Instagram stories: Ultimate Hacks and Tricks

In this new guide today we have decided to group the best tricks to know to make the most of Instagram Stories, a particular way of telling events, emotions and anything else within 24 hours.

Premise

Before discovering the best tricks for Instagram Stories, we wanted to recap the main features proposed by them.

  • With Instagram Stories you can take pictures and record videos using the integrated camera app or take the contents from the gallery.
  • A story published on Instagram lasts exactly 24 hours. After that it will be deleted automatically.
  • It is not possible in any way to put like (apply a little heart) to the Stories, nor to comment publicly. You can only send private messages to the person who shared the story, even using emoticons.
  • A story can be reshared by other users of the social network using the appropriate option.
  • For some time it has been possible to save published stories (as well as photos, comments and videos) using an integrated feature within the Instagram app. In particular, it is necessary to press on the figure at the bottom right, plug on the 3 dashes at the top right (or swipe from the right edge to the left), choose Settings, tap on Privacy and security and select Download data. From here, enter the e-mail address to which you send the download link in the appropriate field and click on the Request Download button.

Apply a solid or semi-transparent background

Instagram Stories allows you to apply a solid or semi-transparent background useful if, for example, you want to insert a text or a quote in particular. All you have to do is create the story as you usually do and then press on the pencil at the top right.

At this point, select the second icon (starting from the left) and use the color palette at the bottom to choose the preferred color or a custom one using the appropriate tool.

Now, to apply a semi – transparent background of a single color to the screen, you have to hold down in the center of the screen for 3 seconds. To apply a solid background, on the other hand, it is necessary to carry out the same operation but this time it is necessary to choose the tool of the first icon at the top.

Publish old photos in an Instagram story

Among the best tricks to know for Instagram Stories we have decided to include a very interesting one that allows you to publish an old photo through Stories.

To “deceive” the popular social photo network, you have two paths: save the old image as a new file to make it appear among the latest photos or capture a screenshot that will have to be subsequently modified using the functionality integrated in the app Gallery or using an app specific.

Add a song to the stories

Another trick to know absolutely to personalize your Instagram Stories is to add a track in the background. In this case, you can use two methods: the first is to select the Music mode or play a piece of music with the default player on your smartphone and then start the story.

In the first case, open the Instagram app, press on the camera icon on the top left and drag the bar below to the right until you select Music. At this point, use the Popular section to find the favorite song or take advantage of the Search Music search field at the top to find the desired song.

Once identified, you can listen to a preview by simply pressing the Play button on the right. After selecting it, hold the button with a musical note inside to start recording the Instagram story. After leaving the button, you can simply continue with the other changes.

Zoom in while recording a video

While you are recording a story you can apply a zoom in a very simple way. All you have to do is move up or down (depending on whether you want to zoom in or out ) the central button keeping it pressed. The same operation can be done even if you use the story creation mode without holding.

Access the color palette

Instagram allows you to further customize the colors you can use in the Stories by accessing the color palette in order to choose a particular shade.

To do this, after always recording a new story, press on Aa at the top right or on the pencil icon and then press long on one of the favorite colors below to expand the color palette. Always keeping pressed on the surface, choose the custom color from those proposed. When finished, just leave your finger to set it.

Save a story

Stories can be saved on the internal memory of the smartphone in a very simple way and then shared with the desired application. To do this, after always recording a story, press the Save button at the bottom left.

If, on the other hand, you have already published a story and now you would like to save it, all you need to do is display your favorite one, press the 3 dots in the lower right corner and choose Save Video/Save Photo.

Gestures to know

Instagram Stories makes it possible to optimize navigation within the Stories using practical gestures. For example, you can switch to the previous or next story by tapping the left or right edge of your device’s screen, respectively.

If a user has published multiple stories in the last 24 hours, you can skip them all at once using a simple swipe from right to left. If you want to see a specific story, you can pause scrolling by pressing any point on the screen with your finger.

Apply a selfie as a sticker

Instagram also allows you to do something really nice, ie use a selfie as a sticker to add to the Stories. To do this, you simply need to record a story and then click on the sticker icon at the top. Through the screen that appears, tap on the camera icon with a gray circular background and take a selfie by pressing the white circular button shown on the screen.

When finished, pinch the screen with two fingers to adjust the size of the selfie or use the index to drag the shot to the desired position. If you don’t like the result, you can delete the photo you just took by dragging it onto the trash can icon at the bottom.

Edit an Instagram story

At any time, you can change an Instagram story by following a few simple steps, obviously within 24 hours of publication. For example, you can send it, share it as a post or manage some settings such as hide it from one or more people, manage who can send you messages or choose whether or not to share it directly on Facebook. These features are accessible by viewing the story and pressing on the 3 dots at the bottom right ( Other ).

Open an attached link in a story

If at the bottom, in the middle of a story, the word More  appears with a little arrow pointing upwards, then it means that a link has been attached that you can visit that could contain a video on YouTube for example. So, you just make one swipe from the bottom up, or press directly on the item More ….

Insert GIFs into a story

After recording a story, it is possible to insert an animated GIF into it in a very simple way. Just press on the sticker at the top, select GIF and then take advantage of the search field at the top ( Search on GIPHY ) or scroll through the list of proposed images where the most popular are shown.

Share an Instagram story

Among the tricks to know about Instagram Stories we have decided to include one that allows you to share a story with your contacts. All you have to do is press the Send button at the bottom right, after recording a story, and choose the desired contact by scrolling through the proposed list or using the search field at the top. Once you have identified the user in question, just press the Send button.

Record a story backwards

Instagram allows you to record a story backwards using an integrated feature called Rewind. All you have to do is access the recording screen for a new story and select Rewind mode. At this point, press the central button to start shooting.

Do you have any suggestion or know something which we should include in our article? Then feel free to leave a comment in the box below.

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