Instagram Stories are a fantastic tool for boosting your social media presence. They offer unique opportunities to connect with your audience and build a thriving community. While posts and Reels often grab the spotlight, mastering Instagram Stories is key to unlocking deeper engagement. However, simply having a strategy isn’t enough. To truly harness the power of Stories, understanding its features is crucial.
Are you new to the world of Instagram Stories and feeling overwhelmed? Don’t worry! This guide breaks down everything you need to know to change the background color on your Instagram Stories and make them visually captivating.
Understanding Instagram Story Basics
Before diving into background customization, let’s cover the essential functionalities of Instagram Stories. These are the foundational steps you’ll need.
Step 1: Posting Your First Instagram Story
First things first, you need to know how to actually post a Story! Start by navigating to your Instagram feed by tapping the Home icon in the bottom left corner.
Look at the top right corner – you’ll see a + icon. Tap it and select Story from the dropdown menu.
Now, you can choose existing media from your phone’s camera roll or create something new using the camera option. This opens up Instagram’s diverse range of story filters and creative tools to explore!
Image showing the steps to post an Instagram story, highlighting the plus icon and story option.
Further Reading: Maximize Engagement: How To Add Multiple Photos To Your Instagram Story
Step 2: Reposting an Old Instagram Story
Want to give your archived Instagram Story content a second life? Recycling content is a smart strategy. Go to your profile and tap the three lines at the top-right. Select archive, and then stories archive from the top menu.
Image showing the archive section in Instagram profile, guiding users to repost stories.
Scroll through your archive until you find the Story you want to repost. Tap the Share option at the bottom to make it live again.
Step 3: Using Boomerang and Hands-Free Recording
Instagram offers fun filming features within the story creation tool. Focus on the icon menu on the left side and tap the arrow at the bottom to expand it.
To create a Boomerang, select the infinity symbol. Tap the Capture button to record a short, looping video. For hands-free recording, go back to the left menu and choose the encircled-square hands-free icon. Tap Capture to start recording without holding the button!
Image showcasing the location of boomerang and hands-free options within Instagram stories.
Step 4: Sharing Content to Your Instagram Story
Instagram Stories allows you to share posts directly to your Story feed. To share a regular post, just tap the airplane icon under the post you want to share. Then, select Add Post to Your Story, and hit Share.
Image demonstrating how to share a feed post to Instagram stories to increase content visibility.
While you can easily share feed posts, sharing Stories from other users is a bit different. You can share Stories where your account has been tagged. Find the tag notification in your inbox, and at the bottom of the Story, tap Add to your Story and then Share!
Step-by-Step Guide: Changing Your Instagram Story Background Color
Ready to customize your Story backgrounds? You have three straightforward methods to change the background color on your Instagram Story:
- Using a solid color background
- Layering a photo over your background
- Applying a color tint to a photo
Let’s explore each method in detail.
Method 1: Applying a Solid Color Background to Your Instagram Story
Step 1: Begin by uploading or capturing the image you want to use in your Story.
Step 2: Tap the ellipsis icon (…) located in the top-right corner of your screen.
Step 3: From the dropdown menu that appears, select Draw.
Step 4: You’ll see a color palette at the bottom. Choose a color, or press and hold any color to open a full spectrum color slider. For precise color matching, use the eyedropper tool to select a color directly from your image.
Step 5: After selecting your desired color, press and hold down on the screen. This will fill the entire background with the solid color you chose. You can keep it as is or use the draw tools to add further artistic elements.
Image showing steps to change instagram story background to a solid color using the draw tool.
Design Tip: For a unique gradient background beyond Instagram’s defaults, save a gradient image you love to your camera roll. Import it into your Story to use as a custom background color.
Method 2: Adding a Photo Overlay to Your Instagram Story Background
Step 1: Open your device’s Photos app and select the image you want to use as an overlay.
Step 2: Tap Copy from the image options. Then, switch back to the Instagram app.
Step 3: Create a new Story, or if you have one in progress, tap the Aa sticker to activate the text tool.
Step 4: Tap and hold on the screen until the Paste option appears.
Step 5: Select Paste, and your copied photo will be placed as a layer on top of your Story background, whether it’s an image or solid color.
Image illustrating how to paste a copied photo onto an instagram story background as a layer.
Further Reading: Enhance Your Stories: How To Add Music To Instagram Story
Method 3: Applying a Color Tint to Your Instagram Story Background
Step 1: Open Instagram Stories and upload or take a new photo.
