So what exactly is the Instagram shadowban, and how can you avoid it? In this guide, we’ll cover everything from preventive practices and banned hashtags to tips for lifting a shadowban if you find yourself under one.

What is the Instagram shadowban?

In the most basic sense, a shadowban is when Instagram flags your account for violating its community guidelines and prevents your content from being seen. A shadowbanned account is practically invisible to new followers, specifically on the hashtag search results page.

How to know if you’ve been shadowbanned on Instagram

One of the things that make a shadowban so frustrating is that you probably won’t know about it. Instagram doesn’t notify you if you’ve been flagged, so it’s up to you to find out what’s going on.

There are many misconceptions about Instagram’s shadowban, the main one being that a decrease in engagement must be due to a shadowban. While fewer likes and comments could be a byproduct of a shadowban, recent algorithm changes have resulted in a decreased engagement for accounts across the board.

A drop in likes doesn’t necessarily mean a shadowban, but if you’ve noticed that only your current followers see your content — and you’re actively trying to grow your audience and reach new users — you might want to use one of the following methods to see if you’ve been shadowbanned.

Method 1: Double-check your hashtags

One of the most common reasons for getting shadowbanned — which we’ll dive into in more detail below — is using a broken or banned hashtag. Instagram has doubled down on its efforts to make the app a safe space for all. As a result, Instagram has flagged many hashtags for encouraging accounts to post inappropriate content that violates community guidelines.

To make sure your account isn’t associated with a broken hashtag, check the search result pages of all the hashtags used on your last 10 to 15 posts. If you encounter an alert stating that posts using this hashtag are hidden for safety reasons, the hashtag is considered broken.

Method 2: Use an Instagram shadowban test

Following the rise of shadowbans in recent years, some companies now claim to be able to test to see if your account has been flagged or not. While the legitimacy of these tools is not recognized by Instagram itself, it could prove helpful to see what such services find.

Triberr is a tool that many users have utilized to check the status of their accounts. It’s a free test that checks the hashtags on your last 10 posts to determine the likelihood that you have been shadowbanned. You will need to use your desktop computer to utilize this resource.

Method 3: Enlist the help of a follower

If you want to be 100% sure that your account is shadowbanned, you’ll need to see how your content shows up from the perspective of a non-follower. To do so, ask one of your followers to either unfollow you or create a new account. Both options are fine; the important thing is that you don’t follow your account.

Next, make a new post using the same hashtags you’ve been using. Then log into the non-follower’s account and go to one of the hashtag pages used with your new photo and see if it appears under Recents. Choose a smaller hashtag that isn’t updated constantly. (Choosing a hashtag with 1 million posts means you’ll be less likely to see your post whether you’ve been shadowbanned or not.)

If you don’t see your post, wait five minutes and check again. Ideally, you should try this method with at least 3 to 5 non-follower accounts. If your post fails to appear, it means you’ve been shadowbanned.

Why you may have gotten shadowbanned

The reasons why accounts are shadowbanned are as vague and difficult to confirm as the act itself. Over the years, social media experts have found a few common reasons why certain accounts get flagged, leading to a reduction in the visibility of their content.

Here are a few of the common causes of a shadowban:

• You violated one of Instagram’s Community Guidelines.
• You’re using banned or broken hashtags.
• You’re engaging in a way the algorithm determines to be spam, such as buying followers or using the same hashtags repeatedly.
• You’ve reached Instagram’s daily activity limit.
• Your account is continually being reported.

How to get the shadowban on Instagram lifted

If you think your account has been shadowbanned, there are a few things you can do to get back in Instagram’s good graces.

Remove broken hashtags

Review the hashtags you typically use on your posts. Are you using any broken or banned hashtags? If so, remove them from all of your posts, and be sure not to use them again in the future.

Even if the hashtag appears in a comment under the post, it still needs to be removed.

Take a break

Instagram only allows up to 500 actions a day. Actions including following, unfollowing, and liking a post. Attempting to perform over 500 could alert the algorithm, flagging your high-volume activity as suspected spam. There are also other limits for more specific actions, such as:

• You can only follow up to 13 new accounts every hour or 150 new accounts every day.
• You can only like up to 400 posts from the accounts you follow every day.
• You can only leave up to 5 comments per hour or up to 30 comments per day.
• You can only send up to 10 direct messages per hour.

All of these limits are meant to stop spambots and automated Instagram activity. So if you suspect you’ve been hitting the like button a little too frequently, take a 48-hour break and come back.

It goes without saying, but if you have been paying for likes or using any other form of automated Instagram engagement, putting a stop to this will help remove a shadowban from your account.

Report a problem to Instagram

If you don’t see any evidence as to why you’ve been shadowbanned, your best bet is to reach out to Instagram directly by reporting a problem.

Here’s how to do that:

1. Open the Instagram app.
2. Navigate to your profile by pressing the profile pic icon at the bottom-right of your screen.
3. Press the three horizontal lines at the top-right of the screen.
4. Navigate to Settings > Help > Report a Problem.
5. Select Something Isn’t Working.
6. Type a brief message explaining what you’re experiencing.
7. Press Send.

It may take a while for Instagram to reply, so don’t be afraid to send out multiple messages.

How to prevent the Instagram shadowban

Whether you’ve been a victim of Instagram’s shadowban or not, it’s wise to adopt a few preventive practices to keep your account visible.

Avoid any shady practices

Instagram is actively trying to rid its platform of suspected spam accounts. To avoid falling into that category, you must not participate in any spammy social media behavior, such as:

• Buying followers and likes.
• Using spambots to like and comment on your photos.
• Leaving the same comments on multiple posts. For example, “Awesome!”
• Using an Instagram post scheduler or other automation tools.

Focus instead on authentic engagement. Only comment on photos you really enjoy or have something to say about. Follow new accounts that are posting content you’re genuinely interested in. And, of course, post content that both you and your audience care about.

Switch to a personal account

Some social media experts believe that since Facebook acquired Instagram, they’ve intentionally limited the reach of business accounts to encourage them to buy ads. While this theory hasn’t been confirmed, some accounts have reported that by simply switching from a business account to a personal account, their shadowban was lifted.

You can always switch back, but be aware that when you switch to a personal account, you lose your ability to run ads and check your Instagram Insights. Still, it might be worth it to try.

Until Instagram confirms or denies their shadowban tactics, it’s up to account holders to make sure they’re complying with the app’s Community Guidelines. So long as your content is authentic and your engagement is genuine, you should be able to avoid a shadowban.

The post Shadowban on Instagram: How to know if you’re shadowbanned and what to do about it appeared first on Backlight.

In this guide, we’ll go what are generally considered the best days and times to post, as well as how to determine a personalized peak publishing time to help your content get the most engagement.

Best times and days to post on Instagram

The best times and days to post on Instagram vary from account to account. The answer depends greatly on where you live and the demographics of your followers. As a rule of thumb, the time when your followers are the most active is the best time to post.

Is there a prime time to post on Instagram?

According to a study by Later, which analyzed over 12 million posts, the best time to publish new content on Instagram is between 9 am and 11 am Eastern.

However, the most engaging time periods on the platform depend heavily on your audience’s demographics and activity. You can learn this information by accessing your account’s analytics, also referred to as Instagram Insights.

Currently, the Insights feature is only available to users with professional accounts. Here’s how to find your Instagram Insights:

1. Open the Instagram app.
2. Tap the icon of your profile picture at the bottom-right of the page.
3. Press the three horizontal lines at the top-right of the page.
4. Select Insights.

What’s the best day of the week to post on Instagram?

While peak times depend on your followers’ activity, the best day of the week to post on Instagram is generally Wednesday, with Friday being a close second.

Best time of the day to post on Instagram

For most accounts, the best time of day to post on Instagram varies depending on the day of the week. While there’s a lot of conflicting information out there, below is a list of what are generally accepted as the best times.

Monday

Good times to post on Monday include 6 am, 10 am, or 10 pm EST.

Tuesday

The best times to post on Tuesday are 2 am, 4 am, or 9 am EST.

Wednesday

The optimal times to post on Wednesday are 7 am, 8 am, and 11 pm EST.

Thursday

Some of the best times to post on Thursday are 9 am, 12 pm, and 7 pm EST.

Friday

Great times to post on Friday are 5 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm EST.

Saturday

The ideal times to post on Saturday are 11 am, 7 pm, and 8 pm EST.

Sunday

The optimal times to post on Sunday include 7 am, 8 am, and 4 pm EST.

How to find your own best time to upload to Instagram

As previously stated, the best time to post on Instagram depends on your followers. While following the established best posting practices laid out above can work, it’s more effective to discover your own best upload time. And there are a few ways you can do that.

Figure out where most of your followers live

Use the data in your Instagram Insights to determine the time zone where most of your followers live. Here’s how to find that information in the app:

1. Open the Instagram app.
2. Tap the icon of your profile picture at the bottom-right of the page.
3. Press the three horizontal lines at the top-right of the page.
4. Select Insights > Total Followers

From there, you can check the top cities and countries where your followers reside and use that information to determine your optimal posting times. For example, if most of your followers are in the Eastern Time Zone, post during prime Eastern hours. That way, you won’t post content while your followers are asleep or less likely to be active.

Figure out when your followers are the most active

Once you have your time zones down, it’s also good to learn when your followers are the most active on the app. Instagram calculates this information based on the times when users are scrolling, liking, commenting, and messaging other accounts the most. Here’s how to find this data in the app:

1. Open the Instagram app.
2. Tap the icon of your profile picture at the bottom-right of the page.
3. Press the three horizontal lines at the top-right of the page.
4. Select Insights > Total Followers
5. Scroll down until you see Most Active Times.

From there, you can scroll through different days and hours to see when your followers are most active. Use this to determine the best days and times to post.

Experiment with different posting times

Whether you’re using one of the previously mentioned suggestions or experimenting with different days and times, it’s a good idea to track your posts’ success. First, create a spreadsheet and record the number of likes and comments each post receives, along with the day and time you posted it. Once you’ve collected the data of 20 to 30 posts, you should have a good idea of what times and days worked best for you.

While selecting a prime posting time can lead to increased exposure for your content, the most important metric is still value. Use the methods and suggestions mentioned in this guide, but always remember that the quality of your content is what matters most.

The post When is the best time to post on Instagram, and is there a peak time at all? appeared first on Backlight.

In 2018, to give users the ability to post with more privacy and engage with smaller groups, Instagram rolled out a Stories curation feature called Close Friends. Fans of the tool use it to easily communicate with their inner circles or give exclusive content to their most active followers. In this guide, we’ll go over everything you need to know about using the Close Friends Instagram feature.

Understanding Close Friends on Instagram

Instagram Close Friends is a feature that allows you to create a subsection of followers who are given special permission to view private Stories. When you post a Story and select this feature, only the accounts you’ve chosen to be on your Close Friends list will be able to see it.

How to use the Close Friends feature on Instagram

Close Friends on Instagram is a great way to communicate with a specific group of followers instead of posting to your entire list. Whether you’re sharing a Story with your personal inner circle or VIP fans of your page, using this feature is quite straightforward.

How to create a Close Friends list

Here’s how to create a Close Friends list on Instagram:

1. Open the Instagram app.
2. Navigate to your profile by pressing the profile picture icon at the bottom-right of the screen.
3. Press the three horizontal lines at the top-right of the page.
4. Select Close Friends.
5. From there, scroll through your followers and select Add to indicate the accounts you wish to add to your Close Friends list.

You have to have at least one account on your Close Friends list to be able to post to it.

How to add or remove Close Friends

Here’s how to add or remove people from your Close Friends list:

1. Open the Instagram app.
2. Navigate to your profile by pressing the profile picture icon at the bottom-right of the screen.
3. Press the three horizontal lines at the top-right of the page.
4. Select Close Friends.
5. Press Add or Remove next to the accounts you wish to add or remove.

How to post a Story only for your list

Now that your list is created and curated, here’s how to post a Story to your Close Friends:

1. Open the Instagram app.
2. Press the Story Camera button at the top-left of the screen.
3. Create or upload your Story.
4. Select the Close Friends option at the bottom of the screen.

A Close Friends Story appears in the Stories feed as a green circle around a user’s profile icon instead of a pink circle. It will also be accessible on your profile by tapping your profile picture. People who aren’t on your Close Friends list won’t be able to view your Close Friends Story and will not see the green circle. Those who can view it will see a “Close Friends” label at the top-right of the screen.

Just like normal Stories, Close Friends Stories are only visible for 24 hours. Both private and public accounts can use this feature.

How can you use Close Friends for your photography account?

While the intended use of the Close Friends feature is to post Stories for your close personal friends, there are other creative ways to use this tool for your photography account. Here are a few of our favorites:

• Add all of your current and past clients and use Close Friends Stories to share information about upcoming events or specials.
• Include your most active followers and use your Close Friends list to share exclusive tips and how-tos.
• Add any followers who have asked questions about your photo editing process and share Stories about how you edit your photos.

How to message your Close Friends list on Instagram

In addition to posting content specifically for one group of followers, you can also message them directly using Threads by Instagram. This standalone app is free to download in the App Store and gives users a way to contact their Close Friends list through status updates and direct messages.

Here’s how to message your Close Friends list by using Threads by Instagram:

1. Open the Threads by Instagram app.
2. Log in with your Instagram profile information.
3. Either continue with the same Close Friends list you have on Instagram or add more people to it by scrolling down.
4. Press Continue.
5. Take or upload a photo or video.
6. Select the account you wish to message.
7. Press Send.

This will send a direct message to the selected account, which you’ll be able to view and respond to either in the Threads by Instagram app or within the Instagram app in your direct messages inbox.

Easy to use and simple to understand, Instagram’s Close Friends list is an awesome feature for staying in contact and sharing content with a small group of people. We hope this guide has covered everything you need to know about this useful tool.

The post The Close Friends list on Instagram: What it is and how to use it appeared first on Backlight.

In this guide, we’ll go over everything you need to know about IGTV, including how photographers and video makers can use it to promote their work on Instagram.

What is IGTV, and how does it work?

IGTV — short for Instagram TV — is an in-app feature and standalone app that allows users to upload long-form videos for their audiences. And while using IGTV is fairly intuitive, new users may find themselves with some questions.

How to use Instagram TV

IGTV sounds a lot more intimidating than it is. In this section, we’ll go over all the ins and outs of how to make the most of Instagram TV, so you can post your videos with confidence.

IGTV video specs

Before you upload your first video, there are a couple of specs you’ll want to be aware of:

• File format: MP4
• Minimum video length: 60 seconds
• Maximum video length (when uploading on mobile): 15 minutes
• Maximum video length (when uploading on desktop): 60 minutes
• Vertical aspect ratio: 9:16
• Horizontal aspect ratio: 16:9
• Minimum frame rate: 30 FPS
• Minimum resolution: 720 pixels
• Maximum file size (for videos 10 minutes long or less): 650 MB
• Maximum file size (for videos up to 60 minutes long): 3.6 GB
• Cover photo size: 420 pixels by 654 pixels

How to create an IGTV channel

If you want to upload a video to Instagram TV, you first have to create your own channel where your videos will live on your account. Viewers will be able to access your IGTV videos within the Instagram app by navigating to your profile and selecting the IGTV option.

To create a channel, download the IGTV app and make sure you’re logged in to your Instagram account. Once you do that, simply follow the instructions below:

1. Open the IGTV app.
2. Select the button to continue as your account.
3. Tap the three horizontal lines at the top-right of the screen.
4. Select Create Channel.

And voila! Your channel has been created. Once you upload your first video, your channel will appear on your Instagram profile.

How to post a video to IGTV

You can post an IGTV video through the Instagram app or the IGTV app. Below are instructions for posting a video via the dedicated IGTV app:

1. Open the IGTV app.
2. Press the video icon at the top-left of the screen.
3. Record your video (or upload a video by pressing the image icon at the bottom-left of the screen and selecting your video).
4. Press the arrow at the bottom-right of the screen to proceed to the next step.
5. Choose a cover by selecting a screenshot from your video or uploading an image to be your cover.
6. Press Next.
7. Fill out a video title and description.
8. Press Post.

Next, we’ll show you how to post a video to IGTV from the Instagram app:

1. Open the Instagram app.
2. Press the magnifying glass icon at the bottom-left of the screen.
3. Navigate to the IGTV button at the top-center of the screen.
4. Press the + sign at the top-right of the screen.
5. Scroll through and select the video you wish to upload.
6. Press Next.
7. Choose or upload your cover.
8. Press Next.
9. Fill out the video title and description.
10. Press Post.

How to share a preview of your IGTV video on your feed

When you upload a new Instagram TV video, it’s a good strategy to share a preview of it on your feed. Here’s how to do that:

1. Open the Instagram app.
2. Press the magnifying glass icon at the bottom-left of the screen.
3. Navigate to the IGTV button at the top-center of the screen.
4. Press the + sign at the top-right of the screen.
5. Scroll through and select the video you wish to upload.
6. Press Next.
7. Choose or upload your cover.
8. Press Next.
9. Fill out the video title and description.
10. Turn on the Post a Preview option.
11. Edit the Preview and profile cover as you wish.
12. Press Post.

Toggling on the Post a Preview option on will create a one-minute preview, which will be posted to your profile and visible in your followers’ feeds.

How to use IGTV to showcase your creative work

If you’re a photographer or video maker, Instagram is an incredible platform to share your work. So how can Instagram TV play into your growth strategy? We’ve rounded up a few ideas for photographers and videographers to use.

Share tips and advice

Give back to followers who are new to your industry! Film a video in which you share your 10 best photography tips or pieces of advice you wish you had gotten when you first started shooting on iPhone. If it’s valuable, evergreen content like this will draw in viewers again and again.

Showcase a recent project

Do you have a collection of clips from a recent photoshoot or creative adventure? Combine them, add some background music, and share the result as an IGTV video. Plus, if you’re a videographer or photographer for hire, it’s an excellent way to showcase the work you frequently get hired for to potential new clients.

Answer frequently asked questions

Do you find yourself repeatedly answering the same questions from your followers? Instead of constantly sending out the same old answers, create an IGTV video about it! That way, you have a place to send people and a resource you can reference over and over again.

Give a tutorial

Whether it’s demonstrating how to use a complicated new lens or sharing a trick for always capturing clear nighttime photos, tutorials are some of the most popular IGTV content. Get creative and brainstorm some of the unique insights your followers would be interested in learning.

While there are tons of ways to reach new followers and showcase your content, Instagram TV offers the opportunity to create long-form videos that people can return to again and again. You don’t have to make it the basis of your social media strategy, but a well-executed channel will give your audience another reason to visit your profile.

The post How to use IGTV as a photographer or video creator appeared first on Backlight.

Since the app first graced our iPhones back in 2010, its rise in popularity has been so massive that it’s created an entirely new job title for creatives looking to share their work: the influencer. While it’s a running joke in pop culture to nail down precisely what it is that influencers get paid to do, their continued success has proven that creating content can be a legitimate career.

Whether or not you’re looking to make Instagram your primary source of income, the fact remains that influencers have indeed cracked the code on what it takes to make it on this app. In this guide, we’re giving you all their secrets, hacks, and tips so you can post like a pro.

Instagram growth tricks

Struggling to grow your follower count? Try implementing one of these Instagram tips into your social media strategy.

Tip 1: Get notifications when your favorite people post

Instagram is all about engagement, and the current algorithm favors accounts that are actively using the platform. Go beyond replying to comments on your own posts, and make it a point to regularly engage with your favorite accounts by setting up post notifications.

Here’s how to do that:

1. Open Instagram.
2. Navigate to the profile of the account you wish to receive post notifications from.
3. Open a recent post.
4. Press the three horizontal lines at the top-right of the screen.
5. Select Turn On Post Notifications.

That’s it! Now, whenever that account publishes a new post, you’ll receive a direct notification.

Tip 2: Follow feature accounts

One great way to get your content in front of more people is to get published on a feature account. These are profiles that round up and curate content from other profiles based on a specific hashtag or niche. They often have many followers and high engagement rates, so it can be great exposure for accounts with smaller audiences.

Find feature accounts that represent your niche and follow them. Turn on post notifications so you can comment, like, and reshare their content regularly. Many of these accounts will request that you direct message them if you’d like to be featured, or that you use their account’s hashtag.

Tip 3: Add a keyword to your name to appear in more search results

This is a simple trick that can yield great results — so long as you narrow down your niche.

Rather than using your given name as your Instagram’s profile name, use it as an opportunity to expand your reach by adding a keyword. So instead of “Joe Smith,” you could use “Joe Smith, New York Portrait Photographer,” or “Joe Smith Travel Photos.” You only have 30 characters, so use your keywords wisely.

Tip 4: Take advantage of related accounts suggestions

A lot of people discover accounts to follow through Instagram’s Suggested for You feature. To earn a coveted spot in this section, you must follow accounts that are relatable to yours in terms of location, niche, and content.

For example, if you’re a wedding photographer in Los Angeles, you’ll want to follow (and interact with) other wedding photography accounts in Los Angeles.

Tip 5: Get active on the app during peak algorithm times

As many of the pros are aware, Instagram’s algorithm loves to see accounts interacting on the platform with the first half-hour of publishing a new post. Many influencers have “hacked” this crucial time by engaging with other posts 15 minutes before they publish and 15 minutes after.

Avoid using this Instagram tip in a spammy way though. Only interact with accounts that are relatable to your content or content your followers might like. Like posts, follow accounts, and leave thoughtful, intentional comments. Instagram will see right through accounts that comment “cool!” on a bunch of posts before publishing.

Instagram Story hacks

Stories have given influencers an entirely new way to show off their personalities and give their followers a more in-depth look into their lives. Because Stories can be so popular, it makes sense to grab a few ideas from the influencer’s Story playbook.

Tip 1: Zoom in with one finger

Have you ever struggled to zoom in on your subject while shooting a video via the Instagram Stories Camera? Struggle no more with this time-saving zoom hack:

1. Open the Instagram app.
2. Open the Stories Camera located at the top-left of the screen.
3. Press and hold the shutter button at the bottom-center of the screen to start recording a video.
4. Slide your finger up the screen to zoom in and slide it down to zoom out.

And that’s it! Thanks to this hack, you can say goodbye to the awkward two-finger pinch method.

Tip 2: Access the entire color wheel

A true Instagram pro isn’t limited by the default color palette provided in the Story editor tool. Follow the steps below to hack into the entire color wheel:

1. Open the Instagram app.
2. Open the Stories Camera located at the top-left of the screen.
3. Either shoot with the Stories Camera or upload your content from the Camera Roll.
4. Press the text or drawing button at the top-right of the screen.
5. Tap the color wheel at the top-center of the screen.
6. Press and hold on any of the color options below.
7. Slide your finger through the color gradient and let go when you find the color you wish to use.

The first row of colors will give you a vibrant, full-rainbow range of shades, the second will provide you with more muted tones, and the third will reveal a larger grayscale to choose from.

Tip 3: Hide your hashtags

Hashtags are just as important in your Stories as they are in your posts. And even though you may not see them, influencers are using them all the time — they’ve just gotten really good at hiding them.

Follow these steps below to hide your Story hashtags:

1. Open the Instagram app.
2. Open the Stories Camera located at the top-left of the screen.
3. Shoot with the Stories Camera or upload your content from the Camera Roll.
4. Press the text button at the top-right of the screen.
5. Write your hashtag.
6. Move and adjust the size of the text to fit a part of your photo with a solid color.
7. Highlight the text.
8. Press the dropper icon at the bottom-left of the screen.
9. Move the dropper to match the color of the photo.

And voila! The hashtag will blend into the color and be invisible to your viewers while still expanding your reach.

Tip 4: Post multiple photos in a Story

Ever wished you could share multiple photos in a single Story? This hack will allow you to do so without having to use a third-party layout app. Here’s how:

1. Open your Camera Roll.
2. Select one of the photos you wish you use.
3. Press the share button at the bottom-left of the screen.
4. Select Copy Photo.
5. Open the Instagram app.
6. Open the Stories Camera located at the top-left of the screen.
7. Select Create from the list on the right of the screen.
8. Tap the text box.
9. Hold and press Paste.

You can use this hack to display as many of your photos as you’d like or to create an artsy collage effect. The result is up to you.

Tip 5: Use any background color you want

Just as you aren’t limited to a standard color wheel in your Story texts and drawings, you’re actually able to use whatever background color you’d like.

Here’s how to change your Story background color:

1. Open the Instagram app.
2. Open the Stories Camera located at the top-left of the screen.
3. Either shoot something random with the Stories Camera or upload a photo from the Camera Roll. Just make sure the image includes the background color you want to use.
4. Press the drawing icon at the top-right of the screen.
5. Press the dropper tool at the bottom-left of the screen.
6. Hold it over the color you wish to use.
7. Quickly tap your finger on the color once and hold it.

Following those steps will change the entire background of your Story to the color of your choice.

Instagram post and bio tips

Posting consistent, professional, and aesthetically pleasing content is the golden rule of Instagram. However, there are some extra strategies you can use to beef up your posts and your profile to attract more followers.

Tip 1: Manage your Instagram filters

Got a few filters you love (or a few you could live without)? This tip will show you how to manage your Instagram filters so that the ones you use most often are front and center:

1. Open the Instagram app.
2. Press the + button at the bottom-center of the screen to create a new post.
3. Upload your post.
4. Press Next.
5. Scroll right through the filters until you reach the end.
6. Press Manage.

From there, you can drag and move the filters into whatever order you like. You can also press the checkmark on the right to remove or add filters from your list.

Tip 2: Hide your post hashtags

Most Instagram users know to save their hashtags (or the additional hashtags they wish to use) for the comment section of their post. But did you know that you can actually hide them from your viewers altogether?

Here’s how:

1. Open the Instagram app.
2. Navigate to your profile by pressing the icon of your profile picture at the bottom-right of the screen.
3. Select the photo you wish to add hashtags to.
4. Press the comment button.
5. Add five periods and press the return key after each one to create a line break.
6. Press return one more time and add all of your desired hashtags there.
7. Press Post.

Doing this will place your hashtags within the overflow area that Instagram uses to hide extra characters in comments and captions. A viewer can still press the […] symbol to see all of the hashtags, but at least it removes them from appearing directly under your post.

Tip 3: Use the pinned comments feature to extend your caption

Instagram limits captions to 2,200 characters — and sometimes that isn’t enough.

Many influencers use the comments section to extend their captions. The problem is that the additional text may get lost in a sea of other comments. Keep this text front and center by pinning your comment to ensure that it appears above all the others. Here’s how:

1. Open the Instagram app.
2. Navigate to your profile by pressing the icon of your profile picture at the bottom-right of the screen.
3. Select the photo you wish to pin a comment to.
4. Slide right on the comment.
5. Press the pin button.

You can pin up to three comments on your photo. Instagram allows 300 characters per comment, so that’s an extra 900 characters for you to use.

Tip 4: Don’t litter your photo with photo tags

You already know how important it is to tag relevant accounts in your photos. But to prevent them from looking less messy, do as the influencers do and keep all of your tags in a single corner of your image. This gives a cleaner, more professional look for your followers to see.

Tip 5: Add line breaks to your caption

Line breaks rank high among the underutilized features that separate the amateurs from the pros. Lately Instagram seems to have allowed line breaks in post captions without any additional efforts. But if you’re still unable to add them, follow these steps:

1. Open the Notes app on your iPhone.
2. Type your caption with the line breaks you desire.
3. Select your caption (line breaks included).
4. Open the Instagram app.
5. Press the + button at the bottom-center of the screen to create a new post.
6. Upload your post.
7. Press Next.
8. Choose a filter if you wish.
9. Press Next.
10. Tap the caption box and select Paste.
11. Press OK.
12. Fill out any other post details and press Share.

While influencers with 500K followers and brand deals might seem to have the whole social media thing figured out, the truth is that it’s anyone’s game. As long as you’re consistent, active, and authentic in the way you grow your audience, your chances of “making it” are just as good as anyone else’s. Try the Instagram tips above, be creative about your content, and followers will follow.

The post 15 Instagram tips, tricks, and hacks only influencers know appeared first on Backlight.

In 2016, the social media giant rolled out its Live tool, which gave users the option to record live broadcasts. Since then, the feature has become a popular way for people to interact with their favorite accounts and ask questions in real time.

Interested in using Instagram Live to grow your photography account? In this guide, we’ll show you exactly how to go live on Instagram — and what makes for a winning broadcast.

How to run your first Instagram Live stream

Going live on Instagram is easier than it sounds. Below, we’ll give you all the tools and information you need to get started.

Before you start your Instagram Live video

Before you ever press that button, there are few things you need to do prior to going live on Instagram.

Determine the purpose

First, ask yourself why you’re going live on Instagram. Whether you’re interviewing someone, giving a behind-the-scenes look at a photo shoot, or answering audience questions, it’s essential to have the intent of your live broadcast decided upon beforehand. You could even create an outline to follow during the live video so you don’t get off track.

Check your settings

Record a test video with your iPhone and watch it to check the sound quality and light. If the video is too dark, you might need to adjust your brightness settings or relocate to a better-lit location. Filming next to a window is ideal for good lighting.

If there’s too much noise or it’s difficult to hear you, you may need to move closer to the camera or find a quieter location for recording. Some people find it helpful to use an iPhone-compatible microphone.

And, of course, make sure your iPhone is fully charged. The last thing you want is for your phone to die during your Instagram Live video.

Promote it

Instagram sends notifications of your live video to some of your followers, so if you want to expand your reach, let your audience know the time and date you plan on going live via an Instagram post or Story. You can also promote your live video on other social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

How to go live on Instagram

Now that you’re all prepared and ready to go, it’s time to broadcast. Below are instructions for going live on Instagram:

1. Open your Instagram app.
2. Press the Story Camera icon in the top-left corner of the screen.
3. Slide the Story label at the bottom of the screen to the left until you reach Live.
4. Press the record icon in the center of the screen.

