There are, in fact, three ways to change the background of an Instagram Story, and they’re easy to handle once you know the right buttons to press. The only time this first photo won’t disappear is when you share someone else’s Story post that you were tagged in. Do that, and Instagram will keep it on top and visible after you change the background. With an image in place, iOS users should tap the three dots in the top right corner of the screen, then Draw. On Android, tap the draw icon (a squiggly line). Then, on either operating system, choose the pen tip icon (all the way to the left). Next, choose a color from the options at the bottom of the screen (swipe left to see more) or tap the eyedropper icon to choose a color from the image in your draft. Finally, press and hold anywhere on the screen for about two seconds to fill it with your solid selected color. Tap Done in the top right to lock it in. To add a photo on top, tap the sticker icon (a squared smiley face) and scroll to find the camera roll sticker. On iOS this is a circular preview of your most recent photo overlaid with what looks like two mountains in a frame, and on Android it’s two rectangles with a plus sign. Tap this to open your camera roll, then select any image you want to drop it onto your background. There’s a shortcut for iOS users too: Open your camera roll, copy the picture you want (share icon > Copy Photo), and go back to your Story draft. Your copied photo will appear for a few seconds in the bottom left and you can add it to your Story from there. If you don’t see it, you’ll have to use the sticker icon steps we just discussed.
How to create a translucent background
If you want to put a translucent tint over a photo, follow all the steps above, but choose the highlighter icon instead of the pen tip. Press and hold a second time to make the color more opaque, or press and hold a third time to turn it solid. You can still add a photo on top if you wish. When you’re ready, tap the sticker icon, find the camera roll sticker, choose your photo, and let your creativity flow from there.
