How to spruce up Instagram stories with filters, text, and more

Learn how to use Instagram story filters, stickers, drawings, and text to make your stories stand out from the rest.

Edit an Instagram Story with the Draw tool

Instagram offers some fun features for creating stories. You can use Multi-Capture for snapping several photos on the fly, include your favorite song, or use Superzoom for focusing on your subject. But there’s more!

From drawings to stickers to text, you can truly make your Instagram story memorable and meaningful. If you’re new to Instagram or simply haven’t taken the time to check out the story editing features, it’s the right time to learn about them now.

Add filters, effects, text, drawings, music, and more to your Instagram story

1) Open the Instagram app, tap the plus sign at the bottom, swipe over to Story, and create your story as you normally would.

Create a story on Instagram from iPhone

2) When you’re done, you’ll see a preview of your story. But before you share it, check out these cool tools to edit the Instagram story and make it fun.

City filters

City filters in Instagram story

Swipe left or right and pick one of the city styles: Paris, Los Angeles, Oslo, Lagos, Melbourne, Jakarta, Abu Dhabi, Buenos Aires, New York, Jaipur, Cairo, Tokyo, and Rio De Janeiro.

Apply animated filters and effects

Add animated effects to Instagram story

Tap the three sparkle icon and scroll through the options that appear at the bottom. From sparkles and colorful beams to floating pieces and a fisheye effect, you will find several fun filters to add flare to your story.

Add stickers

Add stickers to Instagram story

Tap the sticker emoji icon. Now, you have useful stickers that let you add music, a hashtag, a mention, and more. You also have decorative stickers in all sorts of categories. You can browse through the selection or use the Search box at the top to find the perfect one.

Create a drawing

Draw over your Instagram story

Tap the three dots icon and choose Draw. Now select a color and scribble over the story with your finger. Whether words, pictures, or something abstract, you can draw whatever you like. You also have a pen, arrow, marker, sparkly pen, and eraser tools at the top to create your masterpiece.

Add text

Add text to your Instagram story

Tap the Aa button and enter your desired text. You can pick a different font style, color, alignment, and more. Use two-finger drag to increase or decrease the font size. This screen also lets you mention (tag) another account and add a location.

Add music

Add music to Instagram story

Tap the music icon or hit the stickers icon and select Music. Now, search for a song and tap to add it. You can choose to display the album art, lyrics, or just the music.

With these handy tools, you can really make your story pop! And remember, although your story disappears after 24 hours, you can still hold onto it. Adjust the setting to save your stories to the archive, turn your story into a Highlight on your profile, or both.

Which editing tool do you plan to use for your next Instagram story?

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