How to manage comments on your IG Live

When you go live on Instagram, anyone who views the live video can comment on it. If, however, your account is set to private, only your approved followers will be able to view and comment on your live video.

Managing the comments section while hosting a live video can be a little tricky. That’s why many people choose to turn off the comments section altogether. Here’s how to switch off comments on your Instagram Live:

1. Open your Instagram app.
2. Press the Story Camera icon in the top-left corner of the screen.
3. Slide the Story label at the bottom of the screen to the left until you reach Live.
4. Press the record icon in the center of the screen.
5. Press the three vertical dots next to the comments field in the bottom-left of your screen.
6. Select Turn Off Commenting.

You can turn comments back on by following the same instructions listed above. If you decide to keep comments enabled for your video, you can engage with your audience by replying to them. Just follow the instructions below:

1. Open your Instagram app.
2. Press the Story Camera icon in the top-left corner of the screen.
3. Slide the Story label at the bottom of the screen to the left until you reach Live.
4. Press the record icon in the center of the screen.
5. Type your reply in the comment field at the bottom of your screen.
6. Press Enter to reply.

How to answer questions during an Instagram Live

If part of your Instagram Live strategy is to answer questions from your viewers, there are a few ways you can respond. The first — and most obvious — option is to watch the comments and respond to questions by talking about them on your live video. Make sure to say the name of the person who asked the question and repeat it for accuracy.

That said, Instagram recently unveiled a new feature to help viewers ask questions during a live broadcast: Q&A stickers. Here’s how to use them:

1. Open your Instagram app.
2. Press the Story Camera button in the top-left corner of the screen.
3. Select the Create option in the left-center of the screen.
4. Scroll right through the options a the bottom of the screen until you reach the question sticker.
5. Change the “Ask me a question” field if you wish.
6. Press the Your Story button at the bottom-right of the screen.

Allow some time for people to ask their questions, then prepare to go live. Here’s how to answer Story questions on your Instagram Live:

1. Press the Story Camera button in the top-left corner of the screen.
2. Slide the Story label at the bottom of the screen to the left until you reach Live.
3. Press the record button in the center of the screen.
4. Once you’re live, press the question mark button at the bottom of the screen next to the comments field.

After you press this button, all of the questions people have asked in your Story will pop up, allowing you to answer them live. Nobody but you will be able to see the questions.

How to end an Instagram Live

Ending an Instagram Live is simple. Here’s how:

1. Press the Story Camera button in the top-left corner of the screen.
2. Slide the Story label at the bottom of the screen to the left until you reach Live.
3. Press the record button in the center of the screen.
4. After your Live is over, press the End button in the top-right corner of the screen.
5. Press End Now.

How to save your Instagram Live video

That’s right, you do have the option to save your stream once it’s over. Here’s how to do that:

1. Press the Story Camera button in the top-left corner of the screen.
2. Slide the Story label at the bottom of the screen to the left until you reach Live.
3. Press the record button in the center of the screen.
4. After your Live is over, press the End button in the top-right corner of the screen.
5. Press End Now.
6. Select Download Video to save it to your Camera Roll or Share to IGTV to post it to your IGTV channel.

Live stream ideas for iPhone photographers and video makers

Now that you know all the ins and outs of Instagram, you’re probably wondering how to best use it to grow your photography account. Below, we’ve rounded up a few of our favorite ideas for you to use on your next — or very first — Instagram Live.

Show off one of your favorite locations

Do you have a secret spot you love to shoot? Show your Instagram fans! Next time you’re there, go live and give them a quick tour. You could even ask them to guess where you are and give a prize to the person who gets it right.

Go behind the scenes during a photo shoot

If you’re on a photo shoot, go live and show your followers what a day in the life of a photographer is like. Give them a peek into your world and share how you set up your shoots.

Demonstrate how you capture your favorite angles

If you have a tip or trick you could teach your audience, Instagram Live is a great way to do it! Maybe you’ve discovered the secret for fantastic aerial shots or beautiful close-up portraits. Whatever the case, grab your iPhone, go live, and give a little demonstration.

Answer questions from followers

Use the Story question sticker hack from the previous section to host a question-and-answer section on your Instagram Live. You could make it about a specific topic, like “Send me your burning questions about night photography,” or you could open the floor to answer anything at all. Either way, it’s a great way to get people engaged.

Frequently asked questions about Instagram Live

With all of those tips in mind, let’s cover any remaining questions you might have.

Hosting a live stream is a unique and fun way to engage with your followers and nurture your relationship with your audience. If you put as much time and effort into your live broadcasts as you do your Stories and posts, your followers will grow to love them too.

The post The full guide to Instagram Live for iPhone photographers appeared first on Backlight.

Whether you’re creating a gallery wall of your favorite Instagram images or selling prints as a part of your photography business, everyone can benefit from learning how to print Instagram photos. In this guide, we’ll go over everything you need to know about Instagram prints, including how to download them and the best sizes to order for top-quality photographs.

How to print Instagram photos on your home printer

If you have a home printer, you’re in luck. Printing Instagram photos from a home printer is one of the easiest ways to get hard copies of your favorite images. In this section, we’ll outline how to do just that.

How to download Instagram photos to print

The first step to printing out your Instagram photos is to download them. Thankfully, the app makes saving your photos to your iPhone Camera Roll as simple as enabling a single setting.

Here’s how to automatically download your Instagram photos:

1. Open your Instagram app.
2. Press the profile icon at the bottom-right of the screen.
3. Press the three horizontal lines at the top-right of the screen.
4. Navigate to Settings > Account > Original Photos.
5. Toggle the Save Original Photos option on.

When you turn this setting on, Instagram will automatically save everything you post to your Camera Roll, and this includes past photos as well. If your Camera Roll is connected to multiple devices — such as a MacBook or an iPad — then the images will be accessible there, too.

How to print photos from your iPhone

Now that all of your Instagram images are downloaded, it’s time to print them. For the purposes of this guide, we’ll show you how to print images from your iPhone using AirPrint:

1. Open your Camera Roll
2. Navigate to the photo you wish to print.
3. Press the share button on the bottom-left side of the screen.
4. Scroll down and select Print
5. Press Select Printer.
6. Select your printer from the list.
7. Adjust the number of copies you want.
8. Press Print.

Not only is it important to have a printer with AirPrint capability, but it’s also crucial to print using the right kind of paper. Fortunately, high-gloss photo paper comes in a variety of sizes and is available online and in most office retail stores.

What is the best size to print Instagram photos?

The best size for printing Instagram images depends on the types of photos you post.

For example, if your image is cropped into a square, then the best size is 5 by 5. For a portrait, however, it’s best to go with 5 by 7. If it’s a landscape shot, print in 4 by 6. And if you’re printing an older Instagram photo — as in, before there were multiple size options — your best bet is a 4 by 4.

Can I print someone else’s Instagram photos?

Not without their permission. Printing someone’s Instagram photo without their consent violates copyright law. To avoid any legal implications, it’s wise to obtain the original photographer’s permission in written form.

How to print Instagram photos using apps

Don’t have AirPrint or an AirPrint-capable computer? No problem. There are plenty of apps available that will print your Instagram photos for you and deliver them to your doorstep.

Print Studio: Print your Instagram photos as photo books

Whether you want some classic prints to show off in a frame or a full-on photo book to give a gift, Print Studio is a great app for printing Instagram images.

Free to download, the app offers classic prints that start at $18 for a set of 24 prints. You can choose from tons of different sizes and finishes, giving you a variety of ways to enjoy your Instagram posts in real life.

Once you decide on the kinds of photos you’ll be printing, all you have to do is upload them to the app and place an order. They’ll then be printed and delivered to your front door.

Artifact Uprising: Unique ways to display your photos

Looking for a creative way to print and display your favorite Instagram images? Then Artifact Uprising will be your new favorite app.

Free to download in the App Store, Artifact Uprising is known for high-quality prints and unique designs. You can create photo books, framed gallery walls, and even wood block prints.

The cost per product is more expensive than other apps because it usually includes a frame or some other way of displaying the image.

FreePrints: Print your Instagram photos for free

Perhaps one of the best basic (and cheapest) apps for printing photos is FreePrints.

Simple, easy-to-use, and free to download, FreePrints allows you to print 85 4-by-6 photos for free each month. You do have pay for shipping, as well as any additional prints or sizes, starting at $0.69 per print.

The app allows you to select photos from your Camera Roll, as well as social media apps like Instagram and Facebook.

How to order Instagram prints online

If you don’t want to go the iPhone route, there are plenty of options for ordering your Instagram prints online through your desktop.

Printer Pix: Order simple Instagram prints

Printer Pix is a great way to order simple, classic Instagram prints online. Square 4-by-4 photos start at just $0.25, making this site a budget-friendly option.

In addition to classic prints, Print Pix also lets you print your photos on canvas, metal, and even pillowcases. After you download your images to your computer, just upload them to the website and place your order. They’ll be delivered straight to your door.

Social Print Studio: High-quality Instagram prints

With a wide variety of classic prints, large-format prints, and even photo strips, Studio Print is the best option for high-quality photo printing and delivery. Prints start at $8. They also provide options for display boxes, frames, and even business cards.

Persnickety Prints: Low-cost prints with delivery

Known specifically for its Instagram prints, Persnickety Prints gives you multiple options for printing your photos. You can adjust the border, add a retro frame, or create a fun memory page collage. Also a great budget-friendly option, prints from Persnickety Prints are affordable and delivered right to your door.

Printing your Instagram photos has never been easier thanks to the help of AirPrint and a few third-party tools. Just follow a few quick steps, and you’ll be flipping through your photos — by hand — in no time.

The post How to print Instagram photos on your iPhone and online appeared first on Backlight.

Recently, some users have discovered how to get fancy fonts on your Instagram bio. While you’re limited in terms of space — at the time of this writing, Instagram allows up to 150 characters in a bio — new hacks and third-party apps have made being stuck with default fonts a thing of the past.

Interested in learning how to change the font style on Instagram? Read on to learn everything you need to know about IG fonts.

What are the default Insta fonts?

Unless you’ve made a change to your Instagram bio, it will appear in Instagram’s default font, Neue Helvetica. This font is used for the majority of text within the app, such as captions and comments. However, if you’re an Andriod user, you’ll see your bio in Systems Roboto instead of Neue Helvetica. Headlines and other larger lines of text are in the font Freight Sans.

The only feature that allows you to change your font within the Instagram app itself is Stories. There, you can choose between these nine fonts:

• Classic
• Modern
• Neon
• Typewriter
• Strong
• Drop-Shadow
• Comic Sans
• Serif
• Sans Serif

The 6 best Instagram font generators

To have a unique font in your bio, you first have to download a font generator. Lucky for you, we’ve rounded up our favorite easy-to-use, mobile-friendly tools to help you get cool fonts for Instagram.

1. Cool Fonts For Instagram

If you’re looking for a catalog of font styles to use not only for your Instagram bio but for Facebook statuses and tweets, look no further than Cool Fonts For Instagram.

Free to download on the App Store, Cool Fonts For Instagram features a wide variety of font styles and options. All you have to do is type your text, press the “copy” button next to the font of your choice, and then paste it within the app you’re using.

2. Texty: Font Generator

Another simple yet effective app for upgrading your Instagram bio is Texty: Font Generator. As with the first app on this list, all you need to do is type in the text you intend to add to your bio (or other social media posts), choose the font, and copy it to your clipboard. From there, you can paste it wherever you like.

This app is free to download and includes a wide variety of fun fonts to choose from.

3. Fontfull

If you’re looking for a killer collection of beautiful fonts to use in your Instagram bio, as well as on Stories and post captions, then download the free app Fontfull.

Another copy-and-paste app, Fontfull features gorgeous fonts to simply paste into whatever part of the app you wish to update. While there are a lot of fonts included with the free version, the app’s premium version unlocks even more.

4. Fonts for Instagram Keyboard

One of the newer apps on the App Store, Fonts for Instagram Keyboard takes the traditional copy-and-paste method and throws it out the window. With this app, you can type directly in the Instagram app using a stylish font of your choice.

The app is free to download and comes with a free trial. After that, you’ll have to sign up for a monthly or yearly subscription to continue using it.

5. Fancy Fonts: Keyboard Changer

Another great option if you’re looking for an app that will alter your keyboard is Fancy Fonts: Keyboard Changer. Not only does this app include tons of eye-catching fonts, but it also comes with text emojis and custom color themes for your new font keyboard.

The app’s free version comes with a few fonts, but to unlock more, you’ll have to sign up for a premium subscription.

6. Fonts Master: Fonts For iPhone

If you want to be a master of great fonts, nothing compares to Fonts Master keyboard.

After you enable this app in your keyboard settings, you will get to experience a free trial of the hundreds of cool fonts available. Once your free trial is up, you can sign up for a premium version to unlock all of the app’s content — which includes everything from animal icons to stacked letters.

How to change your Instagram fonts

Now that you have all the necessary tools to change your Instagram font, it’s time to learn how to make the switch.

How to use a custom Instagram bio font

Changing your font on Instagram is a straightforward process, and you can do it using any one of the apps mentioned above. In this guide, we’ll be using the Font Master keyboard.

Before you can change your font, you need to add the Font Master keyboard to your active keyboards. Here’s how:

1. Open Settings.
2. Navigate to Keyboard > Keyboards > Add New Keyboard.
3. Select Font Master.

From there, adding a new font to your bio is as simple as editing your profile. Here’s how to add a cool font to your bio:

1. Open the Instagram app.
2. Press the profile photo icon at the bottom-right of the page.
3. Press the Edit Profile button underneath your bio.
4. Select Bio.
5. Hold down on the circle icon.
6. Select the Font Master keyboard.
7. Scroll through the fonts to find the one you wish to use.
8. Type your text.
9. Press Done.

How to change the Instagram font style on your Instagram Story

In addition to changing the font in your bio, you can also use any of the apps mentioned in this guide to add cool fonts to Instagram Stories. Here’s how to do that using the Fonts Master keyboard:

1. Open the Instagram app.
2. Press the Camera icon at the top-left of the screen.
3. Either take a new photo or video or upload one from your Camera Roll. You can so select the Aa button to create a new text-only Story.
4. Add text to your story.
5. Hold down on the circle icon.
6. Select the Font Master keyboard.
7. Scroll through the fonts to find the one you wish to use.
8. Type your text.
9. Press Next.
10. Press Send To.
11. Select Your Story.

How to use different fonts in Instagram post captions

The creative fun doesn’t stop there — you can also use cool fonts in Instagram post captions. Here’s how:

1. Open the Instagram app.
2. Press the + button at the bottom-center of the screen to add a new post.
3. Either take a new photo or video or upload one from your Camera Roll.
4. Press the area to type in your caption.
5. Hold down on the circle icon.
6. Select the Font Master keyboard.
7. Scroll through the fonts to find the one you wish to use.
8. Type your caption.
9. Press OK.
10. Press Share.

Can you use cursive and bold text on Instagram?

You can! Many of the apps listed in this guide include bold and cursive text options.

As you can see, updating your profile with cool fonts is an easy social media upgrade that anyone can take advantage of. With the right apps and tools in your iPhone, adding a new, fancy font to your Instagram bio will be a breeze.

The post How to find and use cool Instagram fonts for your bio and posts appeared first on Backlight.

Creators and influencers, on the other hand, use Highlights to feature specific themes or topics that they often share with their online audience. For example, they might break down skincare tips or share photoshoot ideas in one easy-to-locate place on their profile.

Regardless of how you use your Instagram Highlights, they are a great way to show off a wide variety of what makes you or your personal brand unique. But if you want to take it a step beyond simply curating a collection of photos and videos, the next move is to choose a specifically designed Instagram Highlight cover.

In this guide, we’ll go over everything you need to know about Instagram Story Highlight icons and how to make them.

Step 1. Plan your Highlight covers

Before you start scrolling through your Stories Archive, it’s crucial first to plan out what you want your Highlight covers to be. That way, you can curate your personal collections based on your Highlight theme.

For example, if your content is centered around travel, you might want to categorize your Highlights according to specific locations or types of vacations. Creating a plan first will make curating the Highlights (and their covers) that much easier.

Match your account’s aesthetic

When planning your Highlight covers, take your profile’s aesthetic into consideration. If your photos and content are edited to be airy and minimalistic, a bright and vibrant Highlight cover will look awkward. Staying consistent with your profile’s overall theme is a great way to communicate your personal brand to new followers. And if you haven’t established your aesthetic yet, choosing Highlight covers is a great way to start solidifying it.

For example, blogger @paytonsartain plays to the neutral colors often found in her photos, using similar tones as Highlight covers. And photographer @kileyshaiphotography does the same, with the colors of her ocean shots reflecting her choice of Highlight covers.

Make sure the cover reflects what’s in the Highlight

This may go without saying, but it’s a good reminder nonetheless: Make sure that the cover you choose reflects what’s inside the Highlight.

Now, if you’re going with a basic color scheme cover, this point doesn’t apply — just make sure the Highlight name is clear, concise, and to the point. But if you’re using an icon or a cover with a design, it needs to accurately reflect the content. Using a plane icon for a Highlight of your vacations or a camera icon for your photography tips will much more sense than using a graphic that doesn’t represent what’s inside.

Use icons

Probably the most popular way to create Instagram Highlights is to use a graphic or icon that represents what’s inside. We’ll go into detail about how to do this in the following section, but it’s a great way to showcase what your profile is all about.

For example, life coach and enneagram teacher @enneagramashton has created number icons for her covers to show off the content she creates for each specific enneagram type. Meanwhile, digital creator @chelseaasoflate keeps the same sunset-colored background behind all of her Instagram Highlight covers, which feature everything from photo tips to thrifting hauls.

Keep your covers similar

Part of matching your profile’s aesthetic is ensuring that your Highlight covers are similar in some way. You can do this by keeping them all within one color palette or using the same background behind different graphics.

If you don’t do this, your profile will look messy and chaotic — which could work if a messy and chaotic feel coincides with your brand. But for a more curated profile, make sure your Highlights match.

Step 2. Design your Instagram Story Highlight icons

Now that we’ve covered some of our top tips for planning out your Instagram Highlight covers, it’s time to make them!

Fortunately, creating covers is a lot easier than it looks. You don’t need expert designing skills or expensive computer programs to make your Highlights shine — just a little time and a free third-party tool.

How to make Instagram Highlight covers with Canva

When it comes to designing Instagram Highlight covers, Canva is the most popular tool available. Free to use on your desktop and free to download as an app to your iPhone, Canva provides hundreds of templates to use as-is or to tweak to make them your own.

Here’s how to use it:

1. Open the Canva app.
2. If you already have an account, log in. If not, sign up and create one.
3. Select “Instagram Story” under the “Create a design” tab.
4. Scroll through the designs until you find one you like. You can also type “Instagram Highlight Cover” into the search bar.
5. Select the design you like.
6. Tap on the design to change the color and text or to add other graphics.
7. When you’ve finished your design, press the share button at the top right of the screen.
8. Select “Save as image.”

And you’re done! From there, your design will be saved to your Camera Roll, where you can upload it to your Highlights. Repeat the steps above to create additional cover images.

How to design highlight icons with Story Highlight Cover Maker

Another fun (and free) app to use is Story Highlight Cover Maker. With hundreds of icons to choose from, this app lets you design your cover practically from scratch. You can even choose your own photos to use as a background and add text.

The app is free to download and comes with one icon pack. Additional icon packs are available for purchase.

Here’s how to create a Highlight cover using Story Highlight Cover Maker:

1. Open Story Highlight Cover Maker.
2. Select your background.
3. Press Next.
4. Choose the inner circle’s opacity level and its color (if you want it to be different from the background color).
5. Press Next.
6. Scroll through and select your icon or text.
7. Press Export.

After following these steps, your newly designed cover will be available in your Camera Roll.

What size should Instagram Highlight covers be?

While the tools mentioned above will automatically size your Instagram Highlight cover to fit the app’s requirements, you can also create covers elsewhere. If you do, make sure they are 1080 x 1920 pixels.

Step 3. Add custom covers to your Instagram Highlights

Now it’s time to put it all together. In this section, we’ll go over the simple steps for adding your newly created cover photo to your Instagram Highlights.

In recent years, Instagram has made it easier than ever to add a cover photo to a Highlight. After creating your Highlight, follow the steps below:

1. Open the Instagram app.
2. Press the profile image button at the bottom-right corner of the page.
3. Select the Highlight you wish to update.
4. Press the More button at the bottom-right corner of the page.
5. Select Edit Highlight.
6. Select Edit Cover.
7. Scroll to the left and press the image button.
8. Scroll until you find your new cover design and select it.
9. Press Done.

Instagram Highlights are a great way to showcase who you are and what your profile is all about. And adding a cover photo will help followers navigate to the exact content they’re looking for on your page.

The post How to make Instagram Highlight covers in 3 easy steps appeared first on Backlight.

That said, now that Instagram has begun to reduce the visibility of likes, you might be wondering if likes are as important as they used to be. And the answer is yes, now more than ever.

Depending on your geographic location, you may no longer be seeing other users’ like counts. But even if only you can see the number of likes on your post, that number is still a crucial analytic tool for determining how your content is resonating with your audience. Since Instagram began hiding likes, some influencers have reported that fewer and fewer of their followers are liking their posts, which means you’ve got to work a little harder now to get your followers’ virtual approval.

Can you buy more likes on Instagram?

You can, but we highly recommend that you don’t.

Not only is buying likes and followers incredibly shady, but it could get your account shut down. Instagram’s Community Guidelines prohibit the use of “coordinated inauthentic behavior,” which essentially means any activity that is deemed misleading. Creating a fake account representing another person, buying followers, and buying likes fall within this category.

If you want to grow your Instagram presence in an authentic, real way, you have to get your likes organically. In other words, you can’t pay for them.

There is, however, one ethical way to pay for more exposure (and potentially more likes) on Instagram: boosting a post.

How to increase likes on Instagram with Instagram Ads

When you boost a post, Instagram will strategically place it in front of more eyeballs, including new followers. It runs like an ad, and you can pay anywhere from $1.00 to $1,000, depending on how many people want to reach and how long you want to boost your post. You do have to have a professional account to boost a post. So if your account is set to personal, you’ll need to switch it to a business or creator profile within your settings.

Here’s how to do that:

1. Open the Instagram app.
2. Press the profile photo icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
3. Press the three horizontal lines in the top-right corner of the screen.
4. Navigate to Settings > Account.
5. Scroll to the bottom and select “Switch to Professional Account.”
6. Follow the prompts.

Now that you’re all set up with your professional account, here’s how to boost a post on Instagram:

1. Open your Instagram app.
2. Press the profile photo icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
3. Select the post you wish to boost.
4. Press Create Ad.
5. Decide where you want your ad to send people.
6. Select whether you want to fill out your target audience or if you want Instagram to do it for you based on your current followers.
7. Select your budget and ad duration.
8. Press Create Promotion.

And voila! Your post will be boosted in front of potential new followers for however long you like. Instagram will be happy, and you can sleep well at night, knowing you didn’t pay for fake accounts to like your photos.

How to get free likes on Instagram: 10 ways

So, how do you get more likes on Instagram without paying? Two words: active engagement.

Below, we’ll show you all of the tips and tricks used by top influencers to increase their likes and build a community of loyal followers.

Tip 1: Engage with other users

Many creators get so focused on what they’re posting and sharing that they forget a crucial element of their social media platform: being social.

Not only should you be liking and replying to comments on your posts, but you should also be liking and commenting on posts from other accounts. Participate in the conversation. Reply to Stories. Share other people’s posts. Not only does Instagram’s algorithm reward those who really utilize all the features on the platform, but your followers will be more likely to interact with your content if they know you’ll make an effort to do the same.

Tip 2: Encourage comments

We’re not going to state the obvious and tell you to post good content. Instagram is a visual platform, and it will come as a surprise to no one that high-quality photos receive more likes. However, in addition to posting great pictures, you can increase your likes by encouraging your followers to comment on your posts.

Here are a couple of ideas on how to do that:

• Post an unpopular opinion and ask for your followers’ for theirs.
• Ask for them to weigh in on a decision you’re making.
• Share a story and make a call for your followers to share theirs.

Video creator @livia_adams_ provides some great examples of how to do this. She often asks her followers to “comment below” and tell her their favorite color to wear or their different places to get their clothes. It’s a simple yet effective way to encourage engagement and start building relationships with your online community.

Tip 3: Use hashtags correctly

Hashtags are a great tool to use if you want to get your posts in front of more people — but you have to know how to use them.

It doesn’t help (and in fact, it could hurt) to overload your posts with a hundred hashtags that don’t fit into your niche audience. Instead, do your research, see which hashtags best represent the content you’re posting, and choose around nine of them.

When it comes to captions, it’s important that you’re not so broad that your post gets lost in the masses (for example, using #travel) but also not overly specific (for example, using #travelspotsforbirdowners). Doing some research within the “related hashtags” feature should help you find your sweet spot.

Tip 4: Don’t skip the geotag

Geotagging provides yet another avenue for new followers to find your content. And while there are no guarantees, one study found that posts with geotags received about 79% more engagement from followers than posts without.

Even if you get just a few extra likes or comments, this is an easy way to expand your reach — and there’s a chance you’ll land a coveted spot on the geotag’s “Top” page.

Tip 5: Stay involved in the conversation

While you want to be consistent with your content and continue posting within your niche to build authority, you can’t ignore what’s going on in the world. This doesn’t mean you have to follow every temporary trend that pops up, but if there’s a trending hashtag that you have something to say about, do it.

Overall, Instagram is all about conversations and engagement, so make sure you’re participating in the global and societal conversations that are always happening around us.

Tip 6: Post at the right times

Ideal posting times have long been debated among social media experts. But thanks to Instagram’s analytic tools, you can look into the exact times and dates when your followers are active.

Here’s how to find out your ideal posting times by using Instagram Analytics:

1. Open the Instagram App.
2. Press the profile photo icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
3. Press the three horizontal lines in the top-right corner of the screen.
4. Navigate to Insights.
5. Go to the Total Followers section.
6. Scroll down on the Follower Breakdown page.

There, you’ll find a section called Most Active Times, where you can switch between hours and days to view the times and days of the week your followers are most often using the app. From there, you can curate your posting schedule to post only during those times, thus increasing the likelihood of gaining likes.

Tip 7: Be intentional with your captions

Your captions are just as crucial as your content. So before you hit Share, make sure you’re intentional with what you write below your beautiful photos. Tell a story, share an idea, or ask a question. But whatever you do, don’t just post a string of emojis and call it a day.

Tip 8: Get personal

Whether you’re a fashion blogger or a travel photographer, people want to know the person behind the profile. Don’t be afraid to show your face and give your followers a peek inside your personal life, like health and wellness blogger @khill_fit often does.

Tip 9: Tag people and brands when appropriate

It doesn’t take an expert to know that if someone is tagged in a photo, they’re more likely to share it with their followers via their Stories or by reposting it on their own feed. Beyond tagging your friends in a picture, you can expand your reach by tagging any brands you’re using or locations that are in your photo.

A word of warning: Don’t overdo it. Instagram (and your audience) will see a bunch of photo tags as spammy.

Tip 10: Only post valuable content

A good photo is one thing, but valuable content is another.

Before you post a photo, ask yourself, “Why will my audience care?” While your profile is your platform, the only way it’s going to grow is if your followers are engaged. Yet another photo from your exotic vacation might not pique their interests, but a photo from your vacation with a caption detailing the best spots you visited just might. Take digital creator @ashley_mae, for example.

When it comes to getting more likes on Instagram, quality is always better than quantity. It might not happen overnight, but if you focus on posting engaging content for your followers, your number of likes will steadily increase over time.

The post 10 authentic ways to get more likes on Instagram appeared first on Backlight.

Whether you’re deleting inactive accounts or severing a virtual relationship, this guide will cover everything you need to know about removing followers on Instagram.

How to delete real followers on Instagram

It will come as a relief to learn that removing followers on Instagram is a simple, straightforward process. However, there are a couple of things to keep in mind before you start pressing Delete.

Removing vs. restricting vs. blocking followers on Instagram

There are three ways you can go about getting rid of specific accounts that follow your Instagram profile: removing, restricting, and blocking.

Restricting an account is basically one step above removing and one step below blocking. When you restrict an account, all of their comments and likes (as well as their direct messages) are hidden. They can still interact with your profile, but you will no longer see those interactions.

Here’s how to find your restricted accounts:

1. Open your Instagram app.
2. Press the icon of your profile picture at the bottom-right of your screen.
3. Press the three horizontal lines at the top-right of the screen.
4. Navigate to Settings > Privacy > Restricted Accounts.

From there, you can unrestrict accounts and use the search bar to find accounts to restrict.

Blocking, on the other hand, restricts a person’s profile to an even greater degree. When you block an account, that person won’t be able to comment, like, or direct message you. In fact, blocked accounts cannot find or view your profile at all. The only things that blocked accounts can see are your likes and comments on public posts.

Here’s how to find your blocked accounts:

1. Open your Instagram app.
2. Press the icon of your profile picture at the bottom-right of your screen.
3. Press the three horizontal lines at the top-right of the screen.
4. Navigate to Settings > Privacy > Blocked Accounts.

If you no longer want someone’s account to be blocked, you have the option to unblock them.

Removing an Instagram follower is a much less restrictive approach. Removed followers will potentially still be able to access and interact with your account — unless you take some precautions, which we’ll go over in a later section.

How to remove a follower on Instagram

Removing a follower on Instagram is just as simple as blocking or restricting an account. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open the Instagram app.
2. Press the icon of your profile picture at the bottom-right of your screen.
3. Press Followers.
4. Scroll or use the search bar to find the account you wish to remove.
5. Press Remove next to the account.
6. Press Remove.

Following these instructions will remove an account from your list of followers.

Is there a way to mass-delete your followers?

