How to Add More Than One Photo in Instagram Story: A Complete Guide

Instagram Stories have revolutionized how we share our daily lives, offering a dynamic and engaging way to connect with friends, family, and followers. Initially designed for single snapshots, Instagram now empowers users to enrich their narratives by adding multiple photos to a single story. This opens up a world of creative possibilities and allows for more comprehensive storytelling directly within the app.

Understanding Instagram Stories and Why Multiple Photos Matter

Instagram Stories are more than just fleeting glimpses into our day; they are powerful tools for communication and self-expression. Their ephemeral nature encourages authenticity and immediacy, fostering a closer connection with your audience. Compared to traditional posts, stories offer a more interactive experience through features like polls, quizzes, and question stickers.

Adding multiple photos to your Instagram Story elevates your storytelling in several ways:

Deeper Narratives: Instead of a single moment, you can weave together a sequence of images to tell a richer, more complete story. Think of showcasing a step-by-step process, a multi-faceted event, or different perspectives on a single theme.
Enhanced Engagement: Multi-photo stories are inherently more engaging as they encourage viewers to tap and explore, holding their attention for longer periods.
Creative Freedom: Combining multiple images allows for creative layouts and visual themes within your story, making it more visually appealing and distinctive.
Context and Detail: Multiple photos provide the space to add context and detail that a single image might miss. You can showcase different aspects of an experience or product, offering a more comprehensive view.

Let’s explore the various methods you can use to add more than one photo to your Instagram Story and unlock your storytelling potential.

Method 1: Utilizing the “Photo Sticker” Feature

The “Photo Sticker” feature is a native Instagram tool that allows you to overlay photos onto your story background, creating a layered effect. This is a straightforward method for adding a few extra images to your story.

Here’s a step-by-step guide:

Launch Instagram and Access Stories: Open the Instagram app on your phone. From your main feed, either tap on your profile picture with the “+” icon at the top left or swipe right anywhere on the feed to open the story camera.
Capture or Upload Your Background: You can either take a new photo or video directly within the Stories camera to use as your background, or swipe up from the camera screen to access your camera roll and select an existing image or video.
Access the Sticker Tray: Once you have your background selected, look for the sticker icon. It’s usually a square smiley face located in the top-right corner of the screen. Tap on this icon to open the sticker tray.
Select the “Photo” Sticker: Within the sticker tray, you will see various sticker options. Scroll through or look for the “Photo” sticker icon. It often appears as a small square preview of your recent photos. Tap on the “Photo” sticker.
Choose Your Additional Photo: After tapping the “Photo” sticker, your camera roll will appear. Select the photo you want to add as a sticker to your story.
Resize and Reposition: Once the photo sticker is added to your story, you can resize it by pinching in or out with two fingers. You can also drag it around the screen to reposition it wherever you like. You can rotate the sticker by using two fingers and twisting.
Add More Photos (Repeat Steps 4-6): To add even more photos, simply repeat steps 4 through 6. You can add multiple “Photo” stickers to a single story, layering them and arranging them as desired.
Customize Further (Optional): You can further enhance your story by adding text, other stickers, drawings, or filters.
Share Your Story: Once you are satisfied with your multi-photo story, tap the “Your Story” button at the bottom left to share it with your followers, or choose “Close Friends” to share it with a select group.

This method is excellent for adding highlights or supporting images to your main story background, creating visually interesting and informative content.

Method 2: Leveraging the “Layout” Feature for Collages

For users wanting a more structured collage-style presentation of multiple photos, Instagram’s “Layout” feature is the perfect built-in solution. This feature allows you to divide your story screen into grids and fill each section with a different photo.

Follow these steps to use the “Layout” feature:

Open Instagram Stories Camera: As before, launch the Instagram app and access the Stories camera by swiping right from the feed or tapping your profile picture.
Find the “Layout” Option: Instead of staying on the default “Normal” camera mode, look at the options at the bottom of the screen, usually located next to “Multi-Capture” and “Boomerang.” Swipe left until you find the “Layout” option and tap on it.
Choose a Layout Grid: Once you select “Layout,” you will see a grid appear on your screen. Tap the square grid icon, usually located on the left side of the screen, to browse different layout options. Instagram offers various pre-set grids, such as two photos side-by-side, a three-photo grid, a four-photo grid, and more. Select the layout that best suits the number of photos you want to include and the visual style you are aiming for.
Add Photos to Each Placeholder: After choosing your layout, you will see placeholders within the grid. Tap on each placeholder individually. This will open your camera roll, allowing you to select a photo for each section of the layout.
Adjust and Customize: Depending on the layout, you might be able to slightly adjust the size or position of photos within their placeholders. Some layouts offer more flexibility than others.
Enhance Your Collage (Optional): Like with the “Photo Sticker” method, you can add text, stickers, filters, and drawings to your layout story to further personalize it.
Share Your Layout Story: When you are happy with your photo collage layout, tap the checkmark or “Done” button (the location may vary slightly depending on your app version) and then share it to your story as usual by tapping “Your Story” or “Close Friends.”