Step 2: Tap the ellipsis (…) button in the top right corner and select Draw.
Step 3: Select the Highlighter Pen icon (the third icon from the left).
Step 4: Choose a color from the palette or use the eyedropper to select a hue from your photo.
Step 5: Press and hold on the screen. A color overlay will appear, creating a tint. For a darker tint, tap and hold again. A third press and hold will result in a solid color background.
Image depicting the process of adding color tint to instagram story background using highlighter tool.
Branding Tip: For consistent brand colors, create a style guide with your brand palette in Canva and save it to your phone. Import this image using Method 2 to easily select brand colors for your Stories. Discard the image layer once you’re done.
Further Reading: Build a Strong Presence: How To Create an Effective Instagram Content Strategy Plan
Troubleshooting: Why Can’t I Change My Instagram Story Background Color?
Encountering issues changing your Story background color? Here are common reasons:
- Story Content Type: Instagram sometimes sets default gradient backgrounds for certain media types, which are not manually changeable. This often happens when you reshare a post from another account. Background color customization is generally available for your own feed posts or text-based Stories (with limited color choices). For regular photos or videos, use the color overlay methods described above.
- Outdated App Version: Ensure your Instagram app is updated to the latest version to access all features, including the latest background color options.
Adding Background Color to Photos and Videos on Instagram
To recap, here’s how to add a background color to your Instagram Story photo or video:
- Step 1: Upload or take a photo/video for your Story.
- Step 2: Tap the drawing tool in the top right corner.
- Step 3: Select a color from the palette at the bottom.
- Step 4: Hold your finger on the screen until the background fills with the chosen color.
- Step 5: To reveal parts of the original photo or video, use the eraser tool to remove the color overlay selectively. Alternatively, copy and paste the photo or video as an overlay from your gallery.
Refer to the detailed instructions with screenshots above for a visual guide!
Creative Instagram Story Background Ideas to Stand Out
Looking for inspiration? Here are some creative background ideas to make your Instagram Stories more engaging:
Designing Custom Instagram Story Templates
Using tools like Canva to create custom templates is an excellent way to personalize your Instagram Story backgrounds and maintain brand consistency.
You can create Instagram Story templates in two main ways:
- Directly within Canva (web or mobile app)
- Using a social media management tool like Plann, which integrates with Canva.
Plann’s direct integration with Canva simplifies the design and scheduling process, all from one platform.
Once you’re in Canva, here’s how to design your custom background:
- Step 1: Select Instagram Story as your design type. This automatically sets the correct dimensions (1080 x 1920 pixels).
- Step 2: Explore Canva’s pre-designed templates by searching for “Instagram Story templates”. These are fully customizable – you can change text, colors, and images. Or, start with a blank canvas for complete creative freedom.
- Step 3: Customize your background. Change the background color, add gradients, patterns, upload your logo or photos, use stickers, adjust fonts, and more.
- Step 4: Download your finished design to your device, or if using Plann, upload it directly to your Stories calendar for scheduling.
Branding Tip: Canva’s paid version allows you to save your brand color palette and upload custom fonts, ensuring brand identity consistency across all your Stories.
Creating Unique Background Effects with the Green Screen Feature
Here’s a step-by-step guide to using Instagram Story’s Green Screen feature for custom backgrounds:
- Step 1: Open Instagram Stories and swipe through the camera modes at the bottom to reach the Effects Gallery (magnifying glass icon).
- Step 2: Browse effects or search for the Green Screen effect using the search icon. Type “Green Screen” and select the effect.
- Step 3: Tap Add Media or the photo icon to choose an image or video from your camera roll to use as your background.
- Step 4: Your front-facing camera will activate, placing you in front of your chosen background. Resize and reposition yourself by pinching and dragging on the screen. You can now record engaging content with a custom backdrop.
Further Reading: Optimize Your Posting Schedule: Best Times To Post on Instagram in 2024
Ready to Transform Your Instagram Stories?
Looking for a streamlined social media management solution? Plann offers a comprehensive platform to elevate your Instagram strategy.
With Plann’s innovative Auto Post feature for Instagram Stories, you can effortlessly schedule and automatically publish captivating content, engage with your audience in real-time, and maintain consistent brand visibility.
Plus, with integrated Canva access within Plann, content creation, scheduling, and posting become seamless. It’s the perfect social media management partnership!
Start your 7-day free trial of Plann Plus today.