The previously mentioned steps are fine and dandy for removing a follower or two. But what do you do if you want to rid your account of multiple followers — or all of them?

Well, you won’t find the solution through Instagram. At the time of this writing, you can’t bulk-remove followers within the app itself. Instead, you’ll have to enlist the help of a third-party tool. For the purposes of this guide, we’ll be using the free app InstaClean – Cleaner for IG.

Here’s how to use it to mass-delete followers:

1. Download and open InstaClean – Cleaner for IG.
2. Log in with your Instagram account information.
3. Press Authorize.
4. Select Followers.
5. Scroll through and select all of the followers you wish to remove.
6. Press the three horizontal buttons at the top-right of the screen.
7. Select Remove.

With this app, you can also mass-block followers or mass-delete posts from your own Instagram profile.

What happens when you remove a follower on Instagram?

Now that you’re armed with all this knowledge, it’s time to go over some frequently asked questions about removing Instagram followers.

How to remove fake or inactive followers on Instagram

Every now and then, it’s good to do a big sweep of your Instagram followers and see which accounts are inactive or possibly fake. Social media experts refer to these accounts as “ghost followers.”

Usually, ghost accounts will have a low number of followers but a high list of accounts they’re following, and low-quality content or no content at all. And while there are third-party apps that claim to be able to detect such accounts, they aren’t very reliable. The only way you can cleanse your account of ghost followers with confidence is by manually going through your list of followers and removing ghost accounts one by one.

Here are some other red flags to look for when checking your followers list for fake accounts:

• They leave nonspecific comments under other accounts’ posts, such as “cool” or “nice pic.”
• They have tons of followers but not that many posts (or no posts at all).
• They have a generic bio that doesn’t reveal very much information about who they are.
• Some of their posts seem to promote a product or business.
• The account seems to have been created recently.

It’s a tedious task, but this process will help keep your account secure and safe from being flagged by Instagram.

Does Instagram delete fake followers?

While it’s not a guarantee, Instagram has made announcements regarding its intent to remove fake accounts from the app. The only way to make sure you have no fake accounts following you is to go through and manually check your list of followers.

As the owner of your Instagram account, you have the right to remove, restrict, or block followers as you wish. We hope this guide has shown you how to remove followers on Instagram and has made managing your audience a bit easier.

The post How to remove Instagram followers, and what happens when you do appeared first on Backlight.

As with your other Instagram content, some time, care, and attention should go into shooting and selecting your profile photo — especially when it comes to image size. In this guide, we’ll go over how to change your profile picture on Instagram, the right dimensions to use, and some tips for taking the best IG profile pic.

The Instagram profile picture size requirements

It doesn’t matter how great your profile photo is — if you don’t upload it in the correct size requirements, it won’t look good. Images that are too small or too large either won’t work or will turn out blurry and pixelated.

That being said, you’ll want to resize your profile photo into a 110px by 110px square, which is a 1:1 aspect ratio. The maximum file size a profile image on Instagram can be is 10MB.

Can I view an Instagram profile picture in full size?

No, you cannot view an Instagram profile picture in full size within the app. If you click on someone’s profile picture while on their page, it will either take you to their Stories or do nothing.

However, some third-party tools will allow you to view the full-size version of someone’s profile picture. For example, Izuum lets you see someone’s profile picture in full size just by searching for their handle.

Tips and ideas for the best Instagram profile picture

The same guidelines apply here as with all your Instagram content. You want to be intentional with your Instagram profile picture and use it as a way to communicate your message to new followers. The tips listed below will help you do just that.

Tip 1: Match your aesthetic and brand

When choosing your Instagram profile photo, it’s essential to consider the rest of your feed. You want your profile picture to make sense on your page and match the aesthetic of your personal brand.

The page of digital creator @patheight, for example, features his dark and stormy photography, usually shot in foggy, rainy weather. So it makes sense for his profile picture to be shot in a similar setting.

Tip 2: Make sure it’s evergreen

While your Christmas vacation to the Alps may have resulted in a charming picture, save it for your feed. You want to keep your Instagram profile picture as evergreen as possible because using a holiday-themed or seasonal photo may lead new followers to think your account is inactive or that you don’t regularly update it.

Tip 3: Keep your background clean

Because profile photos are so small, it’s essential to ensure that the subject of the picture — which will most likely be you — is clear. Avoiding overly cluttered or busy backgrounds will make it easier for followers to see you and identify your page.

Accounts @thatsosofi and @girlwithnojob are both great examples of how using neutral yet colorful backgrounds can not only make your profile photo clearer but also tease the theme of your feed.

Tip 4: Keep the subject front and center

Again, you don’t have much space to fill with your profile picture. So whatever you want to use as the subject of your photo, make sure it is close up and in the center of the image. A subject that’s too far away from the camera or off to one side will make it harder for followers to recognize you and your page.

Tip 5: Consider using a prop

Beyond colors and backgrounds that match your brand, there’s another fun way you can use your profile photo to show new followers what your account is all about: props.

For example, wedding photographer @heathersmithphotos poses in her profile photo with her camera, and @thehonestvet appropriately shares her profile picture with a pup.

How to change your profile picture on Instagram

Now that you’ve learned all of the best tips and tricks for shooting a great Instagram profile picture, it’s time to update it. While there are no hard and fast rules for how often you should update your profile picture, it’s wise not to change it up too often. If you keep the same profile picture (and use it on your other social media platforms), your followers will be more likely to identify it with your content.

Changing your profile photo on Instagram is simple. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open your Instagram app.
2. Press the icon of your current profile photo at the bottom right of the screen.
3. Tap the Edit Profile button below your bio.
4. Then tap Change Profile Photo.
5. Select Choose From Library.
6. Navigate to the photo you wish to use in your Camera Roll.
7. Press Done.

After selecting Change Profile Photo, you also have the option to import a picture from Facebook, take a new profile picture with the in-app camera, or remove your current photo, which will leave just a black circle on your Instagram profile.

Why is my Instagram profile photo blurry?

If your profile picture is coming out blurry and pixelated, there are several possible causes. The most common reason is that you’re uploading a photo with a low resolution that is too small to use. Make sure you’re following the dimension guidelines and uploading images in a JPEG format.

If you’re not saving your photos in low resolution on purpose, you might want to check your iCloud settings. If you have the Optimize iPhone Storage setting enabled, your iPhone will automatically replace full-resolution photos and videos with smaller versions to save space on your Camera Roll.

Here’s how to check that setting:

1. Open your Settings.
2. Apple ID > iCloud > Photos
3. Select Download and Keep Originals instead of Optimize Photo Storage.

Following those instructions should do the trick to keep you from accidentally uploading low-res photos. If you do want to keep the Optimize iPhone Storage setting on, you can always access the full-resolution versions of your photos on your iCloud.

As you can see, there are many unique ways you can use your profile picture to promote your page and accentuate your brand. We hope you found these tips helpful in growing your presence on Instagram.

The post A guide to the ideal Instagram profile picture: Size and best practices appeared first on Backlight.

Back in the day, you had to log completely out of one Instagram account before you could sign in to another. But nowadays, Instagram allows you to switch back and forth between accounts without logging out. Here’s everything you need to know about juggling several Instagrams.

How many Instagram accounts can you have?

According to Instagram’s Help Center, you can have up to five different Instagram accounts, which you can switch between without logging out. (This is not to say that you can’t have more than five, but after you reach that limit, you’ll have to log out and log back in to access additional profiles.)

It’s also important to note that this option is only available for iPhones and Androids with the 7.15 update (available in the App Store and the Google Play Store). So if you are unable to add additional accounts, you may need to update your Instagram app.

Can you create multiple Instagram accounts with one email address?

No. At this time, every Instagram account must have an individual email address. You can’t create multiple Instagram accounts with the same email address.

However, that doesn’t mean you have to create a new email address for every new account you make. If you create a second Instagram account via the app, you can sign up with your phone number instead of your email address.

Creating and managing multiple accounts on Instagram

Now that we’ve covered the basics, it’s time to dive into all the different ways to create and manage several accounts on Instagram. In the following section, you’ll find all the instructions you need to create new profiles, along with the answers to some of the top questions about having multiple accounts.

How to create a new Instagram account

Before share how to manage multiple accounts, let’s start with the basics: creating an Instagram account. Whether it’s your first account or your third, the same rules apply.

There are two ways you can create an Instagram account: from the app on your iPhone and from the website on your computer. Below are instructions for creating an Instagram account on your iPhone:

1. Open your Instagram app.
2. Press the icon of your profile photo at the bottom-right of the screen.
3. Press your account name.
4. Select Add Account
5. Select Create New Account.
6. Create a username and password and fill out your profile details.
7. Press Next.

If you want to create an Instagram account from your desktop, follow these instructions:

1. Open your desktop browser.
2. Go to www.instagram.com.
3. If you already have an Instagram account, log out of it.
4. Click Sign Up.
5. Enter your email address.
6. Create a username and password and fill out your profile details.
7. Press Done.

Using either of these options will create a brand new Instagram account for you to use.

How to add a second Instagram account to the app

When you add a new account to your app following the instructions in the previous section, the account will automatically be added in your app. That way, you can easily switch back and forth between them.

However, if you need to add a second account that you created elsewhere or at an earlier time, here’s how you can do that:

1. Open your Instagram app.
2. Press the icon of your profile photo at the bottom-right of the screen.
3. Press the three horizontal lines at the top-right of the screen.
4. Select Settings
5. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and select Add Account.
6. Select Log Into Existing Account.
7. Enter your account information and log in.

Note that after you add a new account to your Instagram app, you will receive notifications from all of the profiles you’ve added unless you manually turn off your notifications. So if you don’t want your phone to blow up all day with messages and likes, it might be a good idea to put your secondary account on silent.

How to switch accounts on Instagram

Here’s how to switch between multiple Instagram accounts using the app:

1. Open your Instagram app.
2. Press the icon of your profile photo at the bottom-right of the screen.
3. Press your username at the top of the screen.
4. Select the account you’d like to switch to.

And that’s it! After you’ve added your new account to the app, you can switch back and forth whenever you want.

How to remove a second Instagram account from the app

Not all Instagrams were meant to last forever. So if you find yourself needing to remove an Instagram account from your app, there are just a few simple steps you need to follow.

Here’s how to remove a secondary account from your Instagram app:

1. Open your Instagram app.
2. Press the icon of your profile photo at the bottom-right of the screen.
3. Press the three horizontal lines at the top-right of the screen.
4. Select Settings
5. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and select Login Info.
6. Press the blue checkmark next to the account you wish to remove.
7. Press Remove.

While following these steps will remove the account from your Instagram app, it will not disable or delete the account.

Can you merge Instagram accounts?

Even though you can jump back and forth between up to five Instagram accounts at a time, you cannot merge those accounts.

At this time, there is no way to merge followers and content from multiple accounts into a single account. The closest you can get is following the same people on both accounts and reposting the same photos.

In this modern-day world of social media and internet personalities, more people than ever are managing multiple social media accounts at once. Whether you’re doing this for work or to show off your many cool hobbies, we hope this guide makes having multiple Instagram accounts a breeze.

The post How to create multiple Instagram accounts and switch between them appeared first on Backlight.

Contrary to popular belief, Instagram business accounts are quite similar to personal accounts — and a brick and mortar shop isn’t a prerequisite for using all the features. Gig-economy workers like photographers and videographers have found a lot of success by using these accounts. Read on to learn more about business Instagram accounts and how to use one to grow your business. 

Instagram business accounts and how they work

If you want Instagram to recognize your profile as a business — meaning you use Instagram to reach new customers, showcase your work, or even make money — you have to switch your personal account to a business account. 

Doing so will give you even more tools to promote your photography. Not only is the switch easy to do, but setting up a business account is also free. 

What’s the difference between a personal account and a business one?

An Instagram business account is the same as a personal account except for a few key differences. While the purpose of personal accounts is to engage with an online community, connect with friends, and document moments, the primary function of business accounts is to help businesses grow. One of the ways they do that is by offering the following tools: 

• Instagram Insights. This free analytics feature collects data about your content performance, engagement rate, and follower demographics
• Ads. This is a paid feature that allows you to promote a post or Story to reach people who don’t yet follow you. 
• Contact info. Having a business account gives you a space on your Instagram profile page to include a phone number, email address, and physical address for people to contact you if you wish.
• Swipe Up. Business accounts have a feature within Instagram Stories that allows users to swipe up to redirect them to a URL (you must have at least 10,000 followers or be verified to have this feature). 

Other than ads — which you pay for based on how long you want to run an ad and how many people you’d like to reach — the other tools are free. You do, however, need to have a business account to access them, as they’re not available to personal accounts. 

Another difference between personal and business accounts is that personal accounts can link to multiple Facebook pages and profiles. By contrast, business accounts are only allowed to link to one (ideally, the business’s Facebook page). It’s also important to note that business profiles can’t go private, as personal profiles can. 

How a business account helps promote your work

Considering all of these additional tools and features available for businesses, you’re probably wondering exactly how they can help you grow your account. 

If your business’s primary service is visual content (e.g., photographers, videographers, graphic design artists), then it makes sense to promote your work through your Stories and posts. Besides simply sharing your best work, here are some other ways you can use a business account to grow your following: 

• Link to your business’s website in your Instagram bio to increase its traffic. 
• Use the Audience tool within Instagram Insights to determine your account’s audience so you can promote to them specifically. 
• Use the Content tool within Instagram Insights to identify your highest-performing content. 
• Include a relatable hashtag within your Instagram bio to increase your reach. 
• Use the Category feature to display what your business is and what you do. 
• Use the Contact feature on your profile (such as an email address or phone number) to provide an easy way for people to inquire about your services. 

How to create an Instagram business account

An Instagram business account can help you grow and solidify your business in the virtual marketplace thanks to the additional analytic tools and promotional features. If you want to create a business Instagram account from scratch, follow the instructions below.

Please note that if you’re creating an account for the first time, it will automatically be a personal account, so you still have to take steps to switch it to a business profile. 

Here’s how to create an Instagram business account: 

1. Download the Instagram app if you haven’t already. 
2. Open the app. 
3. Press Sign Up.
4. Enter your email address. 
5. Press Next or log in with your Facebook account. 
6. Go to your profile by clicking on the icon at the bottom-right of the screen. 
7. Tap the three horizontal lines at the top-right of the screen. 
8. Press Settings > Account > Switch to Business Account. 
9. Add in all of your business account information. 
10. Press Done. 

How to convert your Instagram into a business account 

If you already have a personal account that you’ve been using to share your photography, videography, or other visual content, you might want to switch your current account to a business account. 

The instructions are similar to creating a business account from scratch. Just do the following to switch your personal account to a business account: 

1. Open Instagram. 
2. Go to your profile by tapping the icon at the bottom-right of the screen. 
3. Tap the three horizontal lines at the top-right of the screen. 
4. Go to Settings > Account.
5. Press Switch to Business Account.
6. Add in all of your business account information. 
7. Press Done. 

How to make a separate business account on Instagram 

Another option is to create an entire Instagram account separate from your personal account. Again, every new account will automatically be a personal account, so after you create your new account, you’ll have to switch it to a business account. 

Here’s how to do it: 

1. Open Instagram. 
2. Go to your profile by clicking on the icon at the bottom-right of the screen. 
3. Tap the three horizontal lines at the top-right of the screen. 
4. Go to Settings > Add Account > Create New Account. 
5. Add your new username. 
6. Choose to log in with your existing username or add a new email or phone number. 
7. Press Complete Sign Up 
8. Go to your profile by tapping the icon at the bottom-right of the screen. 
9. Next, press the three horizontal lines at the top-right of the screen. 
10. Tap Settings > Account > Switch to Business Account. 
11. Add in all of your business account information. 
12. Press Done. 

While it’s certainly not necessary to have a business account to enjoy Instagram, it may be a good idea if you’re serious about growing your following. Photography and videography businesses, in particular, can reap serious benefits from promoting their work and finding new clients on Instagram. 

The post Why you need an Instagram business account, and how to set it up appeared first on Backlight.

Displaying your unique style and artistic outlook can be intimidating when hundreds of thousands of photographers are attempting to do the same. However, painting a cohesive aesthetic by giving your Instagram grid a theme is a sure way to stand out from the virtual crowd. Read on to learn more about what Instagram themes are — and find some creative accounts to inspire your own. 

But first, what’s an Instagram theme?

An Instagram theme is the essence of your Instagram profile, displayed through the content on your grid, your Highlight covers, your bio, your profile picture, and even your Stories. However, your Instagram posts are where your theme shines the brightest. 

You can choose a theme based on pretty much anything you want. Themes are voiced through airy photo filters, the type of content you post (e.g., travel, fashion, puppies, etc.), unique camera angles, and specific subjects. It can be as complicated as close-up photos of rare insects or as simple as choosing a single color to photograph. 

Anything is possible, really, and the theme you want to use is up to you. 

Our 10 favorite Instagram themes for your inspiration

As stated previously, there’s no limit to what you can use as inspiration for your Instagram theme. 

With never-ending options, picking one can be overwhelming. So we’ve rounded up our 10 favorite Instagram themes used by popular photographers to help get your creative juices flowing.  

Read on for some of the most unique Instagram grid themes being used right now. 

1. Teal and orange filter by @allabout.michaela

Over the past year or two, it seems like this bright, airy teal and orange filter has all but dominated the pages of massive influencers, and it’s easy to see why. @allabout.michaela utilizes this popular filter to enhance her stunning self-portraits and travel shots, but she makes it her own with her artistic doodles and stickers. This goes to show that you can find ways to add your personal touch to even the most common Instagram themes. 

2. Rainbow by @sarah_peretz

There’s nothing more visually pleasing than a flood of multiple colors. And that’s exactly what you get when you scroll through the rainbow-inspired feed of @sarah_peretz. While she is the main subject of her photos, those who are more camera-shy can recreate this look by challenging themselves to find other subjects to highlight by using the entire color wheel. You can mimic this look by melting one photo to the next or by making every post rainbow-themed. 

3. Natural tones by @myparisianart

If earthy, natural tones are more of your thing, turn your attention to the feed of @myparisianart. Not only do her photos cohesively display a natural, tan filter and subject color, but they’re also all close-up shots. This goes to show that you can have multiple elements at play when deciding what your Instagram theme will be. 

4. Wild about flowers by @fredi_boldt

The floral posts of @frediboldt are living proof that you don’t have to choose a single color or filter to have a beautiful Instagram feed. While the tones, shots, poses, locations, and even subjects differ vastly from photo to photo, they all have one common element: flowers. If there’s something you love photographing, brainstorm ways you can use it as the overarching theme for your Instagram. 

5. Aerial views by @seayou.later

While the beautiful shots of @seayou.later are sure to spark some travel envy, they might also spark some Instagram theme inspiration. Even though his main subject is the ocean and oceanic landscapes, what really sets his photographs apart is the aerial point of view. Whether you want to zoom in dramatically or use a drone to get as high off the ground as humanly possible, challenge yourself to play with different angles. 

6. Classic black and white by @eduardfrances

Taking all of the color out of your photographs is a commitment, but, as you can see from the profile of @eduardfrances, it can be worth it. Not only is this Instagram theme very simple and easy to recreate, but it’s a classic look that will stand strong throughout the many photography fads and trends that will come and go. 

7. Flatlay by @flaylayindia

If you don’t want to be limited by the constraints of color and filter, take a look at the feed of @flatlayindia. Flatlays — a type of photography where people, items, and other elements are spread out artistically on a flat surface — are an Instagram staple. Make them the theme of your entire feed and try to see all the unique ways you can craft this photo style. 

8. Minimalism by @jasminerossol

Another classically timeless look is that of the minimalist, which is beautifully displayed on the profile of @jasminerossol. Using filters, angles, and carefully selected backgrounds alike, this creator is able to lend a minimalist look to all of her photos, no matter what they are or where they are shot. To recreate this look, keep in mind that less is always more. 

9. Rinse and repeat by @muradosmann

By now, you’ve probably heard of @muradosmann and his iconic #followmeto project. While you can, by all means, replicate his viral shot and join in the movement, you could also use his repetitive pose theme to inspire your own. Play around with different poses and shots you could consistently duplicate in different places and see what happens.

10. Geometric fun tagline by @drcuerda

You don’t have to be a geometry whiz to incorporate it into your photography. With fun photos and interesting backgrounds, @drcuerda uses different patterns he finds around the world to create unique shots that are colorful and exciting. Try searching for similar backgrounds in your neighborhood and see what kind of fun geometry you could create.  

Hopefully, scrolling through these creative Instagram themes has inspired some ideas of your own. Even though a lot has been done already, there are tons of ways to put your own spin on a theme to make it uniquely yours.

The post 10 Instagram theme ideas for your photography account appeared first on Backlight.

Instagram Stories are one of the app’s most-used tools. Not only do they make sharing the behind-the-scenes details of your life easy and fun, but businesses and creators have found unique ways to use Stories to showcase their work. Since the Stories feature has a built-in camera, many users simply shoot their content directly before posting. The only caveat is that you need to take extra steps to ensure that your Stories are saved to your iPhone before they disappear after the 24-hour mark. 

In this guide, we’ll show you everything you need to know about how to save your Instagram Stories to your phone. 

Save your own Story on Instagram

If you choose to use the built-in Instagram camera — instead of uploading photos from your Camera Roll — you’ll want to know how to save your Instagram Stories before you start posting. You have two options: download the Stories to your Camera Roll, or save them to your Instagram Archive.

In addition to letting you view your Stories beyond the 24-hour limit, the Archive also allows you to do the following: 

• Share your old Stories and posts as memories on your current Story 
• Create Highlights on your profile 
• Share old Stories as Instagram posts

How to save your Instagram Stories to the Archive

If you never want to lose your Instagram Stories again, the Archive is your new best friend. Basically, this is the home of all of your Stories within the Instagram app once they’ve been live for 24 hours and disappear from the Stories feature on your profile and homepage. Think of it as your personal library of Stories. 

Only you have access to your Archive. None of your followers can see it — unless they have the login information for your account. 

By now, you’re probably wondering where the Instagram Archive is located. First, we’ll show you how to find the Archive within the app: 

1. Open your Instagram app. 
2. Press the icon of your profile picture at the bottom-right of the screen. 
3. Press the three horizontal lines at the top-right of the screen.
4. Select Archive. 
5. Press the downward arrow next to the word Archive at the top-center of the screen.
6. Select Stories. 

Now that you know where to find your Archive, let’s go over how to save your Instagram Stories to the Archive:

1. Open the Instagram app. 
2. Press the icon of your profile picture at the bottom-right of the screen. 
3. Press the three horizontal lines at the top-right of the screen.
4. Navigate to Settings > Privacy > Story.
5. Scroll down to the Saving section. 
6. Toggle on the Save to Archive option. 

Following these steps will ensure that all of your posted Instagram Stories will be automatically saved to your Stories Archive after the 24-hour mark has passed. You can access them there at any time. 

How to download saved Stories from the Archive

Having your Instagram Stories saved to your Archive is great, but how do you download them directly to your Camera Roll? Luckily, once your photos and videos are saved in the Archive, saving them to your iPhone is just as easy. 

Here’s how to save your Stories from your Archive onto your iPhone Camera Roll: 

1. Open your Instagram app. 
2. Press the icon of your profile picture at the bottom-right of the screen. 
3. Press the three horizontal lines at the top-right of the screen.
4. Select Archive. 
5. Press the downward arrow next to the word Archive at the top-center of the screen.
6. Select Stories. 
7. Navigate to the photo or video you want to save. 
8. Press the More button at the bottom-right of the screen. 
9. Select Save…

Following those simple instructions will save your Stories from your Archive directly to your Camera Roll. 

How to download a current Instagram Story 

Downloading a current Instagram Story — as in, one that is still visible at the top-left of your home screen and on your profile — is just as easy as downloading Stories from the past. Here’s how to do it: 

1. Open your Instagram app. 
2. Press the icon of your profile at the top-left of the homepage screen to access your current Stories. 
3. Press the More button at the bottom-right of the screen. 
4. Select Save…
5. Select Save Story. 

Doing this will save your entire Instagram Story as a photo or video to your Camera Roll. 

How to automatically download your Stories on Instagram

If the idea of having to manually save your Instagram Story every time you post one sounds tedious, we have good news: You can set your Instagram Stories to be automatically saved to your Camera Roll. 

Here’s how to automatically download your Instagram Stories: 

1. Open the Instagram app. 
2. Press the icon of your profile picture at the bottom-right of the screen. 
3. Press the three horizontal lines at the top-right of the screen.
4. Navigate to Settings > Privacy > Story.
5. Scroll down to the Saving section. 
6. Toggle on the Save to Camera Roll option.

Download someone else’s Story on Instagram

Now that you’ve learned all the tips and tricks for saving your own Instagram Story, you’re probably wondering if it’s possible to save someone else’s Instagram Story. Unfortunately, there are no in-app ways to download another user’s Stories. There are, however, a few workarounds that people use that make it possible to save almost any Instagram Story. 

Is it OK to save Stories posted by other people?

First of all, you’ll only be able to save someone’s Stories through the following workarounds if the person’s account is public or if you’re one of their approved followers. These tools won’t work on private accounts whose content you cannot see. 

That said, just because you can save someone’s Instagram Story doesn’t mean you should. Instagram’s Terms of Use state that you should only “post authentic content,” and should not “post anything you’ve copied or collected from the Internet that you don’t have the right to post,” as it could violate intellectual property rights. 

So while you may see no harm in saving a video of you and your friends that was posted on someone else’s Stories, keep in mind that reposting content without the owner’s permission is illegal. Be safe, and be sure to get written consent before you press Publish. 

How to download a Story on Instagram using StorySaver.net

Now that we’ve addressed the legality of saving someone else’s Instagram Stories, let’s go over the tools needed to do so. There are tons of third-party services that will help you save a Story, but for the purposes of this guide, we’ll show you how to use the free tool StorySaver.net. 

In order to use this feature, you’ll have to have access to a desktop computer. Here’s how to save Instagram Stories using StorySaver.net: 

1. Open your desktop browser. 
2. Go to Instagram. 
3. Log in to your account. 
4. Navigate to the Story you wish to download (at the top of the page). 
5. Select and copy the URL at the top of your browser. 
6. Go to StorySaver. 
7. Paste the copied URL in the download bar. 
8. Press Download. 
9. Navigate to the photo or video you wish to download. 
10. Press Save. 

After you follow those instructions, the photo or video you selected will be downloaded directly to your desktop. You can save or download as many Stories as you want. 

How to save someone’s Instagram Story as a screenshot or screencast

If you’d rather download someone’s Stories directly to your Camera Roll, the simplest way to do that is by taking a screenshot or a screencast of the Story. 

Here’s how to download Instagram Stories by taking a screenshot: 

1. Open the Instagram app. 
2. Navigate to the Story you wish to download by swiping through the Stories on your home screen or going to the person’s profile page. 
3. Simultaneously press your iPhone’s volume up button and side button. 

Following these instructions will result in a screenshot of the Story, which will automatically be saved to your Camera Roll. It’s also worth noting that Instagram does not notify the user if you take a screenshot of their post. 

But what if the Story you want to save is a video? In that case, you can take a screencast. First, you need to make sure your screencast control is easily accessible. Here’s how to add it to your Control Center: 

1. Go to your Settings app. 
2. Navigate to Control Center > Customize Controls.
3. Scroll until you find Screen Recording. 
4. Press the green plus sign to add it. 

Now that it’s in your Control Center, here’s how to use this built-in tool to save another user’s Instagram Story: 

1. Open your Instagram app. 
2. Navigate to the Story you wish to download by swiping through the Stories on your home screen or going to the person’s profile page. 
3. Open your Control Center by swiping down from the upper-right corner of the screen if you have an iPhone X or later, or by swiping up from the bottom edge of any screen if you have an iPhone SE (2nd generation) or iPhone 8 or earlier. 
4. Let the video play. 
5. Press the red box located over the clock at the top-left of your screen. 
6. Select Stop to stop the screencast. 

Following these instructions will result in a recording of the user’s Story, saved directly to your Camera Roll. 

Instagram Stories are an amazing tool, whether you’re on the app to grow your business or just have fun. If you love posting to your Stories, we hope this guide made it easier to save those memories. 

The post How to save an Instagram Story and download it to your iPhone appeared first on Backlight.

Stories enable us to do more and express ourselves in ways that just aren’t possible in a single post. That’s why so many artists and creators have gravitated toward these temporary highlight reels for their followers. The possible applications for Stories are continuously growing and expanding, especially with the ever-increasing access to Story templates.

Instagram Story templates are essentially fill-in-the-blank graphics that allow you to transform your ordinary Story into something more creative. In this article, we’ll cover all our favorite IG Story templates and how best to use them.

The best Instagram templates for your Story

Believe it or not, there are literally hundreds of thousands of Instagram Story templates out there for you to choose from. To save you the many hours it would take to weed through them all, we’ve rounded up some of our favorites for creatives, artists, and photographers to use:

1. GRDS by Featured
2. VTNG by Featured
3. WIP by Featured
4. Clasico Series 1 by Unfold
5. Journal 2 by Unfold
6. Keep dazzlin’ by Canva
7. Your Story by Canva
8. Coat of the Day by Canva
9. Cheers to Nature by Over
10. London by Over
11. Scrapbook by Over
12. Monochrome by Over

1. GRDS: Grid-style Instagram Stories templates by Featured

GRDS is the classic style of Instagram Story templates, only better. With 16 different magazine and blog-style layouts, this package from Featured is a must-have for all photographers and bloggers looking to share multiple photos in a single Story. There are various layouts to choose from, with the option to share up to five photos as well as change the background of the Story and the color and size of the photo border.

The Featured app is free to download, but GRDS is available for purchase for $1.99.