The “Layout” feature is ideal for creating clean and organized photo collages directly within Instagram, perfect for showcasing products, comparisons, or a series of related images in a structured format.

Method 3: Creating Advanced Collages with Third-Party Apps

For those seeking more intricate and customized collages beyond Instagram’s built-in options, third-party collage maker apps offer a wealth of features and templates. Apps like Canva, PicCollage, Adobe Express (formerly Adobe Spark Post), and many others provide extensive design tools to create unique collages.

Here’s how to use this approach:

Choose and Install a Collage App: Explore the app store on your smartphone and download a collage maker app that suits your needs and design preferences. Many offer free versions with robust features.
Create Your Collage: Open your chosen collage app and select the option to create a new collage. You will typically be presented with templates, grid options, and blank canvases. Choose a template or layout and then add your photos to the collage within the app.
Customize Your Design: Collage apps offer extensive customization options. You can resize and reposition photos, add borders, change backgrounds, apply filters, add text, stickers, and graphics within the collage app itself.
Save the Collage to Your Camera Roll: Once you have finished designing your collage, save it as a single image to your phone’s camera roll. Ensure you save it at a high resolution for the best quality on Instagram.
Upload to Instagram Story: Open Instagram, go to the Stories camera, and swipe up to access your camera roll. Select the collage image you just created.
Add Final Touches (Optional): You can add minor enhancements within Instagram Stories, such as stickers or text, but keep in mind that your main design work is already done in the collage app.
Share Your Collage Story: Share your pre-made collage to your Instagram Story as you normally would.

Using third-party apps gives you maximum creative control over your multi-photo stories, allowing for sophisticated designs and branding elements that go beyond Instagram’s standard features.

Method 4: Posting Multiple Pictures on Instagram Story as Slides

Another way to share multiple photos in an Instagram Story is by posting them as individual slides within the same story sequence. This method works well when you want each photo to be the primary focus and viewed individually, rather than combined into a collage.

Here’s how to create a multi-slide photo story:

Start Your First Story Slide: Open the Instagram Stories camera and take a photo or video, or upload one from your camera roll. This will be the first slide of your story.
Add Enhancements to the First Slide (Optional): Add any text, stickers, drawings, or filters you want to include on your first photo.
Add the Next Photo as a New Slide: To add the next photo, tap the camera icon again (it’s usually located on the bottom left after you’ve taken or uploaded your first photo, or you can swipe right again to start a new story). This will start a new story slide.
Upload Your Second Photo: Swipe up to access your camera roll and select the second photo you want to add. This photo will be posted as a separate slide, following your first one.
Repeat for More Photos: Repeat steps 3 and 4 for every additional photo you want to include in your multi-slide story. Each photo will become a new slide that viewers can swipe through.
Share Your Multi-Slide Story: Once you have added all the photos as individual slides, share your story. Viewers will see dots at the top of the screen indicating multiple slides and can tap or swipe to navigate through them.

Posting photos as slides is effective for showcasing a series of images that tell a sequential story or when you want viewers to focus on each photo individually without them being combined into a single frame.

Tips for Creating Engaging Multi-Photo Instagram Stories

No matter which method you choose, here are some tips to make your multi-photo Instagram Stories even more engaging:

Maintain a Theme: Whether it’s a color scheme, a topic, or a consistent style, having a theme across your multi-photo story can make it more visually cohesive and appealing.
Use Text and Stickers Strategically: Don’t overcrowd your photos, but use text to add context, captions, or calls to action. Stickers can add personality and interactivity.
Consider Transitions: When using slides, think about the flow between photos. Do they tell a story sequentially? Is there a visual or thematic connection from one slide to the next?
Experiment with Layouts and Angles: Mix up your photo orientations (portrait and landscape) and try different angles to keep your story visually dynamic.
Use High-Quality Images: Clear, well-composed photos are crucial for engagement. Avoid blurry or poorly lit images.
Engage with Interactive Stickers: Use poll stickers, question stickers, and quiz stickers to encourage viewer interaction within your multi-photo stories.
Tell a Story: Think about the narrative you want to convey. Whether it’s a day in your life, a travel experience, or a product showcase, structure your multi-photo story to tell a compelling story.

Conclusion

Adding multiple photos to your Instagram Stories significantly enhances your creative toolkit and allows for richer, more engaging content. Whether you opt for the simplicity of the “Photo Sticker,” the structure of “Layout,” the customization of third-party apps, or the sequential flow of slides, mastering these techniques will help you connect with your audience on a deeper level and share your moments in more compelling and visually diverse ways. Experiment with each method to discover which best suits your style and the stories you want to tell.