram stories ? Quite simply, it’s an image, video, or a series of temporary photos that you’ve shared with your network or some of your contacts (after 24 hours they disappear from the social network). Copied from stories from: SnapchatInstagram’s biggest competitor, Instagram stories, has met with dazzling success and now has 250 million daily users.
What makes stories different from regular photos posted on Instagram? First, the stories disappears after only 24 hours. The day after your story is published, you’ll be free to start over and tell a brand new story. Also, unlike regular photos, stories are not displayed on your page, but in a box provided for this purpose, just above your interface. This is where you can discover your friends’ stories. Are you ready to start?
How to create a story?
Creating a story on Instagram is very simple. Assuming you have already installed the application on your smartphone and have an account on the social network, all you have to do is press the icon representing a small camera in the upper left corner of the application. You will then go down to the interface to create your stories.
After entering the interface, you will first need to choose which format your story will spawn in. Thanks to the drop-down menu at the bottom of the application, you will be able to choose from 5 options:
- mode “LiveAs the name suggests, it lets you broadcast your story live just like on Periscope. As soon as you press this button, you will be visible on your network! Live videos can also be streamed up to 24 hours later.
- mode standard, allows you to take pictures. You can switch to video mode by long pressing the button. Recording continues as long as you keep your finger on the “trigger”.
- mode “boomerang“: very trendy, it will let you shoot short sequences that will loop a bit like celebrity gifs.
- with fashion rewindThe videos you take will be played backwards.
- with fashion hands free, just press the button and your smartphone captures a video without having to keep your thumb on it. Application !
Regarding the “live” mode, keep in mind that it will soon be possible to launch a live Instagram from your desktop computer via special third-party software such as OBS or Streamlabs. Indeed, Instagram introduced the functionality in July 2022 Instagram Live Producer, will allow this little craziness. For now, This “feature” comes into play.
Just above, you can also choose dynamic filters to apply to your face, flash, or front or rear photo sensor (we’ll get back to this later). In short, the basic functions of any photo-based app. To the left of the flash icon, you are free to select a previous photo as long as it is not older than 24 hours. Of course, it is possible to circumvent this system, thanks to the editing software on smartphones. A little edit and your photo is dated!
Personalize Your Story
Once you’ve chosen the photo or video that will make up your story, you can customize it and that’s where it’s funniest. Instagram offers many ways to style your picture or footage. The only limitation of the app? your imagination!
filters
The first decision you will make when you start editing your images: Which filter will I use? As with classic Instagram photos, you will be able to choose from several filters. To access, simply swipe the screen right or left. The filters scroll with every swipe. Choose well. This is the first step necessary to personalize your story.
emojis
I think this is the best Instagram customization tool. It is modeled after Snapchat and lets you add emojis, hashtags or polls to your story. Just click on the square face icon in the top right. Once done, all you have to do is choose between different indicators: the time, the current weather, your location (obviously you have geolocation) or a selfie directly included in the image. Don’t overdo it, but the information overflow often forces your links to “take it out” from your story.
drawings
If you have an artistic soul, this tool should please you. It allows you to unleash your imagination in both your photos and videos. All you have to do is choose the brush, color and thickness you want and you’re done. You are given several options: a classic brush, a thick and angled marker, a shiny laser brush effect and a powder effect. As you will soon realize, there is no limit to what you can achieve. In case of any problem, you can easily return with the “cancel” button. And if you don’t want an image in your story after all, paint everything the color you want!
Text
Quite practical if you want to leave no doubt about the essence of your message. Thanks to the text tool in the upper right corner, you can write anything you want on your stories in any size and color. You can also rotate your message, surround it with a color you want, add an emoticon… With the eyedropper icon to the left of the color selection, you can even get the color of an element of your picture to add. to your message.
Once you’ve added all the effects you want, select the “your story” icon in the bottom right to add them to your story. Then, if this is your first time sending a story, you will be asked to choose which person you want to send it to. Just to its left, you’ll also have the option to save your work or publish it later to keep it private.
Tips for a success story
To create quality stories, you need practice first. There are so many ways to customize a story that it will take time to learn all the intricacies, especially since Instagram regularly releases new features. As you learn, you will understand that certain forms, certain ways of doing things work better than others. Don’t worry, we have some homemade tips for you!
selfies
First of all, you will quickly realize that selfies are popular. There are also new ways to customize them: dynamic filters. Thanks to augmented reality, these will fit perfectly on your beautiful face. You can use the result in both video story and photo story. The functionality is the same as Facebook Messenger or Snapchat.
Punch!
You will create a rhythm by keeping the same or nearly background image and adding them to your story. Thanks to the rhythm, you will get the attention of your subscribers more easily. Feel free to invent scenarios, follow stories, ask questions and then answer. Use no more than two colors and no more than 3 elements. As mentioned earlier, excess is bad for the attention of your friends. Another tip is to replace large items with medium and small items, this way each item will be more prominent.
composing art
Realizing the importance of composition, Instagram added magnetic alignment bars. Photoshop or Illustrator users are familiar with such tools. These bars allow you to frame your photo for the best sequencing of the most important elements of your story. These normally appear as soon as an item is in the middle of your image while you’re taking a photo. Likewise, keep in mind that composition will give your story its full cache.
Settings
After you share your story, it can be seen by the people you choose. To change this, simply click on the settings icon in the upper left. You will then access your stories settings. You can hide your stories from certain people (from an overly curious ex-girlfriend or an overly nosy dear mother) and also decide who can reply to them. You can also choose to save every story you publish (video or photo) so you don’t lose anything from your creations.
Who has seen my story?
Go there and swipe up and down to find out which person has viewed your story. You will then have access to the full list of people who have seen your story. Often, it’s the same process as on Snapchat.
are you ready to start?
If you already know how Snapchat works, Instagram Stories shouldn’t be too much of a problem for you. We hope this guide has been very helpful for you to take your first steps into the world of Instagram stories. If you have any other tips or advice for successful quality stories, feel free to let us know in the comments!