Featured on the App Store

2. VTNG: Vintage-inspired IG Story templates by Featured

Inspired by beautiful retro stationery and old-school polaroid prints, this template package is perfect for those who love a bit of vintage flair. Available for purchase for $1.99, VTNG comes with 16 different templates that can display up to three photos in addition to the jagged and burned paper effects and other antique overlays. You can change the color of some of the templates, add text, and use one of your photos as your Story’s background as well.

3. WIP: Unique templates for Instagram Stories by Featured

Perhaps one of the most original template packages available, WIP takes an element that is already quite familiar to anyone who uses technology to express their creativity — the internet and operating systems — and turns it into cool, artistic templates. There are 16 different IG Story templates to choose from, and you can replicate anything from opening a photo on your desktop to that classic grey-and-white checkerboard background in Photoshop. The possibilities for edgy Stories and one-of-a-kind grid mashups are endless.

The WIP package is available for purchase for $1.99.

4. Clasico Series 1: Free Instagram Story template by Unfold

Not every good template package requires a purchase. The Clasico Series 1 from Unfold is free when you download the app and features 27 different layout templates to choose from. You can display up to five photos in multiple formats, as well as write short titles and descriptions for Stories that require a little more context. This package is great for those who want to really tell a story with their Stories.

Unfold on the App Store

5. Journal 2: Artistic IG Story templates by Unfold

Described as the ideal template package for “nostalgic storytellers,” Journal 2 (also referred to as JN2) comes with 15 layouts that mimic Polaroid photos, grainy scrapbook paper, and vintage photo albums. You can include up to three photos with some of the IG Story templates included, and you can add a description to tell a short story or document your date and location.

The Unfold app is free to download, but the JN2 template package costs $1.99. However, this package and 100 others are included when you sign up for Unfold+, which costs $2.99 a month or $19.99 a year.

6. Keep dazzlin’: A colorful Instagram Story template by Canva

Are you looking for something a little more celebratory? The Keep dazzlin’ template package from Canva is perfect for highlighting and showing off your favorite moments from your last big night out. Free after you download the app, this package comes with six different layouts that allow you to display up to two photos in its colorful pink and yellow palette. As with all free Instagram Story templates in Canva, you can change the images, change the color of the background and graphics, and add text.

Canva on the App Store

7. Your Story: A simple overlay Story template by Canva

There’s nothing more classic or aesthetically pleasing than a good overlay. And that’s precisely what Your Story from Canva provides. This free Instagram Story template comes with eight different minimalist layouts to choose from that can display up to three photos. While the sage green and white palette is beautiful, you have options to change the background color, add text, or add graphics to customize it any way you’d like.

8. Coat of the Day: A funky collage IG Story template by Canva

This template package is anything but simple — with fun patterns, quirky graphics, and bold colors, Coat of the Day is more like the funky scrapbook pages you always wished your mother had. You can only display up to two photos in this five-template package, but the ones that make the cut will stand out on your Instagram Stories like no other.

Like most templates on Canva, this one is free and totally customizable.

9. Cheers to Nature: A blogging Instagram Story template by Over

If travel photography is your thing, you’ll love this single template from Over. The ripped paper effect will make your image look like it was torn straight out of your travel journal. While you can change the text and add graphics and shapes, the best part about this template is that it’s compatible with video.

While Over is free to download, most of the templates are only available with a subscription to Over Pro, which features over 170 fonts, 20,000 graphics, and a variety of professionally designed templates.

Over on the App Store

With so many different template apps and packages available, it’s easy to add a bit of variety to your Stories. We encourage you to explore and see what kind of creativity is possible with these and many more Instagram Story templates.

The post 9 Instagram Story templates to show off your photos appeared first on Backlight.

While the possibilities are greater than ever with today’s Instagram, there are still restrictions on photo sizes. And if you’re not sure about the crop ratio or how to keep Instagram from posting lower-quality images, no worries. We’ve got you covered.

In this guide, we’ll go over all of the current Instagram image sizes to be aware of — and how to ensure that your content is being posted in the best format possible.

The Instagram Story size and aspect ratio

Unless you’re capturing and posting content directly with the in-app camera, it’s helpful to understand the different size requirements for Instagram. One good thing to note is that they are not identical across the board; there are different requirements for different posting formats, and the first one we’ll go over is Stories.

To upload a photo from your Camera Roll, it must be 1080 pixels by 1920 pixels. If you’re unfamiliar with these dimensions, that means your content will have to be 1080 pixels in width by 1920 pixels in height, which gives it an aspect ratio of 9:16 (“aspect ratio” is a term that refers to the ratio of a photo’s width to its height). These restrictions also mean that the maximum size in terms of megabytes (or MB) is 30MB.

You can upload a photo that does not fall within these dimensions, but Instagram will crop it to fit, as displayed in the example below.

How to resize a photo for Instagram Stories on iPhone

However, if your photo doesn’t meet the Instagram Story requirements, you can easily resize it to fit. And you don’t even have to download any additional third-party apps to do so.

Here’s how to resize a photo for Instagram Stories through your Photos app on your iPhone:

1. Open the Photos app.
2. Navigate to the photo you want to resize.
3. Press the Edit button at the top-right of the screen.
4. Press the crop tool at the bottom-right of the screen.
5. Press the sizing options button at the top-right of the screen.
6. Slide through the options until you see 9:16.
7. Select the 9:16 size.
8. Adjust the photo to fit the size box however you like.
9. Press Done.

After you complete those steps, your newly resized photo will be ready to be uploaded via Stories.

The optimal Instagram post sizes

When it comes to your Instagram feed, there’s a little more wiggle room in terms of photo dimensions. But not all sizes are created equal. There are some restrictions and varying optimal sizes for each photo format to help you publish the highest-quality post allowed.

Instagram square photo size

Sometimes, you want to keep it classic. And if that’s the case, then the square photo format is the way to go.

For this format, the recommended photo size is 1080 pixels by 1080 pixels, an aspect ratio of 1:1. Instagram will compress your file, so the photo that gets published on your feed will be closer to 600 pixels by 600 pixels.

Instagram portrait size and aspect ratio

Want to show off your full-length vertical pic? You can, so long as you adhere to the following requirements.

For vertical (also known as portrait) photos, Instagram recommends a size of 1080 pixels by 1350 pixels. That way, it will be displayed at 480 pixels by 600 pixels when compressed. The aspect ratio for that size is 4:5.

If you try to upload anything larger than that size — like an iPhone photo in its original 3:4 aspect ratio — Instagram will crop your content back down to 4:5.

Instagram horizontal image size and aspect ratio

Horizontal (aka wide-length) photos are where things can get a bit complicated. Instagram recommends an aspect ratio of 1.91:1 or 1200 pixels by 627 pixels. However, you can actually post a horizontal photo as large as 16:9, or 1920 pixels by 1080 pixels.

As long as you make the height of your photo 1080 pixels, the quality of your image should be retained.

How to post a full-size photo on Instagram

By default, Instagram still crops your photo to a square aspect ratio. But a quick step in your posting process can revert your photo back to its full length. Here’s how to post a full-size vertical or horizontal photo:

1. Open your Instagram app.
2. Press the + button at the bottom-center of the screen.
3. Navigate and select the photo you wish to post.
4. Press the extension button at the bottom-left of the photo.
5. Press Next.
6. Add a filter if you’d like.
7. Press Next.
8. Fill in your caption and any other details.
9. Press Share.

Remember: If you don’t follow the previously mentioned steps, Instagram will automatically post your photo in the square format. So if you don’t want to publish a cropped photo, resize it to the allowed optimal size (see above) and follow the steps, as indicated.

How do you post photos of different sizes in a carousel post?

Another example of a time when things can get tricky is when you attempt to create a post using multiple images (also known as a carousel or an album post) featuring photos of different sizes. Instagram requires album posts to all be the same aspect ratio. So if you want to post different images in different sizes, you can do that by adding frames to them with the help of a third-party app. In this case, we’ll be using the free app No Crop For Instagram Story.

Here’s how to post photos of different sizes in a carousel post:

1. Go through your Camera Roll and save the photos you want to use in your album to your Favorites folder so they’re easy to find.
2. Open No Crop For Instagram Story.
3. Select the first photo you wish to use in your post.
4. Select Color.
5. Choose your color (white is a popular option, but you can use any color you’d like).
6. Press Save.
7. Repeat the process with the rest of the photos with your carousel.
8. Upload them to Instagram.

How to resize an image for an Instagram post

If you need to resize your photo for an Instagram post, all you have to do is follow some instructions similar to those used for resizing for your Instagram Stories.

Here’s how to resize a photo for Instagram using the iPhone’s Photos app:

1. Open the Photos app.
2. Navigate to the photo you want to resize.
3. Press the Edit button at the top-right of the screen.
4. Press the crop tool at the bottom-right of the screen.
5. Press the sizing options button at the top-right of the screen.
6. Slide through the options until you see aspect ratio size that matches with the Instagram photo format you’d like to use (Square or 8:10).
7. Select the size.
8. Adjust the photo to fit the size box however you want.
9. Press Done.

Does Instagram lower photo quality?

Instagram is believed to be the culprit of many users’ photo quality issues. While it is true that the social media app compresses photos upon publishing, they do upload them at the highest-quality resolution possible, up to a width of 1080 pixels.

However, if you’re uploading an image with an aspect ratio that isn’t supported, Instagram will crop it to fit a supported ratio. If you’re uploading a photo with a lower resolution, Instagram will enlarge it to a width of 320 pixels, and if you’re uploading a photo with a higher resolution, it will be sized down to a width of 1080 pixels.

So long as you’re uploading within Instagram’s photo restrictions, your photos will not be low-quality.

The Instagram profile photo size

Finally, the last category of image restrictions you should be familiar with has to do with your profile photo. Displayed on your profile page, on your Story, and next to your posts, your profile photo must be a minimum of 110 pixels by 110 pixels. The maximum resolution allowed is 180 pixels x 180 pixels.

While uploading photos to Instagram is as simple as clicking a button — literally — it’s essential to make sure that the images you’re uploading fall within the platform’s size guidelines, so you’re only showing off the highest-quality content possible.

The post The ultimate Instagram photo size guide: Stories, posts, and more appeared first on Backlight.

Traditionally, the method of using Instagram was to post only when you had something to post. But nowadays, influencers and photographers are curating their feeds weeks in advance by using third-party scheduling tools and apps. At the time of this writing, Instagram doesn’t have an in-app feature that allows you to schedule your posts. So if you want to set up your social media calendar, you’ll have to use a third-party tool on your mobile device or desktop. 

In this guide, we’ll go over everything you need to know about how to schedule posts and the best tools to use, no matter which device you’re on. 

Can you schedule Instagram posts?

The short answer is yes — but not within the Instagram app. As already stated, you have to use a third-party app or tool to schedule Instagram posts. 

Facebook — which bought Instagram in 2012 — released the Creator Studio in 2017, designed to be a solution to the scheduling issue. At this time, however, you can only schedule Instagram posts through your desktop browser in Creator Studio. You can’t access Instagram within the iOS Creator Studio app. So if you want to schedule your Instagram posts on your iPhone, you’ll have to download an additional app. 

How to schedule Instagram posts on your iPhone

With the seemingly infinite number of things we can do on our iPhones, it’s no surprise that there are hundreds of third-party apps that allow you to schedule your Instagram posts. The catch is that many of these apps cannot connect to Instagram directly, so instead of the app posting your schedule content automatically, it will instead send you a push notification reminding you to post at a certain time. 

Fortunately, in 2018, Instagram announced a change to its API that allowed Instagram Partners to schedule and publish posts automatically. In other words, only certain apps are able to post directly to Instagram. 

Use Later to schedule Instagram posts for free 

Later is one of the top social media management apps currently on the market, partly because it’s one of the few that allows you to post directly to Instagram without the pesky push notification, and partly because it’s free and easy to use. 

There are paid pricing plans within Later that allow you to schedule more posts to multiple accounts, but the basic version is free and allows you to publish up to 30 posts for one account. However, you first have to log in to Later on your desktop to set up the auto-publish feature. If you don’t log in via your desktop, you’ll only receive a reminder to post. 

Here’s how to schedule an Instagram post with Later: 

1. Open the Later app. 
2. Press Media at the bottom-left of the screen. 
3. Press the + sign at the bottom-right of the screen. 
4. Select Photo Library
5. Navigate to the photo you wish to post. 
6. Select the photo. 
7. Press Done. 
8. Select the photo you wish to schedule within the Media Library. 
9. Press Create Post. 
10. Select the social profile you wish to post on. 
11. Add your caption, hashtags, location, and user tags. 
12. Press Next. 
13. Select Pick a Time.
14. Select the day and time you wish to publish. 
15. Press Set Time. 

You also have the option to auto-publish a post immediately within Later, or you can use the Visual Instagram Planner to drag and drop potential posts in your feed before scheduling. 

Automate Instagram posts with Hopper HQ 

Another great app to help you automate your Instagram posts is Hopper HQ. This app is free to download in the App Store, but you first need to set up your account through your desktop browser. After that, you can log in through the app and start scheduling. (You can start with a 14-day free trial before you sign up at a monthly subscription fee of $19.) 

Here’s how to automate posts using Hopper HQ: 

1. Open the Hopp HQ app. 
2. Press the green + button at the bottom-center of the screen. 
3. Press the camera in the center of the screen. 
4. Select Photo Library. 
5. Navigate to the photo you wish to schedule. 
6. Select the photo. 
7. Select your post time by clicking on the Post Time box. 
8. Fill in your caption. 
9. Select Schedule Post. 

From there, your post will automatically publish to Instagram at the time you selected. 

How to schedule Instagram posts on your computer

On average, most people access Instagram through their mobile devices, but third-party scheduling apps can be more difficult to use on your iPhone than on your desktop. So if you’re using social media to grow a business, showcase your creative portfolio, or expand your online reach, you might want to consider scheduling your Instagram posts on your computer instead of through a third-party app on your iPhone. 

Use the scheduler in Creator Studio 

As previously mentioned, Facebook recently rolled out the Creator Studio as a way to make scheduling on Facebook and Instagram easier and more streamlined for businesses. While you can’t schedule Instagram posts within the Creator Studio mobile app at this time, you can do it on the website through your desktop browser. 

Before following the instructions below, make sure your Facebook and Instagram accounts are connected. You can do this within the Instagram app itself: 

1. Open the Instagram app. 
2. Go to your profile by pressing the profile icon at the bottom-right of the page. 
3. Press the three horizontal lines at the top-right of the page. 
4. Select Settings > Account > Linked Accounts > Facebook. 
5. Enter your Facebook login info.

Now that you’re connected, here’s how to schedule Instagram posts by using the Creator Studio: 

1. Open your desktop browser. 
2. Go to Creator Studio.
3. Log in using your Facebook login information. 
4. Press the Instagram logo at the top of the homepage screen. 
5. Click Create Posts at the top-left of the screen. 
6. Select Instagram Feed. 
7. Add your photo or video to your post by pressing the Add Content button. 
8. Fill in your caption, hashtags, location tag, and any user tags. 
9. Press the arrow button next to Publish at the bottom-right of the screen. 
10. Select Schedule. 
11. Enter the time and date when you want to publish the post. 
12. Click Schedule. 

The Creator Studio is free and features tools to help run ad campaigns and schedule IGTV videos in addition to automating posts. 

Schedule posts with Sked Social 

If you’re looking for an Instagram scheduling tool with even more features, check out Sked Social. Not only does Sked Social automatically publish your scheduled Instagram posts, but it also does something that most scheduling tools can’t do: publish Stories and carousel posts. 

Here’s how to schedule Instagram posts with Sked Social: 

1. Press the calendar icon on the left of the screen. 
2. Click Create New Post. 
3. Press Browse. 
4. Navigate and select the content you wish to schedule. 
5. Press Continue. 
6. Fill in your caption, hashtags, location tag, and any user tags. 
7. Scroll down and select Time and Date. 
8. Enter the time and date when you wish to post. 
9. Press Schedule. 
10. Press Submit & Create Post. 

With this platform, you also get access to unique metrics, a feed planner, and many more helpful tools. Sked Social offers a free 14-day trial to test out the tool. After that, membership plans start at $25 a month. 

Whether you’re looking to grow your Instagram account for personal or professional reasons, scheduling your posts is so convenient that it will practically put your social media growth on autopilot. 

The post How to schedule Instagram posts on iPhone and on desktop appeared first on Backlight.

In this guide, we’ll go over exactly how to add music to your Instagram Story, and we’ll share how to troubleshoot issues that may be preventing you from doing so.

How to put music on an Instagram Story with a sticker

Multiple formats for adding music to Stories have been released since the launch of Instagram’s music feature. However, the most common (and quite frankly, the simplest) way to add music to your photos or videos is to use the Stories sticker.

How to add a music sticker to an Instagram Story

The process of adding a music sticker to your Instagram Story is straightforward:

1. Open the Instagram app.
2. Press your Story icon (which looks like your profile picture) at the top-left of your screen.
3. Upload your Story by swiping up to access your Camera Roll or shoot it with the Story camera.
4. Press the sticker button at the top of the screen or swipe up.
5. Tap the Music button.
6. Either type the song you want to use into the search bar or browse via your mood, genre preference, or what’s popular today.
7. Press the song to add it to your Story.
8. Then, press Done at the top-right corner of the page.
9. Move your sticker to the placement you want on your Stories.
10. Press the “Your Story” button at the bottom-left of the screen.

When selecting a song for your Story, you have the option to listen to a preview before adding it. All you have to do is press the play button to the right of the song.

How to edit the music sticker in your Story

When adding a music sticker to your Story, you’ll probably notice that there are a few options to edit the song you chose. In addition to rewinding and fast-forwarding through the song to select the precise clip you want to use, you can also choose:

• The length of the clip (up to 15 seconds)
• The color of the music sticker
• The size and type of sticker
• Whether you want the lyrics displayed instead of the sticker
• The color and font of the lyrics

Here’s how to edit your music sticker:

1. Follow the instructions in the previous section to add the music sticker to your Story.
2. Tap the music sticker itself to change the icon or switch to lyric mode. You can also do this by swiping left on the icons above the music player.
3. Press the color wheel at the top-center of the screen to change the color of the music sticker or the lyrics.
4. Press Done.
5. Press the Your Story button at the bottom-left of the screen to post it.

If you want to have music on your Instagram Story but don’t want a sticker to be visible, you can drag the sticker off the screen. It will disappear from the Story preview display, but after it publishes, you’ll still hear the music and see the song title and artist at the top of the screen.

How to add music lyrics to your Story

If you’re struggling to figure out how to add a song’s lyrics to your Stories, don’t worry. Below are instructions for how to find and use that editing feature:

1. Open the Instagram app.
2. Press your Story icon at the top-left of your screen.
3. Upload your Story by swiping up to access your Camera Roll or shoot it with the Story camera.
4. Press the sticker button at the top of the screen or swipe up.
5. Press the Music button.
6. Find the song you’d like to use.
7. Press the song to add it to your Story.
8. Press the letter button directly above the music player and swipe left to see more font options.
9. Select the font you wish to use.
10. Press Done.
11. Press the Your Story button at the bottom-left of the screen.

Why can’t I add music to my Instagram Story?

Trying to add music to your Instagram Story but having trouble? There could be a few reasons why you’re experiencing that glitch:

• Your app isn’t up to date. If you can’t find the music sticker in your Stories, try uninstalling and reinstalling the Instagram app first. Sometimes a quick update is all that’s needed to bring your music-adding capabilities back.
• The music feature is not available in your country. If you reinstall the app and there’s still no sticker, it could be because your country isn’t on the list of those that can access music for Stories. Right now, the feature is available in only 60 countries, including the United States, New Zealand, France, Australia, Great Britain, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Mexico, Japan, and Portugal.

Unfortunately, unless you live in one of the aforementioned countries, you’ll have to wait until Instagram makes music a global feature.

How to add music to Instagram without stickers

If you don’t want to use the music stickers, you’re in luck; there are a couple of other ways to add your favorite songs to your Instagram Stories.

How to put a song from Apple Music on your Instagram Story

Love using Apple Music to rock out? Well, there’s a simple way to share the song you’re jamming out to with your followers via Instagram Stories.

Here’s how: 

1. Open Apple Music. 
2. Navigate to the song you wish to share. 
3. Press the three horizontal dots at the center-right of the screen. 
4. Select Share. 
5. Swipe on the apps until you find Instagram (if you don’t see it, press More). 
6. Allow Instagram to open automatically.
7. Press the Your Story button at the bottom-left of the screen.

It’s important to note that the song won’t play directly on your Stories, but if a user taps on that Story, it will take them to Apple Music, where they can play it.

How to share a Spotify song on your Instagram Story

If you’re more of a Spotify user, you’ll be happy to learn that sharing a song from that platform is just as straightforward. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open the Spotify app. 
2. Navigate to the song you wish to share. 
3. Press the three horizontal dots at the top-right of the screen. 
4. Scroll down and select Share. 
5. Select Instagram Stories. 
6. Press the “Your Story” button at the bottom-left of the screen.

Following these instructions will share your song choice to your Stories. Once again, it’s important to note that the song won’t play directly on your Stories, but if a user taps on that Story, it will redirect them to the song on Spotify.

How to play music from SoundCloud on your Story

Just like Apple Music and Spotify, the instructions for sharing SoundCloud songs on your Stories are easy to follow. And, like music shared from those platforms, songs from SoundCloud will not play on your Stories. Instead, followers who tap on the Story will be redirected to the song in SoundCloud.

Here’s how to share a song on your Stories through SoundCloud:

1. Open the SoundCloud App. 
2. Navigate to the song you wish to share. 
3. Press the three horizontal dots at the bottom-right of the screen. 
4. Select Share to Instagram Stories.
5. Press the Your Story button at the bottom-left of the screen.

Adding music to an Instagram Story is a great way to elevate your content and make it unique. Whether you’re sharing your current favorite song or adding some background music to a video, we hope this guide helps you take your Stories to the next level.

The post How to add music to an Instagram Story, with and without stickers appeared first on Backlight.

If your selfie game is struggling, the good news is that you can easily fix it. Anyone can take a killer photo of themselves, so long as they have the right tools, poses, and camera settings in their back pocket. In this guide, we’ll go over important things like where to look, poses to try, and how to be more photogenic in your next selfie. 

How to find flattering selfie poses

The first thing you need to master when it comes to good selfies is the pose. There are a lot of good (and not so good) options out there, but the most important thing to look for is a pose that works for you. If you’re not comfortable striking it, then try something else. 

Where do I look when I take a selfie?

It goes without saying that you can pretty much look wherever you want. However, there is one tip that may result in a more flattering self-portrait. Instead of holding the camera directly in front of you and looking at it straight on — which can be a little awkward — try holding it slightly up and facing down towards your face. But don’t hold your phone too high. We’re not trying to recreate our early 2000s MySpace photos here. 

Holding the camera slightly up will force you to look slightly upwards. We find that this is generally a more flattering look. 

What are the best selfie angles?

The best angle for a selfie is the one that makes you feel most comfortable with your unique look. That said, the only way to figure that part out is to try a bunch of angles for yourself and see which ones you like. 

Here are a couple of selfie angles you can try: 

• Pointing your chin slightly down and looking up at the camera
• Turning your face slightly to one side
• Laying down and putting the camera directly above your face
• Looking straight on at the camera but slightly elevating the arm that’s holding your iPhone 
• Pointing the camera upward and looking down at it with your chin extended out slightly 

Selfie poses you should try

The second most pressing matter to get the hang of is selfie poses. Now, there are all sorts of different things you can do. 

Here are some interesting poses you’ll likely see while doing a quick scroll on Instagram: 

• iPhone directly in front of the face 
• Face cradled in one hand 
• Hand in hair
• Side angle 
• Hand blocking sun 
• Leaning against a window

If you’re in a pinch for selfie pose ideas, the absolute best thing you can do is scroll through the top posts section of the #selfie page on Instagram. There’s tons of inspiration there, so don’t be afraid to play around with your camera and experiment with different poses. You never know what you might come up with. 

How to get the best selfie light

Now that you’ve got your eye direction, angles, and poses down, it’s time we discussed the one thing that can make or break a selfie: good lighting. 

Tip 1: Take advantage of natural light when you can 

Good news: the most flattering and all-around best lighting you can find is totally free and accessible to pretty much everyone. Natural lighting should always be your first choice when taking a selfie. And while simply being outside in the sun will work, there are certain times of day where the light hits better. 

Coined by professional photographers as the “golden hour,” the sun’s natural lighting is often the best for photos during the hour right after the sun rises and the hour right before it sets. So if you have the privilege of scheduling your selfies, try having your photoshoot during that magical, 60-minute period. 

Tip 2: Face the source of your light

Whether you’re outside in the sunlight or using the lamp in your living room, in order to take the best kind of selfie, you need to be facing the source of the light. And if you can, try to position your face so that the light is toward your nose. 

This will not only keep the subject of the photo, you, in the brightest and most visible position, but it will also provide flattering shadows and highlights to your face. 

Tip 3: Keep your lighting at eye level

If you want the most flattering lighting for your face — outside of the sun’s golden hour — then you’ll want to keep your light source at eye level. When the light is hitting above your eyes, it can create dark circles, and lighting from below can cast strange, not-so-flattering shadows on your face. 

Tip 4: Choose a background with a flattering color

Despite the fact that you are the sole star of your selfie, it’s crucial that you don’t ignore the background of your photo. While the area behind you should obviously be clean and clear of any embarrassing objects, the color of your background matters as well.

It’s best to utilize soft colors like white, light pink, gray, or tan, as these will reflect the light from your chosen source back onto your face. If you have a strong, vibrant background like blue or green, it might reflect a color onto your face that you’re not a fan of. 

Tip 5: Try a clip-on light 

If the idea of setting up a DIY lighting kit feels like a little too much, you can always purchase a simple lighting tool to enhance your photos. With over 2,000 reviews and four and a half stars, the Auxiwa Clip-on Selfie Ring Light is one of the top-rated selfie lights on Amazon. 

It’s $19.99, comes with a rechargeable battery, and is, without a doubt, the easiest-to-use tool to level-up your selfie game. 

How to take a better selfie with iPhone features

Poses, lighting, and angles can only get you so far. When it comes to mastering the art of the selfie, the most important thing you can do is figure out how to make the camera you’re using work for you. 

Try the back camera

Even though the front-facing camera was pretty much made for selfies, the back-facing camera can take self-portraits just as well. In fact, on many earlier models (such as the iPhone X), the back camera has a higher resolution than the front camera, so using it might result in a better selfie. 

The only caveat with using your back-facing camera is that it’s hard to know if your face is positioned in the best spot and if you’re looking in the right direction. 

Thankfully, the app SelfieX can fix all of that. Available for free in the App Store with in-app purchases, this app uses voice instructions to guide you in taking the perfect selfie with your back-facing camera. It directs you to guide your face right, left, up or down, and also allows you to make quick edits after you’ve snapped the perfect selfie. 

Flip the image in Photos 

Because so many of us are used to only seeing ourselves in the mirror, where our reflections are flipped, you might find that you look a little different when you take a selfie. Luckily, there’s a quick way to fix this and get the reflection you’re accustomed to seeing. All you have to do is flip the image after you’ve taken it. 

Here’s how to flip an image: 

1. Open your Camera Roll. 
2. Navigate to the selfie you wish to flip. 
3. Tap Edit at the top-right of the screen. 
4. Next, tap the crop and flip tool at the bottom-right of the screen next to the Done option. 
5. Then press the horizontal flip button at the top-left of the screen. 
6. Press Done. 

Use Portrait mode

One of the best iPhone features you can use to take a high-quality, professional selfie is to use the Camera’s Portrait mode. Released back in 2016, Portrait mode is a setting on your camera that blurs the background and brings a single subject into focus. And when that subject is you, the photos turn out stunning. 

Here’s how to access Portrait mode: 

1. Open your Camera. 
2. Scroll left to Portrait mode.
3. Take your selfie. 

Portrait mode works on both the front-facing and back-facing cameras. However, only iPhone Plus 7 models and newer have this feature. It’s not available on older devices. 

Use iPhone Camera timer

The ultimate selfie secret, however, has nothing to do with a pose or an angle. The best way to take great selfies is to use your camera’s automatic timer. 

With options for a 3- or 10-second delay, you can back up just enough to keep that killer pose while losing the sometimes awkward selfie arm. 

As frustrating as they sometimes can be, selfies are a fun way to break up your feed and show off your personality. While these tips and tricks will hopefully make you more confident in front of the camera, remember, you can always add a filter. 

The post How to take the perfect selfie with your iPhone appeared first on Backlight.

Whether you want to download your own feed photos for safekeeping, save a picture you were tagged in by a friend or screenshot an image to share later, there are a couple of rules and regulations to keep in mind. 

Can you save Instagram pictures? 

At this time, Instagram only allows you to directly download your own images through an automatic save tool (which we’ll dive more into later). You don’t have the option to save or download other people’s posts or Stories. 

The reason there is no option to save photos from other accounts is to prevent copyright issues. If you’ve taken a photo or video and posted it on Instagram, you are the owner of that content. Therefore, you have the right to stop other people from using your content without your permission. 

If you do believe someone is using your content without your consent, Instagram has a form you can fill out to take action. 

Because of its strict copyright rules, Instagram recommends that if you do save another person’s photo and repost it on your account, you get that person’s permission first or at least give them credit for the content. 

Saving your own Instagram photos

The only time you don’t have to worry about infringing on copyright issues is when you save your own Instagram photos. Because you are the owner of the content, there’s no need to get special permission or consent from anyone else. 

How to automatically save all your Instagram photos

If you want to save your photos from Instagram, the good news is that you don’t have to go through and save them all one-by-one, as long as you have the Save Original Photos feature in your account turned on. 

Here’s how to automatically save all of your Instagram photos to your iPhone: 

1. Open Instagram. 
2. Navigate to your profile by pressing the icon of your profile picture at the bottom-right of the screen. 
3. Press the three horizontal lines at the top-right of the screen. 
4. Navigate to Settings > Account > Original Photos.
5. Press the toggle to turn it on or off. 

When this toggle is turned on, every photo you post will be automatically saved to your iPhone’s Camera Roll. 

How to download your Instagram Story photo

If you want to save the Instagram photos you’ve shared or posted to your Story, there’s a simple setting in your Story Controls to automatically save your images. 

Here’s how to turn it on: 

1. Open the Instagram app. 
2. Press your Story icon at the top-left of the screen. 
3. Tap the More button at the bottom-right of the screen. 
4. Then tap Story Settings. 
5. Scroll down until you see the Save to Camera Roll option. 
6. Toggle the feature on or off. 
7. Press Done. 

And voila! Your Instagram Story images will be automatically saved to your Camera Roll. If, for whatever reason, you don’t want to have that feature on, you’ll have to remember to do the following to save your images before they disappear from the 24-hour Story mark: 

1. Open the Instagram app. 
2. Press the Story icon at the top-left of the screen. 
3. Navigate to the photo you wish to save. 
4. Press the three dots at the bottom-right of the screen. 
5. Tap Save. 
6. Finally, tap Save Photo.

Following these steps will save a single photo to your iPhone’s Camera Roll. If you want to save all the photos and videos from your Story, you can select the Save Story option instead of Save Photo. Doing this will save your Story in a video format to your Camera Roll. 

How to save a photo from your Instagram Story Archive

Even if you’re not automatically saving Story photos to your iPhone’s Camera Roll, they’re automatically saved to your Instagram Story Archive — so long as you have that feature turned on. 

Here’s how to check if you’re saving your Stories to the Archive: 

1. Open the Instagram app. 
2. Navigate to your profile by pressing the icon of your profile picture at the bottom-right of the screen. 
3. Press the three horizontal lines at the top-right of the screen. 
4. Navigate to Settings > Privacy > Story.
5. Press the Save to Archive toggle to turn this feature on or off. 

Once your photos and videos are automatically saved to your Story Archive, saving them to your iPhone Camera Roll is simple. Here’s how: 

1. Open the Instagram app. 
2. Navigate to your profile by pressing the icon of your profile picture at the bottom-right of the screen. 
3. Press Archive.
4. Press Archive at the top. 
5. Select Stories.
6. Navigate to the photo you want to download. 
7. Press on the photo. 
8. Next, press the three dots at the bottom-right of the screen. 
9. Finally, press Save Photo.

Doing this will save the photo directly to your Camera Roll. 

How to download all your Instagram photos

Since some of the processes for downloading your photos can be a little tedious, you may be toying with the idea of just downloading all of your Instagram photos at once — but is that even possible? 

Yes, but you can’t do it from the convenience of your iPhone. To download all of your Instagram data at once, you’ll need to migrate to your desktop. 

Here’s how to download all of your Instagram photos from your computer: 

1. Go to Instagram’s website. 
2. Log in with your username and password. 
3. Click the icon of your profile picture at the top-right of the screen to navigate to your profile. 
4. Next, click the gear icon next to the Edit Profile button. 
5. Then click Privacy and Security. 
6. Scroll down until you see the option Data Download. 
7. Click Request Download. 
8. Type in your email address if it isn’t already in the box. 
9. Click Next. 
10. Enter your Instagram password. 
11. Click Request Download. 

How long it takes to receive your download depends on how much data you have. The more data that’s linked to your account, the longer it will take to receive an email with all of your photos and videos. But once you have it, all you have to do is save it to your computer. 

Downloading other people’s Instagram photos

There are no legal issues to wade through when it comes to saving your own content, but what if you want to download a photo from someone else’s account? 

Remember, the golden rule of avoiding copyright infringement on Instagram is to ask the creator’s permission and give them credit if you repost elsewhere. Once you have that, there are two options for saving the photo to your Camera Roll.  

How to save an Instagram photo by taking a screenshot

The simplest way to save an Instagram photo from someone else’s account is to take a screenshot of it. When you screenshot anything on your iPhone, it’s automatically saved to your Camera Roll and your Screenshots folder. 

Here’s how to take a screenshot of someone else’s Instagram photo: 

1. Open the Instagram app. 
2. Navigate to the photo you wish to save. 
3. Scroll so that the entire photo is displayed within the screen. 
4. Press your iPhone’s volume up button and the side button at the same time. 
5. Press the thumbnail of the screenshot that appears at the bottom-left of the screen. 
6. Slide the sides of the image until you’ve cropped it down to just the photo itself. 
7. Press Done. 

How to download an Instagram photo using Inscopy 

Another option for downloading Instagram photos to your iPhone is to use a third-party app. For the purposes of this guide, we’ll show you how to save an Instagram photo with the app Inscopy.

Free and available in the App Store, Inscopy has over 2,000 reviews and four and a half stars. Using an interface similar to Instagram, it allows you to download photos and videos — both from Stories and your feed — directly to your Camera Roll. 

Here’s how to use it: 

1. Open the Inscopy app. 
2. Log in with your Instagram username and password. 
3. Navigate to the photo you wish to download by going through your liked photos or by using the search tool. 
4. Press the photo. 
5. Press the download arrow button at the bottom-right of the photo. 

Doing this will automatically download the photo to your Camera Roll. 

Whether you want to collect all of your favorite posts from other accounts on your iPhone or just learn how to save your Stories so you can reminisce forever, we hope this guide taught you all the tips and tricks for saving photos from Instagram. 

The post How do you save Instagram photos to an iPhone, and is it ok to do so? appeared first on Backlight.

Editing software, artistic filters, and retouching apps can help elevate any photo you capture. But there’s one simple, free tool that’s often overlooked in the Instagram photography community: the self-timer. 

Built directly into your iPhone, this simple feature can help you create stunning photos that will level up your profile and put your content in the same bracket as the pros. In this guide, we’ll go over everything you need to know about using your camera’s self-timer — no additional downloads required. 

How to set a timer on iPhone camera

Whether you’re jumping last-minute into a group photo or trying to capture the perfect picture of your outfit before heading out, the self-timer feature on your iPhone’s camera is a great tool to understand how to use. And the first step in doing that is to figure out how to set it up.

Here’s how to set up your iPhone camera’s self-timer: 

1. Open your Camera app. 
2. Press the clock button at the top of the screen. 
3. Select the timer option you wish to use. Your options are 3 seconds, 10 seconds, or to turn the camera off. 
4. Take your photo by pressing the release button at the bottom-center of the screen.

Following these simple steps will help you set up your self-timer for all of your future photos. It’s also good to note that the self-timer is available for both the front and rear cameras. 

Can I turn off burst mode when using the self-timer on iPhone?

The default setting for using the self-timer is for the camera to take photos in burst mode, which means that multiple photos are captured in quick succession. But you can turn off burst mode when using the self-timer on your iPhone.

Some people like having burst photos to choose from, and some people don’t. Either way, it’s useful to know how to turn burst mode on and off while using your self-timer. If you want to turn it off, you must turn on the Live photo option or Portrait mode.

Here’s how to turn on Live photos: 

1. Open your Camera app. 
2. Press the clock button at the top of the screen. 
3. Select the timer option you wish to use. 
4. Press the Live option button, which is located at the top of the screen next to the clock button, to turn it on or off. 
5. Take your photo. 

To turn on Portrait mode, just scroll to Portrait at the bottom of your screen and then take the photo like you normally would.

How you can improve your photos with iPhone camera timer

Now that you know the ins and outs of your iPhone camera’s self-timer, it’s time to learn how to use it to take incredible, professionally polished photos for your Instagram. While there are tons of tips and tricks out there, we’ve rounded up our favorites for you to try today. 

Take selfies without your arm in the frame

Perhaps one of the easiest and most effective ways to use your self-timer is to capture a classic selfie — without the classic selfie-arm. Thousands of photographers and Instagram influencers have mastered this art, and now it’s your turn. 

Ideally, you want to have something to set your camera up with. While you could lean it against a wall or some books, the best way to get self-portraits like a pro is to use a stand or tripod. The Lamicall Phone Stand is adjustable so you can capture your best angles, and the UBeesize 51″ Extendable Tripod Stand comes with a Bluetooth remote. 

Once you have your iPhone secure, do the following: 

1. Open the Camera app. 
2. Position your iPhone to face a neutral background and position yourself toward your light source.
3. Select the 10-second timer so you can give yourself enough time to get into position.  
4. Turn Live mode off so burst mode is activated and you get more photo options. 
5. Press the shutter button. 

There are tons of positions, angles, and poses you can experiment with to take creative self-portraits, so play around and have fun with it. 

Reduce blur in Night mode photos

If you’ve ever tried to take a photo in the dark, you know how difficult that can be. Blurry, shaky photos are often the result because there isn’t enough light to stabilize the frame, even with iPhone’s newest Night mode feature. 

However, your self-timer can help reduce the blur of your nighttime photoshoots because you won’t be holding the camera. Once again, so long as you have a way to secure your iPhone, your nighttime photos should come out just as crisp and clear as your daytime shots. 

Luckily, iPhone’s Night mode turns on automatically, so all you have to do is set up your iPhone, turn on your self-timer, and make sure to follow these other tips: 

• Only shoot still subjects. People or objects that are moving are already hard enough to capture during the day. At night, they’re even harder to capture and will likely result in a blurry image. 
• Reduce the exposure on your camera before you take a picture. To avoid that grainy overlay on your photos, tap the part of the image you want to remain dark and crisp. When the set focus box comes up, swipe down to make the area of the image darker.
• Choose a well-lit area. Night mode doesn’t work in the total pitch black. The best evening photos are taken in places that have at least one available source of light. Another good trick is to surround the well-lit area you’re placing your subject in with very dark negative space. 
• Shoot in black and white. If you have bright lights and dark shadows in your picture but not a lot of vibrant colors, shooting in black and white can make the image look clearer and more professional. 

Whether you’re capturing your entire extended family after a holiday meal or shooting a creative nighttime portrait, we hope these self-timer tips will help you upgrade and improve your iPhone photography skills. 

The post How iPhone camera timer can help you take better photos appeared first on Backlight.

For years, Instagram advertised itself strictly as a photo-sharing platform. In fact, it wasn’t until the (formerly) popular six-second video-sharing app Vine went viral in 2013 that Instagram finally decided to get with the times and allow 15-second videos. 

Nowadays, video is one of the most compelling components of the app. Whether you’re going live on your Instagram Stories or posting an hour-long cooking tutorial on IGTV, video is a great way to post engaging, evergreen content for your followers. In this guide, we’ll cover sharing YouTube videos, uploading high-quality clips, and everything else you need to know about posting videos on Instagram. 

How to post a long video on Instagram

The days of 6- and 15-second video clips are long gone, but that doesn’t mean we’re all able to share full-length feature films. Instagram has a couple of restrictions and rules regarding video length that everyone should keep on their radar. 

How long of a video can you post on Instagram?

When it comes to what the length restriction is for videos on Instagram, the answer varies depending on where you’re posting it. The rules regarding length differ for Stories, posts, and IGTV. 

Let’s break them down:

• On Instagram Stories, you can only capture or upload a 15-second video. However, you can post or shoot an unlimited amount of 15-second videos back to back to essentially create one long video. 
• On Instagram posts, you can upload a video that’s up to 60 seconds long. However, you could get around this by posting up to 10 60-second clips on a carousel post to create a video up to 10 minutes long. 
• On IGTV, you can upload a video up to 15 minutes long when doing so from your iPhone. However, when you’re uploading from a computer, the maximum length increases to 60 minutes.

How to post a 3-minute video or longer on Instagram

If you want to post a video that’s three minutes or longer on Instagram, the best way to do it is through IGTV. While there is a separate app for IGTV, you can upload videos just fine through the Instagram app itself. 

Here’s how to upload a video on IGTV through the Instagram app:

1. Open the Instagram app. 
2. Press the magnifying glass at the bottom of the screen. 
3. Press the IGTV button at the top-left of the screen. 
4. Press + at the top-right of the screen. 
5. Select the video you want to upload. 
6. Press Next. 
7. Choose your cover image from the video or upload a new one from your Camera Roll. 
8. Press Next. 
9. Fill in the title, description, and other details. 
10. Press Post. 

How to share a long video as an Instagram post

As we mentioned previously, Instagram only allows 1-minute videos on posts. However, there is a way to get around this rule by using the app’s carousel feature, also known as the multiple photo feature.

Unfortunately, Instagram doesn’t make it easy to do this. If you want to post a long video (up to 10 minutes) on Instagram using the carousel feature, you first need to break the video up into sections. Each section can be up to 1 minute long. 

Here’s how you can turn your long video into a bunch of short videos: 

1. Open your Photos app on your iPhone. 
2. Navigate to the video you wish to use. 
3. Press the Edit button at the top-right corner. 
4. Use the sliding arrows below the video to create your first clip. 
5. Press Done. 
6. Press Save Video as New Clip.
7. Repeat the steps above until you’ve created all of your clips. 

Now that you’ve got your video clips ready, it’s time to turn them into a long video via carousel. Here’s how:

1. Open the Instagram app. 
2. Press the icon for your profile at the bottom-right of the screen. 
3. Press + at the bottom-center of the screen. 
4. Press the multiple photos option at the right of the screen above your photo library. 
5. Select the video clips you made out of your longer video. You can choose up to 10. 
6. Press Next. 
7. Edit the color of the clips and choose a filter for all of them if you wish. 
8. Press Next. 
9. Fill out the details of the post. 
10. Press Share. 

It’s important to note that since you can only add up to 10 photos and videos to a carousel, your video will be a max of 10 minutes long. 

Can you post a video to Instagram from your computer?

Instagram is a mobile-only app, which means that you can’t directly upload new content (including video) to your account through the webpage on your desktop browser. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. There are plenty of third-party apps and services that allow you to upload videos to Instagram through your computer. 

How to upload a video to Instagram from a Mac

As we mentioned, there are plenty of third-party apps and services that allow you to upload videos to Instagram from your desktop computer. For the purposes of this guide, we’ll be using the app Uplet. 

Known for being a bulk Instagram uploader for Mac computers, this app allows you to post multiple photos and videos, repost videos, customize your posts, and add captions. It’s free to download for a seven-day trial. 

Here’s how to post a video to Instagram using Uplet: 

1. Open Uplet. 
2. Sign in with your Instagram account login information. 
3. Press “Add photos and videos.”
4. Locate the video you want to upload on your computer. 
5. Press Open. 
6. Type in the caption. 
7. Press Share. 

How to post a video to Instagram from a Windows PC

If you don’t have a Mac, you can still upload videos from your Windows PC to your Instagram. Thankfully, when it comes to posting for IGTV, you can post a video straight from your browser. 

Here’s how: 

1. On your desktop, open your web browser. 
2. Go to Instagram.com.
3. Click the button of your profile picture to navigate to your profile. 
4. Click the IGTV section under your bio. 
5. Click Upload.
6. Click the large + sign to select your video or drag and drop the video file.
7. Fill in the title, the description, and the rest of the video details.
8. Click Post.

Now, if you want to post a video to your Instagram feed or Stories from your desktop, you’ll have to use a separate tool. Thankfully, Facebook made posting to Instagram from a computer easier with its Creator Studio. 

Within the Creator Studio, you can check your analytics, measure your engagement — and post photos and videos to your Instagram feed. However, you have to have a creator or business account to use this tool, and it doesn’t let you post to your Stories. 

If you want to post a video to your Stories from your computer, you’ll need to download a third-party tool like Storrito. The free version allows you to post up to 10 Story posts a month, while a paid subscription offers anywhere from 100 to 500 posts. 

More tricks for sharing videos on Instagram

Instagram has come a long way in terms of video sharing. From adding music to sharing videos from other platforms, there are tons of tips and tricks that everyone should know. 

How to post a YouTube video on Instagram

One of those cool tricks is the ability to post a YouTube video on your Instagram account. And the easiest way to do that is by downloading the video on your phone and then posting it on Instagram through the app. 

But in order to do that, you need to install a third-party app that supports downloading YouTube videos, as you can’t do it directly from the YouTube app. For the purposes of this guide, we’ll use the free app Video Saver. 

Here’s how to download YouTube videos to your iPhone with Video Saver and post them to Instagram: 

1. Locate the video you want to post on your iPhone’s internet browser. 
2. Copy the video’s URL. 
3. Open the Video Saver app. 
4. Press Add Video. 
5. Select Internet. 
6. Paste the URL of the YouTube video you wish to download. 
7. Press Go. 
8. Select Download. 
9. Press My Video at the bottom-left of the screen. 
10. Press the three vertical dots next to your downloaded video. 
11. Select “Save to camera roll.”
12. Open the Instagram app. 
13. Post the video to your Stories, feed, or IGTV as you normally would with any post. 

How to add music to an Instagram video Story

One of the easiest ways to level-up your video content game is by adding music to your Instagram Stories videos. And lucky for you, it’s very simple to do. 

Here’s how to add music to a video on Instagram Stories: 

1. Open the Instagram app. 
2. Press the camera button in the top-left of the screen. 
3. Either record a new video or swipe up to navigate and select the video you want to add to your Story. 
4. Press the sound button at the top of the screen to mute the video’s sound. 
5. Press the sticker button at the top of the screen. 
6. Select Music. 
7. Scroll or search for the song you’d like to add. 
8. Adjust the song to the clip you’d like to hear playing. 
9. Adjust the music icon you’d like to be displayed on your Story by pressing the icon itself and dragging to your desired location. 
10. Select Done. 
11. Move the music icon to your desired location on the page. 
12. Press Next.
13. Select Share to add to your Story. 

How to add music to an Instagram video post

Unfortunately, adding music to your Instagram video post isn’t as easy. At the time of this writing, you can’t add music to a post within the Instagram app itself. However, you can add music by using a third-party app such as Lomotif, which is free to download in the app store. 

Here’s how to add music to an Instagram video post using Lomotif: 

1. Download and open the Lomotif app. 
2. Press + at the bottom-center of the screen. 
3. Press Library.
4. Select the video you wish to use. 
5. Press the checkmark at the top-right of the screen. 
6. Search or scroll through the music options available until you find the one you wish to use. 
7. Select the song. 
8. Press the checkmark at the top-right of the screen. 
9. Edit the aspect ratio and adjust the clip of the song you’d like to use. 
10. When you’re done, press the Save button at the top-right of the screen. 
11. Select Yes.
12. Select the Instagram icon. 
13. Select Share. 

How to share a video from Facebook to Instagram

Much like sharing videos from YouTube, sharing videos from Facebook comes with its own set of challenges. You can’t download a Facebook video directly from the app, nor can you directly share it on your Instagram. Luckily, the process we used for sharing YouTube videos by first downloading them to Video Saver also works for Facebook videos (consult the aforementioned section for full instructions). 

Video content should be a part of everyone’s social media strategy. Not only is it a fun way to keep your followers engaged, but it also gives them a more personal look into your life or business. We hope you use these tips and tricks to make your videos stand out amongst the rest.

The post How to post a video on Instagram: Tricks you didn’t know appeared first on Backlight.

The 6 best Instagram photo editor apps 

Whether it’s fixing bad lighting or creating a one-of-a-kind filter, influencers have cracked the photo editing code. If you want to elevate your social media presence with a more aesthetically pleasing feed, then you should start using one of the not-so-secret tools in every influencers’ toolbox: a high-quality Instagram photo editor app.

Before you go searching social media for a rundown of favorites, check out this influencer-approved list of apps we’ve rounded up: 

1. Adobe Lightroom Photo Editor
2. VSCO
3. Afterlight 
4. Tezza
5. PicsArt
6. Facetune

Read on to learn which influencer uses what app and how these editing tools can take your photos to the next level. 

1. Adobe Lightroom Photo Editor: Professional editing with the tap of a button

Digital creator and Instagram influencer Amy Seder shares stunning photos of her exotic travels to her thousands of followers. Even though the locations of posts are already photo-worthy, she uses Adobe Lightroom Photo Editor to make them even more eye-catching. 

With almost five stars and thousands of reviews, this app features one-tap editing tools, cutting-edge camera modes, and interactive tutorials that teach you how to use the more advanced features like curves and color mixer. However, the most commonly used free feature in this app is Presets, a single-touch photo editor that can make dramatic changes to any photo. 

Adobe Lightroom Photo Editor also includes in-app purchases for premium features like a healing brush, batch editing, and more storage. 

Adobe Lightroom Photo Editor on the App Store

2. VSCO: An Instagram photo editing staple for influencers

Abeer Acero, the “part-time muggle, part-time content creator” behind the account lookingforabura, revealed in her Instagram Stories that she uses VSCO as one of the apps to edit her stunningly serene photos for her large audience. 

The VSCO app features 10 presets that will easily upgrade your photos to influencer-level quality. It also comes with editing tools, analog film effects, and an option to save and recreate your favorite edits with ease called Recipes. 

The above features are free, but the paid in-app membership includes over 200 presets and more advanced editing tools. 

VSCO on the App Store

3. Afterlight: The best editing app for light leaks

Digital creator Teejay Hughes recommends using Afterlight for selective color-editing and adding some unique, stylistic effects to your photos. It’s one of the few apps he uses to edit his travel and fashion photos for his ever-growing audience. 

Afterlight features over 130 photo filters created exclusively by photographers, as well as over 20 advanced editing tools. But perhaps the most commonly used tools on this app are the textures and overlays. They include unique additions like light leaks and natural dust that will make your photo extra special. 

Most of the above features are included in the app’s free version, but a paid membership comes with additional tools. 

Afterlight on the App Store

4. Tezza: A great photo editing app with tons of presents

Content creator Hannah Warling recently revealed to her followers that she uses one of the gorgeous presets featured on Tezza to edit her photos. If you’re looking for an easy way to make your photos pop like an influencer’s, using Tezza’s presets is a great place to start. 

Tezza features presets and editing tools that can be used for photos and videos alike. The app is free to download, but in order to use its features, you have to sign up for one of the memberships. They start at $1.99 per month. 

Tezza on the App Store

5. PicsArt: The best Instagram editing app for creatives

Digital creator Sofi of thatsosofi is no stranger to sharing her behind-the-scenes tools to create her artsy, colorful photos. She recently told her many followers that she uses the app PicsArt to add fun features like starry overlays to her pictures. 

PicsArt is an all-in-one photo editor that is best known for its impressive photo effects, artistic photo filters, and fun stickers. While there are over 5 million premade stickers to choose from within the app, you also have the option to DIY it and create your own. 

The app is free to download, but it includes in-app purchases like the PicsArt Gold subscription, which gives you access to thousands of premium stickers, fonts, frames, collages, and masks. 

PicsArt on the App Store

6. Facetune: Look your best with the top selfie editor

Not every influencer will admit to using this app. But digital creator Victoria of foxy.wanderer shared with her followers that she uses Facetune to make her skin look less oily in photos. 

Described as the “original selfie editor,” Facetune features dozens of tools to help you touch up and enhance your photos. You can whiten your teeth, remove blemishes, change your eye color, remove stray hairs, and even apply blush and lipstick, all within the app. 

With nearly five stars and thousands of reviews, it’s no wonder this is one of the most popular editing apps for Instagram photos. And the best part about Facetune? It’s totally free. 

Facetune on the App Store

It’s no secret that most influencers put their photos through dozens of rounds of editing before they appear on our feeds. Sure, it may take some practice to edit like the pros. But using even just one of these popular Instagram photo editor apps will make your photos even more Insta-worthy.

The post 6 Instagram photo editor apps favored by influencers appeared first on Backlight.

In this guide, we’ll go over exactly what Instagram post templates are — and some of our favorite ones to use. 

What is a template for Instagram posts?

Instagram post templates are premade graphics and layouts that let you plug in whatever photo, video, or text you want to use. All you have to do is choose your template, add in the content, and save the new template, and you’re ready to post.  There’s no need to worry about the size and resolution of the photo because all templates are set to the standard Instagram measurement requirements. 

Templates can be used for all kinds of Instagram content. You can find one to share your favorite quote, celebrate a birthday, or show off multiple photos from your recent travels. 

Here are some of the most popular and most common uses for Instagram post templates: 

• Quotes
• Promoting a new product, business or event
• Celebrating birthdays or holidays
• Baby and wedding announcements
• Tips
• Recipes
• Article teasers

No matter what you’re planning to post about next, there’s probably a collection of unique Instagram templates you could use. And while there are some really beautiful templates out there for purchase, there are also tons to play with that don’t cost a dime. 

Our favorite Instagram templates right now

Doing a Google search for “best Instagram templates” will give you literally hundreds of thousands of options to choose from. To save you from the overwhelming amount of choices available online, we’ve rounded up our 7 favorite templates that you can work with straight from your iPhone. 

Below is a list of free apps we used to find our favorite Instagram Post templates: 

• SCRL – Collages for Instagram 
• Grids – Giant Square Maker
• Canva
• Over: Graphic Design Maker
• Layout
• Jane

1. SCRL Essentials Series: Great multiple photo templates

While SCRL has tons of unique and eclectic collage Instagram post templates available for purchase within the app, its free Essentials Series has 4 great templates to use. With options to display up to 3 photos across 3 frames, you could use these templates in a Carousel post or across multiple single posts to create that puzzle grid look. 

With almost five stars and over 3,000 reviews, SCRL is on its way to becoming one of the most popular Instagram template apps. 

2. Grid Collages: The easiest way to make an Instagram puzzle feed

Grids – Giant Square Maker is best known for being an easy way to design a puzzle Instagram feed. However, their post collages are definitely worth checking out. Filled with artistic backgrounds and bold colors, their collage templates will have your followers thinking you hired a graphic designer. 

With four and a half stars and almost 7,000 reviews, Grids is a great app to help level-up your Instagram feed. You can download the app for free, but you have to purchase a subscription to continue to use it after the three-day free trial. Subscriptions cost either $40.99 a year or $5.99 a week. 

3. Peach Photo Quote: A free, simple photo quote template

This simple and bright photo quote collage from Canva is the perfect template to display your favorite saying or phrase. Simply tap the area of the design to change out the photo and the text.  You can also choose from the gallery of Canva’s free photos and add any of their in-app graphics, stickers, or filters. You can also change the color of the design. 

With almost five stars and over 350,000 reviews, Canva’s free gallery contains all of your Instagram template post needs. 

4. Beige Polaroid Photo: One of the best polaroid templates for Instagram

If you’re looking for a simple yet aesthetically creative way to display your next vertical photo, Canva’s Beige Polaroid Photo template is where it’s at. Like all designs in Canva, you can change out the color, add stickers, and even change the text to something that better suits your post. 

5. Positive Reminder Quote: Aesthetic quote templates with vintage fonts

With modern fonts and a vintage flair, this simple quote template from Over is a great way to share your all-time favorite phrase or share a positive reminder with your followers. You can add images to this design, change the text, or add graphics, shapes, and more. Once you’ve inserted your extra features, you can experiment with different colors, shadows, transparency levels, and filters. 

With over four and a half stars and nearly 70,000 reviews, Over is free to download and features an in-app purchase for the Pro Version, which comes with even more templates and tools, such as additional fonts and filters. 

6. Layout: A simple template maker for Instagram

If you’re looking for a simple way to showcase multiple photos, the app Layout from Instagram features free options for creating a collage for up to 4 photos. All you have to do is choose your layout style and add your photos. Once you have your content selected, you can change the sizes, borders, and more. 

With four and a half stars and over 55,000 reviews, Layout is a staple for Instagram post templates. 

7. Jane: A great photo collage app with unique backgrounds

With tons of different styles to choose from — such as vlog covers, newsletters, and even image strips — Jane is a great app for creating simple and elegant photo collages. You can add up to 9 photos in a single image post as well as add in different wallpaper, backgrounds, colors, and stickers. 

With almost five stars and over 1,000 reviews, the app is free to download, but there is a pro version that offers even more colors, tools, templates, and filters. 

While there are tons of different Instagram post templates you can buy, there are just as many high-quality options available for free. So before you break out your wallet, try a couple of these apps to give your next Instagram post a little flair.

The post 7 free Instagram post templates to freshen up your feed appeared first on Backlight.

Whether you’re snapping pictures for fun or seriously pursuing a career, understanding the ins and outs of iPhone’s latest camera features is key. And one of the most important features for iPhone photographers of all skill sets is Portrait mode. 

What is Portrait mode? 

In 2016, Apple released a new camera feature for iPhone called Portrait mode to help users photograph a specific subject with more clarity and focus. 

Essentially, using this lens keeps the subject of your photo sharp and crisp while the rest of the background is blurred. Within Portrait mode, you can add lighting effects and even use it when taking selfies. 

Portrait mode also zooms in on the subject of your photo, as you can see in the above example. 

What iPhones have Portrait mode?

Unfortunately, not all iPhones are created equal — at least, not when it comes to Portrait mode. Below is a list of the iPhones that have this feature: 

• iPhone SE (2020)
• iPhone 11 Pro Max 
• iPhone 11 Pro 
• iPhone 11 
• iPhone XR 
• iPhone XS Max 
• iPhone XS 
• iPhone X 
• iPhone 8 Plus 
• iPhone 7 Plus 

It’s also safe to say that any iPhone released in the future will more than likely include Portrait mode. 

When it comes to the least expensive iPhone featuring Portrait mode, the new iPhone SE will be the cheapest option, at a price tag of $399 from Apple.  

iPhones with Portrait mode on the front camera

As mentioned previously, some iPhone models also include an option to use Portrait mode with your front camera (also known as the “selfie camera”). Below is a list of the iPhones that have this feature: 

• iPhone SE (2020)
• iPhone 11 Pro Max 
• iPhone 11 Pro 
• iPhone 11 
• iPhone XR 
• iPhone XS Max 
• iPhone XS 
• iPhone X 

Again, the cheapest option available for purchase is the 2020 iPhone SE. 

Using iPhone Portrait mode

If you’ve never used your iPhone camera’s Portrait mode before, don’t fret. It’s as simple as snapping a picture. 

How to put your iPhone camera in Portrait mode

Here’s how to use Portrait mode: 

1. Open your Camera either by clicking on the app or swiping right on your locked home screen. 
2. Swipe right on the Camera screen once. 
3. Follow any instructions that pop up on the screen to move closer or further away from your subject. 
4. Press the large white button at the bottom-center of the screen to take a photo. 

If you’re too close to your subject to capture it in Portrait mode, the camera will tell you to move further away so that you’re standing the optimum distance for the right depth-of-field. It will give a similar notification if you’re standing too far away. 

How to adjust the light in Portrait mode

When you switch your Camera into Portrait mode, you also have the option of adjusting some of its features, such as the lighting. 

There are five different kinds of lighting available in Portrait mode: 

• Natural Light, which makes for a soft, less harsh light 
• Studio Light, which evenly spreads light across the subject of the photo
• Contour Light, which contours the face of the subject with shadows 
• Stage Light, which turns the background black 
• Stage Light Mono, which makes the entire photo black and white and turns the background black

You can change the lighting type by swiping through and selecting which option you want to use before taking your photo. You can also adjust the lighting after taking the photo by following these instructions: 

1. Open your photos. 
2. Select the photo you wish to edit. 
3. Press Edit at the top-right of the screen. 
4. Swipe the lighting buttons directly underneath the photo and select which one you want to use. 
5. Press Done. 

Your photo, now in its new light setting, will be saved directly to your Camera Roll. You can change it back to its original setting at any time by following those same instructions. 

How to adjust the depth of field in Portrait mode

While using Portrait mode, you can also adjust the depth of field. At this time, you can only control this setting after you take the photo, and this feature is only available on iPhone XS models or later. 

Here’s how to adjust the depth of field: 

1. Open your photos. 
2. Select the photo you wish to edit. 
3. Press Edit at the top-right of the screen. 
4. Press the button with a lowercase f at the top-left of the screen. 
5. Drag the slider left or right to adjust the blur on your background. 
6. Press Done. 

If you have an iPhone X or any other previous model that doesn’t include the Depth Control slider feature, you can simply download a free third-party app like Focos. 

How to undo Portrait mode

If you took a photo in Portrait mode but didn’t mean to, there is a simple way to undo the setting: 

1. Open your photos. 
2. Select the Portrait photo you wish to undo. 
3. Press Edit at the top-right of the screen. 
4. Then press the Portrait button at the top-center of the screen. 
5. Tap Done. 

Shooting on iPhone in Portrait mode

Using iPhone’s Portrait mode is a simple way to get professional, high-quality looking photos. However, if you truly want to take your iPhone photography to the next level, there are a couple of tips and tricks from the pros you should try. 

Use natural light

You’ll find that if you attempt to use Portrait mode in a low-lit setting, it will refuse to work (that’s what Night mode is for). Thus, it’s important to seek out and use only the best lighting: bright, natural light. 

Among the best ways to utilize natural lighting include: 

• Going outside during the daytime 
• Standing near a window during the daytime 
• Taking advantage of the “golden hours” (one hour after sunrise and one hour before sunset) 

Tap the screen

Sometimes, simply aiming your camera at your subject isn’t enough. If you want to make sure that the person or item you’re photographing is in focus, you should tap on the subject while your camera is open before you take the photo. Doing this will bring that subject directly into focus. 

Choose quality backgrounds

Even though the background of your image might be blurred in Portrait mode, it’s still important to choose one wisely. 

Pick a background that has some detail (like a brick wall, which adds for a cool effect when blurred) but not one that’s overly complex. You don’t want to use something plain, like a white wall, as that won’t add much interest to the photo. 

Using your iPhone’s Portrait mode is a great way to level-up your photo-taking skills. And since this is easy even for amateur photographers to learn, you can be snapping next-to-professional images in no time. 

The post How to use iPhone Portrait mode for near-professional portraits appeared first on Backlight.

While technically all you need to participate in this trend is your Camera app and your face, there are additional tools available to help level-up your selfie game. In this article, we’ve rounded up our top 10 favorite apps that will help you capture the perfect selfie. 

The top 10 selfie apps for iPhone

When it comes to taking a great selfie, quite a few factors come into play. You need to make sure you have a steady hand, a neutral background, and good lighting — outside, during the golden hour right after sunrise and right before sunset, is the most ideal. Even with all of those components, there are other things you can do to make sure that your selfie stands out from the rest. 

Whether you’re looking for the perfect camera or a tool to retouch your photo, the apps below will help you take the perfect selfie: 

1. Facetune 2
2. BeautyPlus
3. Everlook
4. AirBrush
5. A Color Story
6. VSCO
7. Perfect365
8. Retrica
9. YouCam Perfect
10. Selfie Editor

1. Facetune 2: Best selfie editing app

Facetune 2 is a staple of every good selfie toolkit. Described as your own personal “glam squad,” this award-winning app features easy-to-use tools such as smooth skin, teeth whitener, glitter brushes, and red-eye removal. Within the app, you can also enlarge or minimize features on your face and body, as well as change the direction of the light source. 

But perhaps the best thing about this app is that you can use the live retouching feature to touch up your photo before you even take it. 

Facetune 2 is free to download and comes with in-app purchases such as a membership subscription that grants unlimited access to all features.  

Facetune 2 on the App Store

2. BeautyPlus: Snap, edit, and filter your way to a better selfie 

With almost five stars and over 150,000 reviews, BeautyPlus is one of the top photo editing apps available for iPhone. While it has tons of powerful editing tools like a lip plumper, a hair volumizer, and fun augmented reality filters, the feature that draws the most praise from users is the auto-beautify tool. 

While you have the option to manually edit the photo however you desire, the auto-beautify tool turns your photo into the perfect selfie with just the push of a button. The app is free to download but comes with in-app purchases for premium features like reshaping and firming tools. 

BeautyPlus on the App Store

3. Everlook: One of the best selfie apps for accessories

Everlook is one of the most powerful face editing apps out there. Not only can you essentially remodel your entire face — which is a controversial editing tool, to say the least — you can also give yourself facial hair, change your eye color, and even dress up in accessories like a hat or glasses. 

The app’s face recognition technology makes editing your selfie not only a breeze, but fun. While the free version comes with many features, even more tools are available with the paid Everlook VIP Subscription. 

Everlook on the App Store

4. AirBrush: Hide blemishes and give yourself glowing skin

This retouching app will help you fine-tune your features and hide any unsightly marks so your selfie will be even more Instagram-worthy. Free to download in the App Store, AirBrush features multiple editing tools to give you glowing skin, brighter eyes, and voluminous hair with just the push of a button. 

While the app’s free version includes tons of editing capabilities, the AirBrush Black paid subscription features even more. 

AirBrush on the App Store 

5. A Color Story: Paint your selfie with light leaks and vintage filters

A Color Story can help turn your classic selfie into an aesthetically pleasing masterpiece through its over 400 professionally designed filters and 20 different advanced editing tools. Not only can you add movable effects to your photo, but you can also smooth your skin and color your face with light leaks. 

While A Color Story is free to download, you have to purchase a subscription to access all of the filters and tools. 

A Color Story on the App Store

6. VSCO: The classic selfie editor 

VSCO is a classic selfie editor that every Instagram self-photographer should have on their iPhone. The dozens of filters available are just some of the many reasons this app is so popular. The editing tools included within the free version are the same as those used by the pros, so, needless to say, downloading this app will give your selfies a real upgrade. 

The paid subscription of VSCO gives you access to more filters and tools. 

VSCO on the App Store

7. Perfect365: Selfie editor with a makeup tool

With four and a half stars and over 114,000 reviews, Perfect365 is a virtual makeup app that can give you a complete makeover with just a single tap. With tons of makeup brands and looks designed by top Instagram influencers, there’s no limit to how you can experiment with your personal style. 

While the free version has all the beauty tools you need to capture the perfect selfie, the paid subscription gives you access to unlimited makeup looks. 

Perfect365 on the App Store

8. Retrica: The original filter camera

This photo editing app features a variety of overlays and editing tools that can give your selfies the ultimate vintage look. Between multiple light leaks and over 190 filters, the free version of this app will help you post some seriously fabulous selfies. 

The premium feature gives you access to Retrica’s entire library. 

Retrica on the App Store

9. Selfie Editor: A simple retouching app for your best selfies 

This simple photo editor is great for retouching selfies to give you radiant skin, whiter teeth, and more. The beauty camera also features tons of picture-perfect filters so you can capture a great selfie every time. 

The app is free to download, but the in-app subscription gives you access to premium selfie tools. 

Selfie Editor on the App Store

10.  YouCam Perfect: A selfie cam with live editing features

This app is known for being one of the best selfie cameras around. Thanks to the live effects option, you can perfect your selfie before you even snap the photo. After you’ve taken your picture, you can add bursts of shapes and colors with the magic brush or conceal any unsightly parts of the image with the blur tool. 

Most of the features are available within the free version. However, the premium version includes even more unique tools. 

YouCam Perfect on the App Store

Whether you’re looking to simply touch up an old selfie you want to post or hoping to capture your best angle with a beauty camera, these apps will get you one step closer to achieving the self-portrait of your dreams.

The post The 10 best selfie apps to take that perfect selfie appeared first on Backlight.

Instagram introduced video-sharing in 2013 with posts enabled to feature videos up to 15 seconds long. It was a glorious time in social media, as accounts creatively curated new content for this format. 

Now, video is a massive component of an overall high-quality and engaging Instagram presence. So if you want to add video to your Instagram strategy, there’s no better time than now. 

Instagram video size and length restrictions

As with all good things, there are still limitations in place today on Instagram videos. In this section, we’ll go over all of the size and length restrictions you need to be aware of prior to shooting. 

Instagram Story video size and length

Instagram Stories are arguably one of the most popular features on the app, so it’s no surprise that Instagram allows and encourages users to post their videos through Stories. 

Even though it may seem like the sky is the limit for videos posted to Stories, there are some restrictions to be aware of, such as: 

• Video dimensions need to be a minimum of 600 x 1067, but Instagram recommends video dimensions of 1080 x 1920 for Stories. 
• The maximum Instagram file size is 4GB.
• The Instagram Stories video length limit is 15 seconds. However, you can post an unlimited number of 15-second videos back-to-back to essentially create one long video. 

It’s also important to note that when you upload a video longer than 15 seconds to Stories, it automatically splices it up into 15-second chunks for you. 

Instagram video size and length for posts

You won’t find any feature-length films on this social media app. While videos on Instagram have drastically changed from the original 15-second rule, there is still a short-form limitation in place. And the dimensions depend on which kind of video you use: vertical, landscape, or carousel and square.  

Here are the requirements and restrictions for vertical videos:

• The minimum Instagram vertical video dimensions are 600 x 750.
• The maximum Instagram file size is 4GB.
• The maximum frame rate is 30fps.
• While there is no minimum length for vertical videos, the maximum Instagram video length is 60 seconds.

Here are the requirements and restrictions for horizontal videos:

• The minimum Instagram landscape video dimensions are 600 x 315.
• The maximum Instagram file size is 4GB.
• The maximum frame rate is 30fps.
• While there is no minimum length for vertical videos, the maximum Instagram video length is 60 seconds.

Here are the requirements and restrictions for carousel and square videos:

• The minimum Instagram square and carousel video dimensions are 600 x 600.
• The maximum Instagram file size is 4GB.
• The maximum frame rate is 30fps.
• While there is no minimum length for vertical videos, the maximum Instagram video length is 60 seconds. However, you could post up to 10 60-second clips to create a video up to 10-minutes long. 

IGTV video size and length

In June 2018, Instagram launched IGTV in an effort to meet users’ requests for long-format video. IGTV videos can be posted to your feed or can be found in the IGTV section of your homepage. 

While you have more wiggle room when it comes to length for IGTV videos, there are still some limitations to be aware of: 

• The minimum IGTV video length is 60 seconds. 
• When you upload from a mobile device, the maximum IGTV video length is 15 minutes. However, when you’re uploading from a computer, the maximum length increases to 60 minutes. 
• The maximum file size is 650MB for videos 10 minutes or shorter, or 3.6GB for videos up to 60 minutes. 
• The recommended size for IGTV cover photos is 420 x 654.

Instagram video resolution and aspect ratio

Uploading videos might seem as simple as pressing a button — and often, it is — however, there are two components to consider if you want your content to be high quality: resolution and aspect ratio. 

A video’s resolution is the number of pixels that can be displayed in each dimension, which determines how clear or unclear a video is. The aspect ratio is the relationship between the video’s height and width, which also determines the overall picture. 

As you may have guessed, Instagram has its own requirements regarding resolution and ratio. We’ll dive deeper into those numbers in the sections below. 

Instagram Story aspect ratio and best resolution

Having crystal clear videos on your Instagram Story can lead to an increase in engagement and user action. Here are some requirements and recommendations to keep in mind: 

• Instagram Story videos are recommended to be at a ratio of 9:16 and 16:9 and 4:5. 
• The recommended resolution is 1080 x 1920 pixels. 
• However, the minimum width is 500 pixels, and the maximum aspect ratio is 90 x 160.

Recommended aspect ratio and resolution for Instagram posts

It’s no surprise that using high-quality videos counts the most in your posts. 

In general, Instagram supports photos and videos that have a width between 320px and 1080px. However, the recommended resolution and aspect ratio depends on the format you choose: vertical, landscape, or square and carousel. 

Below are the requirements and recommendations for vertical video posts: 

• Vertical videos can have a maximum aspect ratio of 4:5 (if they are larger than that, they will get cropped).
• Instagram recommends a resolution of 1080px by 1350px or as close to that as possible. 

These are the requirements and recommendations for landscape video posts: 

• Horizontal videos can have an aspect ratio between 1.91:1 and 16:9. 
• Instagram recommends using 16:9. 
• Instagram also recommends a resolution of 1080px by 607px.

And here are the requirements and recommendations for square and carousel video posts: 

• Square videos should have an aspect ratio of 1:1. 
• Square videos should have a resolution as close to 1080px by 1080px as possible.

Video aspect ratio and resolution for IGTV

Since IGTV is increasingly growing in popularity and use, it’s important to make sure the videos you share there are easy to watch. Below are the requirements and recommendations for aspect ratio and resolution on IGTV videos: 

• IGTV video dimensions should be 1080px by 1920px,  but the minimum resolution is 720px. 
• IGTV videos should have an aspect ratio of 9:16 for vertical videos and 16:9 for horizontal videos. 

Does Instagram support 1080p video?

Yes, Instagram does support videos with a resolution of 1080px for IGTV, posts, and Stories. 

How to crop a video for Instagram

If you need or want to crop a video for Instagram, the process is fairly simple. Here are the instructions: 

1. Open your iPhone Photos app. 
2. Navigate to the video you wish to crop. 
3. Press the Edit button in the top-right of the screen. 
4. Select the crop tool at the bottom-right of the screen. 
5. From there, you can either manually crop the photo by sliding the corners in and out, or you can choose one of the formatted crop sizes by pressing the square tool at the top-right of the screen. 
6. Press Done. 

Once you go through these instructions, your newly cropped video will be saved to your Camera Roll. 

How to resize a large video for Instagram

If your video is too large to upload, you’ll have to resize it first. Thankfully, there are many apps and tools designed to change the Instagram video size. For the purpose of this article, we’ll be using the app No Crop, which is free to download in the App Store. 

Here’s how to resize a video for Instagram using No Crop: 

1. Open No Crop. 
2. Press Videos.
3. Give No Crop access to your Camera Roll by selecting OK.
4. Select the video you wish to resize. 
5. Use the slider tool to make your video smaller or larger. 
6. Press the checkmark at the top-right of the screen to save. 

What Instagram video format is supported?

Instagram supports the video format MP4 for IGTV, posts, and Stories. To get even more technical, the supported video codecs are H.264 and VP8, and supported audio codecs are AAC and Vorbis.

If you’re active on Instagram — or are strategizing to be more active in the future — you’ll want to include video content. Not only is it one of the leading online formats, but it’s a creative way to break up your feed and be even more engaged with your followers. Hope this guide helps you figure out the optimal Instagram video size, format, and resolution to best tell your story.

The post What’s the best Instagram video size, format, and resolution? appeared first on Backlight.

In this guide, we’ll give you all the tools you need to change, edit, or remove the background from an image. 

The 7 best background photo editors for iPhone 

Thanks to modern technology and the increasing capabilities of our handheld devices, editing the backgrounds of photos has never been easier. Whether you want to blur the trash can behind your killer pose or switch out your city scenery for something tropical, we’ve rounded up the 7 best background photo editor apps for iPhone users. 

They are as follows: 

1. Background Eraser
2. Cut Paste Photos Pro Edit Chop
3. Blur Photo Background
4. Object Removal Lite
5. Blur Photo Editor Background
6. Focos
7. LightX Photo Editor & Retouch

1. Background Eraser: Erase, remove, and cut out the background of any photo

Sometimes, the best thing you can do for the background of a photo is to just delete it. That’s where the Background Eraser app comes in. This free app allows you to easily remove the background of a picture and save the transparent version of the photo as a PNG or JPEG. 

Once the photo is removed, you can use it as a stamp within other apps like Snapchat, or you can use it in a collage. You can also use it in one of the other apps listed below and add it on top of a different background. 

This app also features advanced erasing tools, as well as restore and reverse options. It’s currently free in the App Store. 

Background Eraser on the App Store

2. Cut Paste Photos Pro Edit Chop: The easiest image background changer app

Maybe you love the way you look in a certain photo but wish it was on an exotic beach instead of your mother’s front porch. A cut and paste app like Cut Paste Photos Pro Edit Chop can transport you to any destination in the world with just a few swipes of your finger. 

This app is mostly used for its easy photo cut tool and its over 40 fun camera-ready backgrounds to choose from. You can also cut objects and people from multiple photos and merge them all together in a new one — a great tool to have on hand for those group pictures where at least one person has their eyes closed.  

The app is free to download, but its premium features are only available with a monthly, quarterly, or yearly subscription. You do, however, get a free three-day trial of all the features upon downloading.  

Cut Paste Photos Pro Edit Chop on the App Store

3. Blur Photo Background: Artfully blur the background of any photo

Maybe the background of your photo isn’t terrible, but it could still be improved. Many people find that blurring the background of an image makes it look more polished, and apps like Blur Photo Background make this easy to accomplish. 

Blur Photo Background offers sophisticated yet simple-to-use tools to blur the background, an unwanted object, or even a stranger’s face. There are different types of blur tools (like Gaussian Blur and Motion Blur), as well as effects like Pixel, Glass, and Mosaic. 

The app is free to download and includes some in-app purchases for more advanced tools. 

Blur Photo Background on the App Store

4. Object Removal Lite: Remove unwanted objects from any photos

Still, sometimes the only way to make a photo work is to separate it from the background. Object Removal Lite is one of the leading apps in photo object removal. 

By using artificial intelligence and image processing technology, you can remove people, buildings, phone lines, and even blemishes from any photo you choose. The app also includes filters, editing functions, and other tools. 

Object Removal Lite is free to download in the App Store, but premium memberships are available and include more functions and ad-removal. 

Object Removal Lite on the App Store 

5. Blur Photo Editor Background: Add a unique blur effect to your Instagram photos

If you want to get a little more creative when you blur your photos, Blur Photo Editor Background is a great option. This app features tools that can blur a background quickly and easily, as well as 10 different blur effects to make your photos pop. 

In addition to artistically blurred photos, users also enjoy high-resolution editing, which allows you to zoom in on the tinier details you might otherwise miss. The app is free to download and comes with in-app purchases such as a Pro Subscription that features even more functions and tools. 

Blur Photo Editor Background on the App Store

6. Focos: Edit your iPhone photo like you have a DSLR camera

While iPhone cameras have come a long way since the first iPhone model, they’re still not as sophisticated as DSLR cameras. However, apps like Focos make it easier for iPhone photographers to edit their pictures into more professional shots, which is often created by a blurred background effect. 

With nearly five stars and thousands of reviews, Focos makes it possible to focus on a subject long after the photo was taken. You can adjust the depth of field and blur any unsightly backgrounds so your photos are always post-ready. 

Focos is free to download and offers some in-app purchases like additional features and built-in tutorials. 

Focos on the App Store

7. LightX Photo Editor & Retouch: Completely erase a photo’s background

Need to erase a background entirely? LightX Photo Editor & Retouch has got you covered. This all-in-one editing app offers tools such as cutouts, blur, and even a background changer. 

After you’ve cut out your subject and superimposed it onto a new background, you can add more flavor to your photo with its professional editing features like color splash effects, stickers, frames, doodles, and photo filters. 

The LightX Photo Editor & Retouch app is free to download and comes with additional in-app purchases. 

LightX Photo Editor & Retouch in the App Store

Thanks to modern advances in technology, editing photos has never been easier. And thanks to the apps mentioned in this article, you can blur photos, remove objects, and even change backgrounds directly on your iPhone.

The post 7 photo background apps for iPhone to change the background of your shot appeared first on Backlight.

Nowadays, professional photo editing skills are available to anyone with a smartphone and a couple of apps. For those of us who would rather not spend an extra 20 minutes perfecting an Instagram post, there are tons of one-click photo filter options to use, some of which can even be found directly on your iPhone. 

In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about iPhone Camera filters — no app downloads required. 

Using iPhone Camera filters

In 2017, Apple released one very exciting addition in its iOS 11 update: filters you can use directly on your camera. While there were initially only a few simple built-in filters to use, iPhones have gotten even more advanced in their editing systems. 

Read on to learn more about how to use the filters that are built directly into your iPhone Camera. 

How to apply a filter in your iPhone Camera

As with the most recently updated features, applying an iPhone filter to your photos is very simple, and you can choose to do it before you take the photo or after. In this section, we’ll show you how to do both. 

Here’s how to apply an iPhone filter before you take a photo: 

1. Open your Camera. 
2. Press the three overlapping circles button at the top-right of the screen. 
3. Swipe the square button through the filters until you locate the one you wish to use. 
4. Press the three overlapping circles button at the top-right of the screen again. 
5. Take a photo as you normally would. 

As mentioned before, you can also choose a filter after you’ve taken a photo. Here’s how to do that: 

1. Open your Camera Roll. 
2. Locate the photo you wish to edit. 
3. Tap the Edit button at the top-right of the screen. 
4. Press the three overlapping circles button at the bottom-center of the screen. 
5. Swipe the square button through the filters until you locate the one you wish to use. 
6. Then tap the three overlapping circles button at the bottom-center of the screen again. 
7. Finally, press Done at the bottom-right of the screen. 

If you decide you no longer want to use that filter for your photo, you can always change it back. Here’s how to revert a filter on a photo: 

1. Open your Camera Roll. 
2. Locate the photo you wish to revert. 
3. Press the Edit button at the top-right of the screen. 
4. Tap the Revert button at the bottom-right of the screen. 
5. Finally, tap Revert to Original. 

Filters in Photos and what to use them for

Now that you know the simple process of applying an iPhone filter to your photos, it’s time to go over exactly what those filters are — and what to use them for. Currently, the iPhone has 10 filters that you can apply to your photos. 

Here’s what they are and what they do: 

• Vivid increases the photo’s contrast, which can be great for capturing sunsets and other natural landscapes. 
• Vivid Warm increases the photo’s contrast and overlays warm tones, which can be flattering for self-portraits and photos of other people.
• Vivid Cool increases the photo’s contrast and overlays cool tones, which works best for flat-lay photos and capturing darker scenery. 
• Dramatic increases the photo’s shadows and decreases highlights, which adds a layer of intensity to portraits and up-close images of objects. 
• Dramatic Warm increases the photo’s shadows, decreases the highlights, and overlays warm tones, which looks great in photos taken right after sunset or right before sunrise. 
• Dramatic Cool increases the photo’s shadows, decreases the highlights, and overlays cool tones, which can be visually appealing for beach photos and foggy landscapes. 
• Mono makes the photo black and white, which can add sharpness to a slightly out-of-focus image. 
• Silvertone makes the photo black and white and increases the shadows, which is wonderful for city images and dramatic portraits. 
• Noir makes the photo black and white and increases the contrast, which pairs well with cloudy sceneries and photos in low lighting. 

The hidden iPhone photo filters

Outside of the iPhone Camera, there are other places where even more photo filters exist. These hidden pre-edits can only be found in one place on your smartphone: Messages. 

Before you start frantically searching your inbox, note that not all iPhone models have these filters available. So if you have an older model, chances are, you won’t be able to access these. 

How to access iPhone photo effects in Messages

Accessing these secretly placed photo filters is unfortunately not as easy as accessing the ones found on your Camera Roll. Still, it’s not that hard. You just need to know where to look.

Here’s how to find the photo filters in your messages: 

1. Open your Messages app. 
2. Start a new message or open an active message. 
3. Press the camera button at the left-center of the screen. 
4. Press the spirograph-star button at the bottom-left of the screen. 
5. Select the three overlapping circles button at the bottom-left of the screen. There, you’ll find seven new filters that aren’t available with the iPhone Camera filters. 
6. Swipe until you find the filter you like. 
7. Press the shutter button to take a picture with your chosen filter. 
8. Press the blue arrow button to send it in a message or the Done button to add it to your text message and return to the Messages app. 

Whether you choose to send it or not doesn’t matter. Taking the photo means it’s automatically saved to your Camera Roll. As awesome as these hidden photo filters are, there is one drawback: You can’t take multiple photos within the Messages app. So if you don’t like the picture you’ve taken, you have to reopen the messaging camera again and again. 

What filters are there in Messages?

There are seven different secret filters found within the Messages app. Here’s what they are and what they do: 

• Comic Book turns the photo into a comic book-style of art.
• Comic Mono does the same as above but in black and white.
• Ink turns the photo into an ink-style drawing.
• Camcorder turns the photo into an old camcorder style, complete with static lines. 
• Aged Film turns the photo into an older film style, also with some static editing. 
• Watercolor turns the photo into a watercolor painting.
• Watercolor Mono does the same as above but in black and white.

All of these filters can be used for taking photos and videos within the Messages app. However, you can’t go back and edit photos with these new filters. They are only available within the messaging camera itself. 

No matter how great a photo is in its original setting, adding photo filters is a fun way to create some flair and add a little personality to your content. Even though there are cool filters found in third-party apps, we hope you find your iPhone’s built-in filters just as handy. 

The post The full guide to iPhone Camera filters (including the hidden ones) appeared first on Backlight.

But the one thing that seems to still elude Instagram users is URLs. 

Adding links to your Instagram used to be impossible, and even now, it requires a little maneuvering (or a lot of followers). But by the time you finish this guide, you’ll know everything you need to know about adding links to your Instagram. 

How to add a link to Instagram Story

For years, the only place to share a link on Instagram was in your bio, which led to the ever-common caption-ending phrase “link in bio.” 

Thankfully, Instagram has caught on to the need for easy URL placement and, in 2017, made it possible for some (though not all) accounts to add links to their Stories. If you have access to this feature, here’s how you use it:

1. Open your Instagram app. 
2. Press the Story Camera at the top-left corner of the screen. 
3. Upload a photo or video or take one using the Story Camera. 
4. Press the chain link icon at the top of the screen. 
5. Enter the link. 
6. Press Done. 
7. Share your Story. 

Once your Story is posted, people will be able to visit the link by swiping up on your Story.  

Who can put a link on their Instagram Story?

As stated before, not everyone has access to the URL feature in their Instagram Stories. You earn the right to Story Links by meeting the following requirements: 

• You have over 10,000 followers. 
• Your account is verified. 

There’s no real method for getting a verified account (other than requesting the coveted Verified Badge), so the only real way to earn this feature is by growing your followers — or by using what seems to be the only workaround. 

How to get the swipe-up feature on Instagram without 10k followers

Fortunately, there is one trick that allows you to get the coveted “swipe-up” feature without accumulating 10,000 followers. Unfortunately, you have to pay for it. 

When you create a paid Story Ad, it comes with an option to add a link no matter what your follower count is. 

Here’s how to create an Instagram Story ad: 

1. Open Instagram and post the content you want to promote to your Story.
2. Press your profile picture to access that Story. 
3. Tap the three horizontal dots at the bottom-right corner of the screen. 
4. Then tap Promote.
5. Next, press Edit underneath the Your Website option. 
6. Delete the link to your website. 
7. Add the new link you want. 
8. Press Done. 
9. Fill in the rest of the details for your ad.
10. Press Create Promotion.

Story ads can cost anywhere from $1 for one day to $1,000 for 30 days. It all depends on the parameters you set for the budget and duration. 

At this time, this is the only way to get Story Links without meeting the verified account or 10,000 followers requirement. 

How to put an IGTV link on your Instagram Story

There is one other way to get a URL link on your Instagram Story, and that’s by posting an IGTV video, also known as Instagram TV. In order to share an IGTV link to your Stories, you need to have at least one video posted on IGTV. 

1. Open Instagram. 
2. Press the Instagram Camera button at the top-left of the screen. 
3. Take a photo or video in the camera or upload a photo or video. 
4. Press the link icon at the top of the screen. 
5. Press +IGTV Video. 
6. Select the video you want to link to. 
7. Press Preview. 
8. Press Done. 

Doing this will link your Story to your IGTV video, and people will be able to swipe up to access it for the 24 hours your Story is live. 

How to add a link to an Instagram post

Outside of linking to Instagram Stories and adding a website URL to your bio, posts are the only other area on the platform where you might want to add a link. Unfortunately, it’s even trickier to add a link to a post. 

Can you add a link to a post natively?

Yes and no. You can add a link to a caption on a post — but no one will be able to click it. So if someone wanted to visit the URL you added, they would have to copy and paste it into their phone’s web browser. It’s possible, but it’s a hassle. 

That is why many people utilize the link option available in your bio. After adding the desired link to their bio, they simply tell their users where to access the URL by ending their post’s caption with “link in bio.” 

Here’s how to update your Instagram bio link: 

1. Open Instagram. 
2. Press the person icon at the bottom-right corner of the screen to access your profile. 
3. Press Edit Profile. 
4. Delete your old URL. 
5. Add your new one. 
6. Press Done. 

You can update your bio link as many times and as often as you’d like. 

How to add a call to action link to an Instagram post

The only other way to add a link to an Instagram post is by paying to promote it. Once you’ve decided to promote a post, you get the option to add a call to action link, which you can use to direct your followers to any (approved) site of your choosing. 

Here’s how to promote an Instagram post: 

1. Open Instagram. 
2. Press the person icon at the bottom-right corner of the screen to access your profile. 
3. Locate and press the post you want to promote. 
4. Tap Promote. 
5. Press Edit underneath the Your Website option. 
6. Delete the link to your website. 
7. Add the new link you want. 
8. Press Done. 
9. Fill in the rest of the details for your ad.
10. Finally, tap Create Promotion.

Like Story Ads, Promoted Posts can cost anywhere from $1 for one day to $1,000 for 30 days. You get to choose what you pay in the Budget and Duration tab. 

How to add a link to an IGTV video

Since IGTV rolled out in 2018, it has become the ultimate place to post long-form videos. However, one of the little-known facts about Instagram TV is that you can actually add clickable links to the description box. 

Here’s how to add a link to an IGTV video within the Instagram app:

1. Open Instagram. 
2. Press the magnifying glass icon at the bottom of the screen. 
3. Then press the IGTV button at the top-left corner of the screen. 
4. Tap the + sign at the top-right corner of the screen. 
5. Locate and select your video, which must be at least 1 minute long. 
6. Press Next. 
7. Choose your cover and press Next. 
8. Fill out the Title. 
9. Add your link to the Description box. 
10. Press Post. 

For users to see and click on the link, they first need to click on the title of your IGTV video to display the description. From there, they can view and click any URL you’ve posted. 

Instagram has come a long way in terms of allowing users to add URLs on the app. However, it’s still not the easiest feature to use. Until Instagram allows us to simply add a URL in our captions — or at least make the Stories swipe-up feature accessible to all — we hope these workarounds help you link your content properly. 

The post How to add a link to your Instagram Story, post, or IGTV video appeared first on Backlight.

Upon release, the only real complaint surrounding Stories was that they only lasted 24 hours before disappearing, which meant that if you forgot to save a Story to your Camera Roll, there was no getting it back. But in late 2017, Instagram solved that problem by introducing Highlights, a place for your Stories to live online forever. In this guide, we’ll go over everything you need to know about using Highlights — and how to utilize them to showcase your best Stories.

Instagram Story Highlights and how to use them

Instagram Highlights are essentially a way for you to collect and display your Archived Stories on your profile. They appear below your bio and remain there until you choose to remove them. 

How to create a new Instagram Highlight

If you want to create a new Highlight on Instagram, the good news is that it’s not a complicated process. Below are the instructions for creating a new Instagram Highlight:

1. Open Instagram.
2. Press the profile icon on the bottom-right of the page to go to your profile. 
3. Then, press the + button underneath your Instagram bio that reads “New.”
4. Swipe through your Stories Archive and locate the photos or videos you want to add to your new Highlight. 
5. Tap Next. 
6. Type a name for your new Highlight. 
7. Press Add.

Once you follow these steps, your new Highlight will be displayed on your profile directly underneath your bio for all your followers to see. 

How to add an Instagram Highlight cover

Instagram will randomly choose a Story you selected for your new Highlight to be the cover photo displayed on your home page. If you don’t want Instagram to choose one automatically, you have the option to edit the cover photo and select it yourself. 

Here’s how to do add a Highlight cover: 

1. Open Instagram.
2. Press the profile icon on the bottom-right corner of the page to go to your profile. 
3. Press the + button underneath your Instagram bio that reads “New.”
4. Swipe through your Stories Archive and locate the photos or videos you want to add to your new Highlight. 
5. Press Next. 
6. Type a name for your new Highlight. 
7. Select “Edit Cover.”
8. Swipe through the Stories until you locate the one you want to use. 
9. Move the image around to be displayed as desired. 
10. Press Done.
11. Press Add.

How to edit your Highlights

Once a new Highlight has made its home on your homepage, you have the option to edit it as you see fit. You can add new Stories, remove Stories, and even change the cover photo whenever you like. 

Here’s how to edit an existing Highlight: 

1. Open Instagram.
2. Press the profile icon on the bottom-right corner of the page to go to your profile. 
3. Press the Highlight you want to edit. 
4. Tap the three horizontal dots on the bottom-right corner of the page. 
5. Select Edit Highlight.
6. From there, you can select “Edit Cover, unselect added Stories to remove them from the Highlight or add new Stories to the Highlight by pressing Stories and choosing which ones you’d like to add. 
7. Finally, press Done. 

How to delete an Instagram Highlight

If you want to remove a Highlight from your Instagram account, all you have to do is follow the instructions below: 

1. Open Instagram.
2. Press the profile icon on the bottom-right corner of the page to go to your profile. 
3. Pick the Highlight you want to delete. 
4. Then tap the three horizontal dots on the bottom-right corner of the page. 
5. Select Remove from Highlights.
6. Tap Remove to confirm. 

Doing this will remove the Highlight from your profile. You could also use this other quick shortcut to remove a Highlight: 

1. Open Instagram.
2. Press the profile icon on the bottom-right corner of the page to go to your profile. 
3. Next, tap and hold the Highlight you want to remove.
4. Then press Delete Highlight. 

What you can put on Instagram Highlights

When it comes to the different ways you can organize and create Instagram Story Highlights, the possibilities are endless. From sharing what you do in your spare time to your top personal development resources, we’ve collected our favorite ideas for Instagram Highlights. 

Idea 1. Show off your interests

Blogger Ashley Mahaffey (@withloveandhappiness) uses her Instagram Highlights to showcase all of her hobbies. Whether it’s her favorite recipes or her latest home decor updates, there’s a Highlight for anything and everything. 

Idea 2. Promote your work

If you’re a jack of all trades like Robert Katai (@katairobi), then a great way to advertise the various facets of your career is by creating a Highlight for each hat you wear. Robert, for example, has a Highlight for his podcast, his blog, his upcoming events, and even his ideas. 

Idea 3. Shout out your favorite products

The popular Instagram account @things.i.bought.and.liked uses her Highlights to categorize all of the different products she has reviewed. If you enjoy sharing the lowdown on your latest Amazon purchase, create a Highlight around your must-haves so your followers can check out your recommendations whenever they like. 

Instagram Story Highlights: Frequently asked questions

If you’re unfamiliar with Story Highlights, you probably have a lot of questions about how they work and how your followers can engage with them. Below, we’ve answered some of the most frequently asked questions about this popular feature. 

Can you see who looks at your Instagram Highlights?

Unlike Stories, you can’t see who views your Instagram Highlights. You can only see the number of people who viewed it when it was on your Stories. That number can be found at the bottom-left of the Story. 

When you first post a Story, you’re able to see who viewed it for the 24 hours that it’s live on your Stories. However, once it goes past the 24-hour mark, it’s archived, and you can no longer see the names of your viewers. 

How long do Instagram highlights last?

The beautiful thing about Instagram Highlights is that they will last as long as you want them to. They have no expiration date. They will live on your profile until you decide to delete them. 

How many highlights can you have on Instagram?

When it comes to adding photos and videos to your Story, keep in mind that Instagram limits Highlight content to 100 Stories. After you go over that limit, it will knock off the oldest Story on the Highlight to make room for the new one. 

Can you hide Instagram highlights from someone?

Yes — as long as you hide them from your Instagram Stories first. 

If you’ve blocked an account from seeing your Stories, they’re automatically blocked from viewing your Highlights as well. If your account is private, your Highlights, like your Stories, will only be visible to your approved followers. 

Can you change the order of your Story Highlights?

You can. Highlights are displayed on your profile in chronological order. So every time you add a new Story to one of your Highlights, that Highlight will be moved to the front of the order. 

If you want to move a Highlight up to the front, simply add a new Story to it following the instructions laid out above. 

Instagram Highlights are a great tool to showcase all the different aspects of your life online. Whether you want to humblebrag about your trip to Hawaii or promote your favorite tech purchases, Highlights will make sure your Stories are categorized and organized for all your followers to see.

The post How to use Instagram Highlights to showcase your best Stories appeared first on Backlight.

If you’ve ever found yourself wishing you could virtually erase the evidence of your first clumsy steps into social media, you’ve come to the right place. In this guide, we’ll go over everything you need to know about deleting an Instagram post once and for all. 

How to delete your Instagram posts

In line with its reputation of being one of the most user-friendly social media apps available right now, Instagram makes deleting a post pretty easy. 

Here’s how to delete an Instagram post: 

1. Open your Instagram app. 
2. Press the person icon at the bottom-right corner of the screen to navigate to your profile. 
3. Locate the photo you wish to delete. 
4. Tap the three horizontal dots at the top-right of the screen. 
5. Next, tap Delete. 
6. Finally, tap Delete again to confirm.

When you follow the steps listed above, you’ll delete your Instagram post for good. That means the photo (or video), as well as any likes and comments it received, will be removed from your profile. 

If that all sounds a little too final for you, there is a way to remove photos from your home feed without losing them forever. 

How to remove an Instagram post with the possibility of recovery

Feeling a little attached to that unedited, slightly blurry photo of you and your college buddies? Then don’t delete it — archive it. 

Before 2017, the only option for removing unsightly photos from your profile was to delete them. The game changed forever when Instagram rolled out its Archive feature, which allowed you to remove a photo from the public (or private, depending on your privacy settings) view and store it in a secure folder for your eyes only. 

Found within the Instagram app, this private gallery is only visible to you. No one else can see it or access it. The best part? Archiving photos and videos is just as easy as deleting them. Here’s how to archive a post on Instagram: 

1. Open your Instagram App. 
2. Tap the person icon at the bottom-right corner of the screen to navigate to your profile. 
3. Locate the photo you wish to archive. 
4. Next, tap the three horizontal dots at the top-right of the photo. 
5. Finally, tap Archive.

So, where do your photos go when you archive them? Here’s how to access your private archive gallery: 

1. Open your Instagram app. 
2. Press the person icon at the bottom-right corner of the screen to navigate to your profile. 
3. Next, tap the three horizontal lines at the top-right of the screen. 
4. Finally, tap Archive. 

And voila — that’s how you access your archive gallery. It’s where all of your private photos will live forever, or at least until you decide to make them public on your feed again. 

If you unarchive a photo, nothing crazy will happen. It will reappear on your profile again in the same spot on your timeline that you removed it from. No one will be notified. 

Here’s how to unarchive a photo: 

1. Open your Instagram app. 
2. Press the person icon at the bottom-right corner of the screen to navigate to your profile.
3. Then, tap the three horizontal lines at the top-right corner of the screen. 
4. Finally, tap Archive. 
5. Locate the photo you want to unarchive. 
6. Next, tap the three horizontal dots at the top-right corner of the photo. 
7. Tap Show on Profile. 

Just as mysteriously as it disappeared, your formerly archived photo will reappear again. 

How to mass-delete your Instagram photos

If you’re looking to wipe your social media slate clean, the ideal way to do that would be to delete all your Instagram photos at once. The problem? Instagram doesn’t make that feature available. 

Thankfully, there are many third-party apps available to help you mass-delete photos. Here, we’ll show you how to delete multiple Instagram posts by using InstaClean, which is available for free in the App Store. 

Here’s how to mass-delete your photos with InstaClean: 

1. Open the InstaClean app. 
2. Log in with your Instagram account. 
3. Authorize InstaClean to have access to your Instagram account. 
4. Tap the Media button at the bottom-right corner of the screen.
5. Select all the photos you want to delete by tapping each image. 
6. Tap the trash can button at the top-right corner of the screen. 
7. Select Delete. 

The number of photos you can delete depends on how many “coins” you have. When you install the app, you automatically get 50 coins, and you can purchase additional coins or a subscription at any time. 

Other iPhone apps offer similar services, such as Cleaner for IG and Cleaner for Ins.

Can you restore your deleted pictures?

No, not through the Instagram app itself. At the time of this writing, Instagram will only recover photos that have been archived, not those you have deleted. If you delete a post, it is removed entirely from the app and can’t be restored. 

Even though all of a post’s likes and comments are gone, it is still possible to find an old photo or video on your iPhone. If you have Original Photos enabled within the Instagram app, any photos or videos you take or post (in Stories and on your feed) are automatically saved to your Camera Roll. That content can be found in a specific album in your Camera Roll titled Instagram. 

Here’s how to turn on the Original Photos feature: 

1. Open your Instagram app. 
2. Press the person icon at the bottom-right corner of the screen to navigate to your profile.
3. Then, tap the three horizontal lines at the top-right corner of the screen. 
4. Navigate to Settings > Account > Original Photos.
5. Tap the toggle button to enable the feature. 

Another place to look for your deleted Instagram post is in the Recently Deleted folder in your Camera Roll. Photos and videos will stay in that folder for 30 days once deleted. 

Why can’t I delete my Instagram photos? 

You should be able to delete any of your photos, albeit individually, from the Instagram app. However, if you are trying to delete photos from the Instagram website on your desktop, you won’t be able to because Instagram currently doesn’t allow that. 

It’s also possible that you may have an outdated version of Instagram. Check your downloads in the App Store to see if there’s an upgrade available for your Instagram app. 

If none of the above solutions solve your problem, reach out to the Instagram Help Center for further assistance. 

That photo of a flower at an artsy angle you posted in 2012 doesn’t have to exist on your feed in 2020. By following some of the steps we laid out above, we hope you can edit and curate your home page with confidence — and with the delete button at your disposal. 

The post How to delete an Instagram post: The tricks you didn’t know appeared first on Backlight.

Whether you need a short social media detox or you’re looking to go off the grid forever, this guide will teach you everything you need to know about deactivating your account before you delete Instagram permanently. 

Deactivating your Instagram account

Because deleting your Instagram account is permanent and final, Instagram recommends temporarily disabling your account first. If you do that, you can still recover the account and all of your content. 

How to temporarily deactivate your Instagram account

Deactivating your IG account is an easy way to either take a break from social media or decide if you really want to delete your account altogether.

Temporarily deactivating your account is a straightforward process. However, you can’t do it within the Instagram app. You have to log in to your account on your desktop browser, so make sure you have all of your correct log-in information on hand. 

Here’s how to temporarily deactivate your account: 

1. Open your desktop browser. 
2. Go to www.instagram.com. 
3. Log in to your account. 
4. Click on your profile picture at the top-right corner of the page. 
5. Select Edit Profile.
6. Scroll down and click Temporarily Disable My Account at the bottom-right corner of the page. 
7. Select an option when asked why you are disabling your account. 
8. Re-enter your password. 
9. Click Temporarily Disable My Account. 

Remember: following these instructions will hide all of your content from your followers. No one will be able to see your account until you reactivate it by logging back in.

For how long can you disable your Instagram? 

You can keep your account temporarily disabled for as long as you like. You can reactivate it at any time by logging back in. However, there is one restriction. 

Instagram currently only allows you to disable your account once per week. So if you disable it, log back on, and then decide you want to disable it again, you’ll have to wait a week to do so.

Do you lose followers when you disable your Instagram account?

No. Because Instagram stores all of your account data when you temporarily disable your account, it will restore it to the state as it was in when you deleted it. 

Also, your account will disappear everywhere on the platform when you disable it — including other accounts’ lists of followers. In other words, people won’t be able to unfollow you while your account is hidden because they won’t be able to find you or see your account. 

Deleting an Instagram account

If you’ve already tried temporarily disabling your Instagram account (or just deleting the app from your phone) but want to take more drastic measures, doing so is relatively simple. Just remember that deleting your account is permanent and can’t be reversed. 

To delete your account, you need to have your correct log-in information ready. 

How to delete your Instagram account on iPhone

At the time of this writing, you can’t delete your Instagram account from within the Instagram app. You can, however, delete your account on your iPhone through your mobile browser. 

Here’s how: 

1. Open your mobile browser. 
2. Go to Instagram’s Delete Your Account page.
3. If you’re not logged in, follow the prompt to log in to your account. 
4. Select an option when asked why you are disabling your account. 
5. Re-enter your password. 
6. Press Permanently Delete My Account. 

How to permanently delete your Instagram account on desktop

Luckily, deleting your Instagram account on your desktop is just as simple. Here’s how to do it: 

1. Open your desktop browser. 
2. Go to Instagram’s Delete Your Account page.
3. If you’re not logged in, follow the prompt to log in to your account. 
4. Select an option when asked why you are disabling your account. 
5. Re-enter your password. 
6. Press Permanently Delete My Account. 

How to remove an Instagram account from the app

If you don’t want to disable or delete your Instagram account, you can always remove it from the app. However, if you want to continue using the Instagram app, you’ll have to add a different Instagram account or create a new one. 

Here’s how to remove an account from the Instagram app: 

1. Open the Instagram app. 
2. Press the icon of your profile picture in the bottom-right corner of the screen.  
3. Press the downward-facing arrow next to your username at the top-center of the screen.
4. Press the three horizontal lines at the top-right corner of the screen. 
5. Press Settings > Log Out.

This method will work if you’re only logged in to one Instagram account. If you manage multiple accounts, removing one of them is a little trickier due to Instagram’s Single Login For Multiple Instagram Accounts feature. Luckily, we found a way around it. 

Here’s how to remove an account from the Instagram app if you’re logged in to multiple accounts: 

1. Press and hold the Instagram app on your iPhone. 
2. Select Delete App. 
3. Wait a few moments and then open the App Store. 
4. Search for Instagram. 
5. Download Instagram. 
6. Open the Instagram app. 
7. Select the account you want to remove. 
8. Press Remove. 

Doing this will essentially reset all of your information and log you out of all of the accounts you were logged into. When you reinstall the app, you can simply log in using the accounts you wish to keep on the app and remove the ones you no longer want to use. 

What happens when you delete or deactivate your Instagram?

If you’re considering getting rid of your Instagram account, you first have a choice to make: Do you want to deactivate your account or delete it altogether? 

When you deactivate your Instagram account

Deactivating your Instagram account is much different than deleting it.  When you deactivate an Instagram account, you are only temporarily disabling it. All your photos, comments, likes, and even your profile will be hidden from the public and your followers, but they’re not gone forever. Your account will remain hidden until you decide to reactivate it. 

When you delete your Instagram account

Deleting your Instagram account, on the other hand, is much more permanent.

When your account is deleted, your entire Instagram history is removed forever. That means all of your photos, videos, Story archives, messages, likes, and followers will be permanently removed. You cannot get them back. It will be as if your account never existed. 

Only you can delete your Instagram account; for security reasons, Instagram can’t do it for you. Also, it’s important to note that Instagram is unable to reactivate a deleted account, so it’s wise to be 100% sure that you want your account removed before doing so. 

If you do go through with deleting your account and decide later that you want to return to Instagram, you can. However, you can’t reactivate your old account — and you can’t sign up for a new account with the same old username. 

Instagram is a great app, but it’s not for everyone. Whether you just want to take a break from the feed or to escape from social media altogether, we hope this guide made removing your Instagram account a little easier. 

The post How to delete your Instagram account forever or just for now appeared first on Backlight.

Now and then, we all come across users whom we would rather not have on our feeds. Whether it’s a boss who’s doing too much checking in after work hours or an old flame who keeps leaving passive-aggressive comments under your photos, you reserve the right to control who’s a part of your virtual social circle, just like you do in real life. 

In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about blocking (and unblocking) someone on Instagram so you can keep your feed drama-free. 

How to block on Instagram

If, for whatever reason, you wish to remove an account from your feed — or limit their access to your content — blocking them is the best route to pursue. However, if that feels too extreme for the situation, you have other options. You can remove them as a follower, block them from commenting on your posts, or mute their content from appearing on your feed. 

How to block your followers on Instagram

If you do decide that you want to block one of your followers on Instagram,  follow the instructions below: 

1. Open the Instagram app. 
2. Locate the account you want to block by using the Search feature or by scrolling through your list of followers. 
3. Press the three horizontal dots at the top-right corner of the screen. 
4. Press Block.
5. Press Block again to confirm. 

Can you block someone who’s not following you on Instagram?

Yes. An account doesn’t have to be following you on Instagram for you to be able to block them. The process for blocking an account that doesn’t follow you is the same as the process for blocking an account that does. Here are the instructions: 

1. Open the Instagram app. 
2. Locate the account you want to block by using the Search feature.
3. Press the three horizontal dots at the top-right corner of the screen. 
4. Press Block.
5. Press Block again to confirm. 

How to unblock on Instagram

Even if you’re convinced that you want to block an account for good, there’s a chance you’ll want to unblock that account at a later time. Instagram doesn’t notify users when they’ve been blocked or unblocked. However, you do have to follow the account again after you’ve blocked it.

With that in mind, let’s go over how to unblock someone on Instagram.  

Where to find your Instagram block list

To unblock an account, you first have to access your Instagram block list. Here’s how to find it within the app: 

1. Open Instagram. 
2. Press the person icon at the bottom-right corner of the screen to navigate to your profile. 
3. Press the three horizontal lines at the top-right corner of the screen. 
4. Navigate to Settings > Privacy > Blocked Accounts.

Following the steps above will allow you to access your Instagram block list, which is where you’ll find a list of all the accounts you’ve blocked from your page. 

How to unblock someone on Instagram

If you do decide you want to unblock someone on Instagram, the process is essentially the same as blocking them. 

Here’s how to unblock someone on Instagram: 

1. Open Instagram. 
2. Press the person icon at the bottom-right corner of the screen to navigate to your profile.
3. Tap the three horizontal lines at the top-right corner of the screen. 
4. Navigate to Settings > Privacy > Blocked Accounts.
5. Press the account you want to unblock to go to their profile. 
6. Tap the Unlock button at the center of their page. 
7. Finally, tap Unblock again to confirm. 

Doing this will unblock the account, but if you want to follow them again, you’ll have to do it manually.

Why can’t I unblock a person on Instagram?

If you are unable to locate the profile of someone you’ve blocked — and therefore are unable to unblock them — it’s likely because they decided to block you, too. 

Two-way blocks are tricky to fix because neither of you is able to search for the other using Instagram’s search feature. However, there are a couple of ways around this. 

The first is by using Direct Messages: 

1. Open the Instagram App. 
2. Press the paper airplane icon at the top-right of the screen to access your Direct Messages. 
3. Press the pencil icon at the top-right of the screen to create a new message. 
4. Type their username into the search bar. 
5. Send them a message (which they will not get). 
6. Press the information button at the top-right of the screen. 
7. Select Unblock. 

Doing this will move you to the person’s blocked list, enabling them to unblock you so that you’re both free to mutually follow each other again. 

You can also get through a two-way block by using a third-party app like Cleaner for Instagram, which allows you to unblock any user. This free app also lets you block and unblock users in bulk. 

It’s important to note that due to Instagram’s constant updates, two-way block solutions may become obsolete. 

What happens when you block someone on Instagram?

Blocking someone on Instagram sounds harsh — and it kind of is. 

When you block someone on Instagram, you virtually vanish from the app from that person’s perspective. Once they’re blocked, they will no longer be able to find your profile, posts, or Instagram Stories. 

If you’re worried about the awkward moment that will occur when that person realizes they’ve been blocked, you can at least take some solace in the fact that Instagram won’t directly notify them about their newly limited status. 

Does blocking people on Instagram delete your messages?

The only evidence of your virtual relationship that will remain after you block someone on Instagram is your direct messages. 

Message threads will remain in your Direct inbox and in the inbox of the person you blocked, but they won’t be able to send new messages to you. And if the blocked account tries to send you a message after you’ve blocked them, you won’t receive it. 

If you’re involved in a group message with the person you blocked, you will receive a notification asking if you want to stay in the group or leave. If you choose to stay, you will be able to see the messages from the person you blocked within the group chat and vice versa. 

When you block someone, do their likes disappear?

After you block someone on Instagram, every single one of their likes and comments will be removed from your photos and videos, and vice versa. 

However, if you like or comment on a public account or a private account that you and a blocked account mutually follow, the blocked person will still be able to see those interactions. 

Another factor to note is that the blocked person can still mention your username on an Instagram post or Story tag. However, you’ll never get a notification of that mention. The only way to make sure they don’t mention you on Instagram any longer is to block them and then change your username.

Does blocking someone make them unfollow you?

Yes. When you block someone on Instagram, it automatically removes them from your followers and prevents you from following them. Blocking someone means that neither of you will be listed under each other’s followers anymore. 

What happens when you unblock someone you blocked?

If you have a change of heart and decide to unblock someone, things don’t just go back to normal.

For instance, unblocking someone will not restore likes and comments that were removed. Messages they sent you while they were blocked will still never be delivered, and they won’t automatically start following you again.

When you unblock someone on Instagram, will they know?

It depends. Instagram won’t send out a notification when a person has been unblocked. However, if you choose to follow them again, they will receive a notification that you’ve followed them, which could tip them off that they had been blocked at some point. 

Now that you know the potential consequences (and frustrations) of blocking someone on Instagram, you can make the decision that’s right for you. And if you’re feeling wary about pressing that block button, remember, you can always mute them. 

The post How to block someone on Instagram and unblock them later appeared first on Backlight.

The number of accounts keeps growing as new features continue to roll out. And now, standing out on Instagram is more challenging than ever before. 

Thankfully, there are several third-party apps dedicated to making your Instagram posts and Stories shine. Whether you need some editing help or tools to increase your engagement, these best Instagram apps will take your account to the next level. 

The best Instagram-related apps for iPhone

When it comes to Instagram, there’s an app for everything. 

Looking for unique filters for your photos? Want to add some creativity to your Stories? Need something to help you schedule future posts? There’s an app for that — and we’ve rounded up the best ones. 

1. VSCO: The most popular photo and video editor

When it comes to high-quality editing apps, VSCO reigns supreme. The app’s free version includes ten aesthetically pleasing presets, as well as access to editing tools like contrast, grain, and fade. You can even create and save custom recipes so that every one of your Instagram photos and videos stays on brand. 

The VSCO Membership comes with over 200 presents and the app’s Video Montage feature. You can enjoy a free, 7-day trial when downloading the app. 

VSCO on the App Store

2. Gemini Photos: A photo gallery cleaner for avid Instagrammers

It’s no surprise that being active on Instagram requires a lot of photo-taking. So if you’ve ever fallen victim to the dreaded “iPhone Storage Full” alert, prepare to meet your next hero: Gemini Photos. 

With the push of a button, this app scans your Camera Roll and tracks down every duplicate picture, screenshot, and blurry photo that’s taking up space on your iPhone. Then you can choose to delete them, making manual photo removal a thing of the past. 

Gemini Photos on the App Store

3. A Color Story: A photo and video editor with Instagram feed planning

Easily one of the best new editing apps available, A Color Story features over 400 filters created by top photographers, as well as movable effects, advanced editing tools, and the ability to save your editing steps as custom filters. 

While its editing tools are top-notch, one of the app’s most popular features is Instagram Grid Preview, which allows you to lay out your current and future grid for a cohesive look. 

Some of the features and filters are included in the app’s free version, while unlimited access is only available for a yearly membership fee of $24.99.

A Color Story on the App Store

4. A Design Kit: Photo design, brushes, and text

If you’re looking to add a little pizazz to your Instagram posts and Stories, A Design Kit is your next favorite app. With unique tools like realistic brushes, modern fonts, and tons of fun stickers to choose from, your feed will easily stand out from the rest. 

Some features are available in the app’s free version, but all are unlocked when you sign up for a year-long membership at $23.99.

A Design Kit on the App Store

5. Boomerang from Instagram: Create captivating mini videos

If you’re a big fan of the Boomerang feature in Instagram Stories, then having the Boomerang from Instagram app is a must. Rather than using the Instagram Stories camera, you can use the camera with the Boomerang app to stitch together a mini video in seconds. 

Found for free within the app store, Boomerang for Instagram also lets you share directly to Instagram or Facebook. 

Boomerang from Instagram on the App Store

6. LifeLapse: One of the best Instagram apps for stop motion

Love stop-motion videos but have no idea how to make them? LifeLapse makes creating these eye-catching videos seamless and straightforward, whether you’re a first-timer or a seasoned pro. 

Not only does this free app include all the tools you need to create a high-quality stop-motion video, but it also features customization options such as sound effects, royalty-free music (in the PRO Plan), and filters. In-app purchases include the PRO Plan, which comes with watermark-free videos and additional features. 

LifeLapse on the App Store

7. InShot: An Instagram video editor 

Since Instagram extended the length of videos allowed on the platform and released IGTV, videos have become a significant part of a strong social media presence. Thanks to its voice-over features, filter options, and simple editing tools, InShot is one of the best apps for creating Insta-worthy videos. 

Most of the app’s features are available with the free version, but InShot Pro Unlimited includes stickers, watermark-free videos, and other additional tools. 

InShot on the App Store

8. Clipomatic: Text on videos

The only problem with creating videos for Instagram is that so often, people don’t have their sound turned up, and they miss out on the video’s audio. Clipomatic solves that pesky problem by using its smart editing feature to turn everything you say on a video into live captions. 

For a one-time download fee of $4.99, all you have to do is press record, and your words will grace your videos in a stylish font of your choosing. 

Clipomatic on the App Store

9. Later: Schedule posts for Instagram

If you’ve ever lain awake at night wishing for a way to schedule your Instagram posts in advance, then Later has got you covered. 

Free for download in the App Store, this marketing app lets you upload and schedule your posts without that annoying push notification. You can plan out your Instagram feed with the drag-and-drop option and even tag users and locations in your posts ahead of time. 

Later on the App Store

10. Unfold: One of the best Instagram apps for Story templates 

While curating gorgeous Instagram posts is definitely worth your time, you can’t ignore your Stories. Thanks to its 200-plus templates, advanced font tools, and editing features, Unfold is easily one of the top Story apps. 

Download it for free in the App Store or upgrade to Unfold+ to access all of the app’s features and templates.  

Unfold on the App Store

Whether you’re posting to your feed just for fun or you’re serious about growing your following, using a third-party app can help you elevate your Instagram game in a way the social media platform never could.

The post The 10 best Instagram apps for creating and posting on the go appeared first on Backlight.

Nowadays, we have far more power when it comes to comments — both the ones we leave and the ones we receive. In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about deleting, editing, and even turning off comments on Instagram. 

How to delete an Instagram comment

While Instagram is a platform built on visual content and virtual connection, now and again, you just might need to remove something entirely. 

Now, there are a few restrictions. You can’t delete other people’s comments on other people’s posts. But you do have control over the comments you leave on other accounts’ content and the comments left on yours. 

Can you delete comments on Instagram?

Yes, but you can only delete comments you’ve written or comments left on your posts. Other people’s comments on other accounts aren’t up for grabs. 

How to remove your own comment on Instagram

We’ve all been there. You write a comment on someone’s photo that we think is good, but then, after a few minutes, you hurry back to erase it (hopefully before they’ve even read it). 

Thankfully, deleting your own comment on Instagram is quite easy. Here’s how to do it: 

1. Open Instagram. 
2. Navigate to the post where you left the comment.  
3. Swipe left on the comment. 
4. Press the red trash can button to delete. 

Once you press that big red button, your comment is history. Simple as that. 

How to delete someone’s comment on your Instagram post

Outside of your own comments, there’s only one other type of comment over which you have full control: comments left on your posts. 

Below are the simple instructions for deleting a comment on your Instagram post: 

1. Open Instagram. 
2. Navigate to the comment you want to erase. 
3. Swipe left on the comment. 
4. Press the red trash can button.

Following those steps will delete any comment on your Instagram post for good. After pressing that button, you won’t be able to find them again. 

Will the person get notified when you delete their comment?

No. Instagram does not send out a notification when you delete a person’s comment on your post. However, nothing is preventing them from revisiting the post and noticing that their comment has been removed. 

Can you undelete an Instagram comment?

No. Once a comment is deleted, it remains so. At this time, there is no way to recover deleted Instagram comments. 

How to hide comments on Instagram

If deleting an Instagram comment seems a little too final, there is another option. You can hide your Instagram comments altogether. 

Can you hide a comment on your Instagram post?

Yes. There are a couple of options for hiding comments on an Instagram post. 

The first thing you can do is set up your automatic filter. Turning this feature on will allow Instagram to hide any comments it deems inappropriate or offensive. 

Here’s how to turn that feature on: 

1. Open Instagram. 
2. Press the person icon at the bottom-right corner of the page to navigate to your profile. 
3. Press the three horizontal lines at the top-right corner of the page. 
4. Navigate to Settings > Privacy > Comments. 
5. Press the Hide Offensive Comments toggle. 

On that same page within your settings, you also have the option to hide any comments that contain specific words of your choosing. After navigating back to the Comment Controls section: 

1. Press the Manual Filter toggle. 
2. Type the words you want to filter, separating each new word with a comma. 

And finally, the last thing you can do is restrict a specific user on Instagram from commenting on your photos. 

When you restrict someone on Instagram, they’ll still be able to comment on your posts — but their comment will only be visible to them. You can see the comment by selecting “See Comment,” and you can make it visible to your followers by selecting “Approve.” You can also choose to delete or simply ignore it. 

Restricting someone also means that they won’t be able to see if you’re actively using Instagram or if you’ve read their messages. You’ll also no longer receive any notifications from that account. 

Here’s how to restrict someone on Instagram: 

1. Open Instagram. 
2. Navigate to that person’s profile. 
3. Press the three horizontal dots at the top-right corner of the page. 
4. Press Restrict. 
5. Press Restrict again to confirm. 

How to disable comments on Instagram

If you decide that you would rather not worry about comments at all on your post, you can simply disable them. Turning off Instagram comments essentially prevents anyone from commenting on a specific post. 

Here’s how to turn comments off on a post: 

1. Open Instagram. 
2. Press the person icon at the bottom-right corner of the page to navigate to your profile. 
3. Locate the post for which you want to disable comments. 
4. Press the three horizontal dots on the top-right corner of the screen. 
5. Select Turn Off Commenting. 

When you turn off comments from a post, any comments that have already been left will be hidden. If you turn comments back on, those previous comments will be restored, and people will once again be able to comment on your post. 

How to comment privately on Instagram

At the time of this writing, there is no way to comment on someone’s Instagram post privately. Even if your profile is private, your comment on a person’s post will be visible to everyone who follows them. 

You can, however, send a person a direct message about a post. That interaction remains private and not visible to outside followers. 

Here’s how to do that: 

1. Open Instagram.
2. Navigate to the post you want to comment on. 
3. Press the paper airplane icon underneath the post. 
4. Locate the user you want to send the message to by scrolling or typing their username into the search bar. 
5. Write your comment as a message. 
6. Press Send. 

When you send a post to someone, the person who uploaded it won’t be notified. However, if the account that posted it was private, only people who are approved followers of that account will be able to see it. 

Why are my Instagram comments not showing up?

If your Instagram comments are being blocked or are not displaying as they should, there could be a couple of issues to blame. 

First, you’ll want to check your Wi-Fi connection and make sure all is working properly. If you’re connected to a router that’s experiencing issues, it could keep your comments from going through. 

Next, you’ll want to check and see if your Instagram app is up to date. Outdated apps have been known to crash and have other technical difficulties. Updating your app could solve the comment problem. 

Finally, it’s possible that your activity is violating Instagram’s policies in some way, such as: 

• You included more than five mentions in a comment. 
• You included more than 30 hashtags in a caption. 
• You’ve made too many comments (or duplicate comments) on a single post. 
• You’ve used banned words, phrases, or hashtags. 
• The person who uploaded the post might have blocked you or blocked a word you’re trying to use in your comment. 
• You’ve hit Instagram’s activity limit, which is a total of 500 actions (comments, follows, and likes) a day. 

If you think you’ve violated one of these rules, the best thing you can do is log off the app and try again tomorrow. You could also reach out to Instagram’s Help Center for further assistance. 

Editing comments on Instagram

While deleting and disabling comments on Instagram is simple, editing them post-publishing is not. 

How to edit your Instagram comment (caption)

At the time of this writing, you can only edit your Instagram captions after they’ve been posted. You can’t edit your comments on your posts or on other people’s posts. 

Here are instructions for editing your Instagram caption: 

1. Open Instagram. 
2. Press the person icon at the bottom-right corner of the page to navigate to your profile. 
3. Locate the post that has the caption you want to edit. 
4. Press the three horizontal dots at the top-right of the post. 
5. Select Edit. 
6. Edit your caption. 
7. Press Done. 

You can edit your caption as many times as you want, no matter how old the photo is. 

Can you edit your comments on other people’s posts?

No. If you want to edit a comment you left on another account’s post, you’ll have to delete the comment and write a new one. 

Comments are the original way of communicating on social media. And while we now have direct messages and mentions, commenting is still a great way to interact with your followers online.  

The post How to edit, hide, turn off, and delete comments on Instagram appeared first on Backlight.

In this guide, we’ll cover everything from writing creative Instagram bios to making them longer and adding cool effects like line breaks. Read on to learn how to make an Instagram bio worth reading. 

How to write a killer Instagram bio

Crafting a great Instagram bio doesn’t require a degree in creative writing or extensive vocabulary. In fact, there are a few simple tips and tricks you can use to make your bio stand out from the rest. 

You only have 150 words, so let’s make them count. Use these tips to show new followers who you are and what your online presence is all about. 

Tip 1. Show off your personality

Don’t let the prospect of coming up with a great one-liner intimidate you to the point that you opt for a boring bio — or, worse, no bio at all. Instead, try to add a little bit of your personality into your mini-biography. 

Whether you’re using Instagram as an individual or as a brand, ask yourself what makes you, you. Are you known for your sarcasm? Renowned for your creativity? Celebrated for your generosity? 

Whatever it is that makes you the unique person you are, include it in your bio as a way to let people know what your profile is all about. Maybe you can comment on how often you take photos of your dog or discuss your epic plans for taking a picture of every colorful front door that crosses your path. 

Your bio is where your content and personality meet. So don’t be afraid to go there. 

Tip 2. Use hashtags

Your bio is the first peek a new follower has into what kind of content you’ll be producing. Using relevant and specific hashtags is a simple way to make sure the message you’re sending is loud and clear. 

Even though any hashtags you use within your bio are clickable, they won’t show up on the hashtag’s search results page. So using them is less about getting your profile in front of potential new followers and more about solidifying your page as a part of a specific Instagram community. 

If your page is all about makeup, for example, you could use a hashtag like #makeupaddict or #makeupbyme. 

Tip 3. Use emojis

Is anything more fun than emojis? Painting your bio with adorable images not only makes it more colorful and interesting but also makes you more relatable as a user. 

You could add a simple emoji to the end of your snappy one-liner or take up a good chunk of your 150-character limit to add a string of emojis describing what kind of stuff you like to post. Not only can emojis break up your bio in a visually appealing way, but, when used correctly, they can also give potential followers key pieces of information about your personality or brand.

Tip 4. Use line breaks

When people read content online — be it an Instagram bio or a long-form thought piece — they want to digest information quickly and easily. A great way to do that on your profile is by using line breaks within your bio. 

Line breaks are exactly what they sound like, a break in a line. Now, Instagram doesn’t enable line breaks within the app, but you can get around that rule by first typing out your Instagram bio in your iPhone Notes app. Add whatever line breaks you like, copy the text (and line breaks), and paste it into your bio on Instagram. 

This same hack also works for Instagram captions. 

Tip 5. Create a call to action 

The best Instagram bios are the ones that inspire you to do something. Whether it’s clicking the link on your bio to check out your jewelry blog or asking people to take photos of their adorable dogs and tag your pet store’s new hashtag, asking people to take action is a great way to engage with new followers right off the bat. 

Cool Instagram bio ideas for inspiration

Now that we’ve gone over some of the top tips for creating a unique and captivating Instagram bio, it’s time to show you some examples. The profiles listed below are sure to get your creative juices flowing. 

Cute Instagram bios by @milkyblot  and @bethsbookshelf

If you want your Instagram bio to show your sweet and softer side, Bunny, aka @milkybot, describes her fashion-filled feed as a place where “all the cute stuff lives.” How adorable is that? 

Another great Instagram bio idea is to write out some fun titles you wear in your life, like blogger and writer Beth of @bethsbookshelf does. Consider yourself a coffee addict or a dog whisperer? Put those personality traits front and center on your social media page.  

Funny Instagram bios by @sarablakey and @daviddobrik

An easy way to stand out from other Instagram bios is to show off your unique sense of humor. Take the inventor of Spanx, Sara Blakey of @sarablakey, for example. She took a trait about herself (that she refuses to give up her scrunchie) and highlighted it to showcase her style of humor. 

YouTube star David Dobrik (@daviddobrik) is another excellent example of how to make a quick and snappy bio that will bring a smile to people’s faces. Plus, he’s proof that you don’t need more than three words to write a funny Instagram bio. 

Instagram bios with quotes by @kerstin1704  and @keykendall8

If coming up with an Instagram bio seems a little overwhelming, try using your bio as a place to show off one of your favorite quotes. Blogger Kerstin Allgau (@kerstin1704), proudly displays the popular Shanti quote, “And at the end of the day, your feet should be dirty, your hair messy and your eyes sparkling.”

Kendall Long (@keykendall8) shared the inspiring Aesop quote, “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted,” showing off the generous side of this public figure.

The best Instagram bios with emoji by @stephbetravel  and @craven_haven 

There are tons of fun ways to use emojis in Instagram bios. Travel writer Stephanie Be of @stephbetravel uses emojis not only as line breaks but also to relay information about how many destinations she’s visited and the website she writes for. 

Mackenzie Craven (@craven_haven) found another cute way to use emojis by putting a relatable string of them at the end of her bio. 

Instagram bios are a great way to introduce yourself to the virtual world. Whether you want to show off your sense of humor or display your favorite quote, the important thing is to make sure your bio is uniquely you. 

The post How to come up with the best bio for your Instagram appeared first on Backlight.

So how can you tell if your Wi-Fi is messing with your social media or if Instagram is really down? In this guide, we’ll teach you how to determine if there really is an Instagram outage — and what to do about it. 

How to find out if there’s an Instagram outage

We’ve all been there. You open up your Instagram app to make a post or to do some scrolling, and you’re hit with an ominous loading symbol instead. It’s annoying, it’s upsetting, and it could be a sign that you’re not alone in your plight. 

If Instagram users all over the globe are experiencing technical difficulties, chances are that Instagram is down. Below are some of the things you can do to check for an outage. 

1. Check if Whatsapp and Facebook are down

It’s not a fun scenario, but if Whatsapp and Facebook are down as well, then an outage is the likely culprit. Why? Because all three of these platforms are owned by the same company: Facebook. 

Even though these apps are individual social networks, Facebook’s latest technology runs the same messaging features on all three. When that shared system experiences a glitch, Whatsapp, Instagram, and Facebook users all feel it. 

That kind of colossal halt was experienced last year when a routine maintenance operation triggered an issue that made it difficult for people to upload or send photos and videos. Thankfully, the issue was solved that day, but there’s no guarantee that something similar won’t happen again. 

So, if your Instagram feed isn’t working the way it should, check out your Facebook and Whatsapp platforms, too. If they’re having similar issues, you could be in the midst of an outage. 

2. Use Downdetector for Instagram

Probably the simplest way to figure out for sure if Instagram is down is by using a free service known as Downdetector. Essentially, this website is dedicated to monitoring service outages and problems around the globe. People report having issues, and Downdetector collects the data and turns it into a map to show, in real time, where in the world certain services are not working. 

Here’s how to use Downdetector to see if there’s an Instagram outage: 

1. Open your desktop browser. 
2. Go to the Downdetector website. 
3. Type Instagram into the search bar. 
4. Press the magnifying glass icon. 
5. Select Instagram.

From there, you can see if Downdetector has determined any problems, access the Live Outage Map, and report a problem yourself. If you scroll down to the bottom of the page, you can see a Discussion Forum where people are talking about their Instagram tech issues in real time. 

Unfortunately, if Instagram is down, there is nothing you can do but wait. 

OK, Instagram is up, but why is it not working?

If you’ve determined that a global outage is not the root cause of your Instagram issues, then it’s time to turn to other possible problems.  

Why does the Instagram app crash?

It’s difficult to use Instagram if the app crashes and quits every time you open it. As frustrating as this problem is, there are a couple of simple solutions that could fix it. 

First, you’ll want to check to see if your Instagram app is up to date. If you don’t have your iPhone set to update your apps automatically, then it’s possible you don’t have the latest version installed. An outdated version could be the reason why the app keeps crashing. 

Here’s how to see if your app needs to be updated: 

1. Open the App Store. 
2. Press the icon of your iCloud profile at the top-right of the screen. 
3. Press Purchased. 
4. Scroll down until you find the Instagram app. 
5. If the button next to it says Update, press Update. 
6. After the app updates, try opening it again.

Hopefully, updating the app will fix it from crashing. If the app is up to date, try exiting the app and opening it again. You can also try deleting the app from your iPhone and reinstalling it. This won’t cause you to lose any of your data, but it will reset the app, which could stop the crashing issue. 

If none of those solutions work, reach out to the Instagram Help Center for more assistance. 

Why does Instagram keep stopping?

There’s something particularly irritating about a vague technical difficulty notification. And Instagram’s infamous “Unfortunately, Instagram has stopped” seems to be ironically ambiguous. 

While an alert like that might lead one to believe that the problem is serious, it usually isn’t. First, try restarting the app or deleting it from your iPhone and reinstalling it. If that doesn’t fix it, other iPhone problems could be at play. 

Below are a few potential problems that could trigger that pesky notification: 

• You don’t have enough storage space on your iPhone. 
• You’ve had too many apps open for too long. 
• You haven’t updated your Instagram app. 

Addressing these issues may help keep the app running smoothly. 

Why is Instagram not loading photos and videos?

Since Instagram is primarily a visual platform, it’s pretty much impossible to use it if photos and videos aren’t loading correctly — or at all. 

The most common reason for this problem is your Wi-Fi connection. Check to see if your Wi-Fi is turned on, and ensure that the Wi-Fi network you’re connected to is working. A bad Wi-Fi connection can result in a feed full of loading errors. 

Why can’t I post to Instagram?

If you’re having trouble posting a Story or uploading content to your Instagram feed, your internet connection is probably to blame for that, too. Again, you’ll want to make sure that your Wi-Fi connection is turned on and connected to a router that is working properly. 

Why is Instagram Music acting up?

When Instagram rolled out its now-popular music option for Stories, some people struggled with being able to use it. After a little investigation, many people determined the root cause to be an outdated Instagram app. 

If your music feature isn’t working, follow the steps listed above in the Instagram crash section to update your Instagram app in the App Store.

Why are Instagram hashtags not working?

Hashtags are a great way to get your content seen by accounts that don’t yet follow you. However, if your hashtags aren’t working the way they’re supposed to, a few things could be going wrong. 

First of all, you need to make sure your account is set to public. If you’re using hashtags and your account is private, they won’t work. 

Here’s how to set your account to public: 

1. Open Instagram. 
2. Press the person icon at the bottom-right corner of the screen. 
3. Press the three horizontal lines at the top-right corner of the screen. 
4. Navigate to Settings > Privacy > Account Privacy.
5. Press the Private Account toggle to make your account public. 

If your profile is set to public and your hashtags still aren’t working, it could be because you’re using banned hashtags. (In an effort to adhere to their new policies, Instagram recently banned a bunch of hashtags that have been deemed inappropriate or have been used by spam accounts.) 

Not sure if the hashtag you’re using has been banned? Here’s how to check: 

1. Open the Instagram app. 
2. Press the magnifying glass icon at the bottom of the screen to get to the Explore page. 
3. Type the hashtag into the search bar. 

If the results from your search are “No hashtags found,” then it has probably been banned. If the hashtag does display but no recent posts are showing on its hashtag page, then it has also been banned. 

As much as the internet and social media have grown, they’re not without their share of problems. Hiccups happen, and hopefully, by utilizing the tools outlined above, you’ll be able to get through them smoothly.

The post Is Instagram down again or just not working? Here’s how to tell appeared first on Backlight.

In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about Instagram name changes — and whether it’s bad social media practice to do so. 

Can you change your Instagram name?

It’s absolutely possible to change your Instagram name and your Instagram username. And yes, those are two different things. 

Your Instagram username — or your Instagram handle — is displayed on your profile at the top-center of the screen. It’s also found above every post and next to every comment and like you leave. It’s how people tag you in content as well. 

Your Instagram name, on the other hand, is only displayed on your profile underneath your profile photo. People can use your username and your name to search for your profile. 

How to change your Instagram username or handle

Changing your Instagram handle is simple and can be done by following these steps: 

1. Open Instagram. 
2. Press the person icon at the bottom-right corner of the page to navigate to your profile. 
3. Then press the Edit Profile button located underneath your bio. 
4. Press the Username field. 
5. Delete your old username. 
6. Type in your new one. 
7. Finally, press Done. 

After you’ve followed the steps above, your Instagram username will be changed. If you decide you don’t like your new username and you want to go back to your old one, you typically have up to 14 days to do so. 

However, if a new account has already taken your old username, you won’t be able to change it back. 

How to change your name on Instagram

As it turns out, changing your name — also known as your display name — on Instagram is just as easy as changing your username. 

Here’s how to change your name on Instagram: 

1. Open Instagram. 
2. Press the person icon at the bottom-right corner of the page to navigate to your profile. 
3. Tap the Edit Profile button located underneath your bio. 
4. Now press the Name field. 
5. Delete your old name by pressing the X symbol. 
6. Type in your new name. 
7. Press Done.

Doing this will change your name on your Instagram profile immediately. So, what happens to your account and your virtual visibility after that? 

The caveats of changing your Instagram name

As easy as it is to change your Instagram name and username, it does come with some caveats. Depending on how actively you’ve been promoting your Instagram account in other places and how much you want to grow your following, there are some important things to consider before you press “Done.”

Is it a bad practice to change your username?

If you’ve had your account for a while and have built up a sizable following, most experts agree that changing your Instagram username isn’t the best idea. 

Why? For starters, if you’ve ever promoted your Instagram account outside of the app (like in a guest blog post or under your email signature), those links won’t automatically redirect to your account anymore. 

Because your Instagram profile URL won’t automatically change outside of the app, you’ll also experience a short period where you won’t show up on Google or any other search engines. And if you’ve linked any other social media accounts to your Instagram (like Facebook, Pinterest, or YouTube), you’ll also have to change your username there, too.

Do you lose followers when you change your Instagram name?

Possibly. 

When you change your username, everything within the app will automatically switch over to your new account name. So all of your previous comments, mentions, and likes will display your new username. 

However, if someone attempts to find your profile and tries to search for your old username, they will get a notification that reads “user not found.” That alert might lead them to believe that you’ve deleted your account. 

There’s also a chance that your followers might not recognize you and your new username. If they think you’re a new account, there’s a chance they could unfollow you. 

To try to avoid this loss of followers, make sure that you announce your new Instagram username on either your Stories or in a post before you make the switch. That way, your followers will know what to expect. 

That being said, changing your Instagram display name will not set off any of the issues mentioned above. People might not be able to find you by typing in your old display name, but it won’t mess with any of your URLs. So if you want to experiment and play with a new Instagram name, changing your display name is a much safer option. 

Why does your Instagram name appear locked?

If your Instagram account appears locked, don’t worry; you haven’t been locked out of your account, and it doesn’t mean you’ve violated one of Instagram’s rules. 

In March of 2019, Instagram rolled out a new feature that automatically locked accounts’ old usernames for 14 days after they switched to a new one. The goal of this new tool was to prevent hackers who grab old and discarded usernames to use as bots. In the past, hackers have taken over old usernames as soon as those users switched over, which prevents that person from returning to their old usernames ever again. 

This auto-lock feature gives Instagram users a grace period for switching over their usernames, which, as we mentioned previously, is a change that shouldn’t be taken lightly. 

If there’s a lock symbol next to your username, it means your account is currently set to private, so only followers you have approved can see your content. 

Can people see your previous Instagram names?

No. Once you’ve changed your Instagram name, people will only be able to see your current username. There is no way for them to access your previous usernames. 

You used to be able to see your previous Instagram usernames within your account settings. However, Instagram seems to have done away with that feature.  

All that being said, there are multiple factors worth considering before you change your Instagram name. However, if you’re not worried about losing followers or lowering your engagement for a couple of weeks, changing your username is no big deal. 

The post How to change your Instagram name, and is it a bad practice? appeared first on Backlight.

So how do you repost on Instagram? In this guide, we’ll teach everything you need to know about how to reshare Instagram content.

Instagram Story repost 

Since the social media platform announced the addition of Stories in 2016, Stories have become one of the most popular ways to share content on Instagram. So there’s no better way to promote a friend, colleague, or brand you like than reposting their Instagram Story. 

How to repost an Instagram Story you’re tagged in

Probably the most common reason people want to share someone else’s Instagram Story is that they were tagged in it, which is also referred to as mention sharing. 

When an account tags your username in their Story, it becomes visible to everyone who follows them. So their followers — or anyone, if their profile is set to public — can tap on your username and visit your profile. If you’re set to private, then only approved followers will be able to visit your profile. 

Stories will only last 24 hours unless the user decides to add the Story to their Highlights. In that case, it will stay on their profile until they remove it. 

When someone tags you in a Story, you will receive a notification in your Direct Messages. If someone who you don’t follow mentions your username, a notification is sent to your message requests. At this time, there is no way to remove your username from a person’s Story or prevent them from mentioning you. If you want the Story taken down, you have to report it to Instagram. 

If you decide you want to share the Story you’ve been tagged in, follow these instructions: 

1. Go to your Direct Messages by clicking the paper airplane symbol at the top-right corner of the screen. 
2. Open the message informing you that you’ve been tagged in a Story. 
3. Press the button on the message that reads “Add This To Your Story.”
4. Edit the Story if you wish. You can add GIFs, stickers, or text. 
5. Press Next. 
6. Select where you want to post the Story. Your options are your Story, your Close Friends, or a Direct Message to another account. 
7. Press Send. 

At this time, mention sharing is only available when the account which posts the Story is public and if they have the Instagram Sharing Story feature enabled. 

If someone with a private account tags you in a Story, you’ll still get a notification in your Direct Messages, but you won’t be able to share it. You could, however, screenshot the Story and repost it your Stories. (Instagram doesn’t notify users when you screenshot their Stories.) 

How to repost Stories you’re not tagged in 

Instagram only allows mention sharing on its platform, so it’s only possible to repost a Story you’re tagged in within the app itself. 

However, many third-party apps have been created that make it possible to repost virtually any Instagram Story. For this guide, we used Repost for Instagram – Ming, which is free to download on the App Store and has in-app purchases. 

Here’s how to repost a Story you’re not tagged in using Ming: 

1. Open Instagram. 
2. Locate the Story you want to repost. 
3. Tap the account’s username at the top-left corner of the screen to go to their profile. 
4. Tap the three horizontal dots at the top-right corner of the screen. 
5. Select Copy Profile URL.
6. Open Ming. 
7. Select Paste Link.
8. Edit the repost tag however you like. 
9. Press Share, and the app will open the repost on Instagram. 
10. Select Story. 
11. Select where you want to post the Story. Your options are your Story, your Close Friends, or a Direct Message to another account. 
12. Press Send. 

Note that this third-party app trick only works if the profile whose Story you’re reposting is public. If the user is private, you won’t be able to paste their profile URL into the Ming app. 

Reposting Instagram videos and photos

Outside of posting to Stories, reposting Instagram posts is another great way to promote an account whose content you’ve been enjoying. Luckily, Instagram has made it easy to repost photos and videos from your feed to your Stories without having to download another app. 

How to repost an Instagram post

At this time, you can only repost an Instagram post to your Story. Here’s how to repost a post to your Story: 

1. Open Instagram. 
2. Locate the post you want to share. 
3. Press the paper airplane symbol underneath the post. 
4. Select the option “Add post to your story.” 
5. Edit the post if you wish. You can add GIFs, stickers, or text. 
6. Select where you want to post the Story (your Story, your Close Friends, or a Direct Message). 
7. Press Send. 

Like many of Instagram’s reposting features, you can only repost someone’s photos or videos if their account is public. If the user has a private account, you can still share the post by sending it as a Direct Message to someone, but you won’t have the option to add it to your Story. 

You can also use this feature to repost your own post to your Instagram Story.

How to repost on Instagram with captions

If the account is public, not only can you repost the post onto your Story, but you can even include their caption. Here’s how: 

1. Open Instagram. 
2. Locate the post you want to share. 
3. Press the paper airplane symbol underneath the post. 
4. Select the option “Add post to your story.” 
5. Tap on the post to display the caption. Tapping it again will hide the caption. 
6. Edit the post if you wish. 
7. Select where you want to post the Story. 
8. Press Send. 

How to use Instagram reposts for better engagement

When it comes to increasing your followers and getting more traction on your posts, it’s all about increasing engagement. There are tons of different ways to use reposting to get a better engagement rating on the app, so we thought we’d share a few of our favorites. 

1. Curate user-generated content

If your goal is to create a community on Instagram, making a call-to-action for user-generated content is a great way to start. All you have to do is post to your Stories or your feed that you’ll repost content that meets a certain requirement. 

A pet bakery seeking to increase its engagement, for example, could ask its followers to tag their account in the cutest photos of their dogs. If you decide to pursue this option, be sure to mention that anyone who tags you will get reposted on your Instagram Story. 

2. Acknowledge an account that mentioned you

If another account has mentioned you in their Story or in a post, a great way to acknowledge that you appreciate it is by reposting it to your Stories. This will not only build camaraderie between you and the person who tagged you, but you’ll also be promoting their profile to the people you follow and vice versa. 

Instagram is a sharing network, so don’t be afraid to share. 

3. Get new followers

If a profile is public, you don’t have to follow the account to share their post on your Stories. If you’re looking to follow new people — and would like them to follow you back — a great way to start your new virtual friendship is to repost some of their content.Not only will it help them get some visibility with your followers, but they might be inclined to do the same for you.  

Instagram repost FAQs

Reposting (also known as regramming) on Instagram is still a relatively new feature, so we wanted to answer a couple of frequently asked questions.

Is reposting legal on Instagram?

As long as you give credit to the person who originally made the post you are sharing, reposting is legal. That’s why, when you repost a post to your Story, Instagram automatically has the account’s username displayed under the post. Most third-party apps, like Ming, will also display the username, but you should double-check before posting just to be safe and to avoid breaking any copyright infringement laws.

Do I need permission to repost an Instagram Story?

Instagram’s Terms of Use state the following: “You can’t post private or confidential information or do anything that violates someone else’s rights, including intellectual property.”

In other words, it’s best to always ask for someone’s permission before reposting a Story. Make sure to document their response, if they allow it, just to be safe. 

Can I see who reposted my Instagram Story?

The visibility of your reposted Instagram Story depends on where you posted it and your account settings. 

If you posted it to your Close Friends story, then only the people you approved to see that Story can view if. If it’s on your regular Story, then all of your followers can see it. And if your profile is public, anyone who views your profile can also see it. If your profile is private, only your list of followers will see it. 

Whether you’re teasing a new post to your feed or promoting someone else’s content, reposting is a great way to increase your engagement and grow your followers on Instagram.

The post How to repost on Instagram and why you should appeared first on Backlight.