How To Add Filters to Instagram Stories

Lee Stanton November 9, 2021

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Gone are the days when Instagram only offered a scant few filter options for photos. Now, you’ll find numerous ways to enhance your Instagram stories. To use existing filters, you just need to choose from pre-loaded camera options. And finding new filters to save to your camera is also relatively straightforward.

In this article, we’ll explain how to find, save, then add a new filter to your Instagram stories via mobile and desktop.

How to Add Filters to Instagram Stories on an iPhone

Here’s how to search for filters to add to your IG stories:

Sign in to your Instagram account, then swipe left on your newsfeed to access your camera.
On the camera screen’s menu bar, swipe to the left until you see the “Browse Effects” option represented by a magnifying glass.
Select it to access the “Effect Gallery.”
Select a filter from the popular ones on the home page or look through and select categories at the top. Or you can tap on the magnifying glass at the top right to search for filters.
To save the filter to your iPhone:
In “Effect Gallery,” select the filter you want to try then wait for the preview page to launch.
Tap the download icon at the bottom right to save the filter to your camera.
The arrow icon will display as a checkmark once the filter is saved.
At the top right of the filter preview screen, tap the “X,” or return to the “Effect Gallery” by swiping down.
During the preview, at the bottom of the screen, tap the filter name to bring up the “Save Effect” option.
Tap it to save the filter to your camera.
Press the “X” in the top left to exit “Effect Gallery.”

You can now access the filter from the menu.

To add the filter to your IG story:

At the bottom right of the camera, tap the smiley icon to access your saved filter.
Select the filter, then tap or long-press the white circle button to take a picture or video. This will take the picture or video with the filter on. Alternatively, tap the “Camera Roll” icon at the bottom-left to choose an existing picture or video.
On the bottom left, tap “Your Story.”

Your filtered picture or video will be added to your daily story.

How to Add Filters to Instagram Stories on an Android Device

To search for filters to add to your IG story, follow these steps:

Launch IG then access the camera by swiping left on your newsfeed.
Via the camera screen’s menu bar, swipe left to get to the “Browse Effects” option.
Tap it to access the “Effect Gallery.”
Choose a filter from the popular ones on the home page or scroll through and select categories at the top. Alternatively, use the magnifying glass at the top right to search for filters.
To save the filter to your Android device:
In “Effect Gallery,” choose the filter you want to try and wait for the preview.
Select the download icon at the bottom right to save the filter to your camera.
The arrow icon will change to a checkmark when the filter is saved.
At the top right of the filter preview screen, tap the “X,” or return to the “Effect Gallery” by swiping down.
At the bottom of the preview screen, tap the filter name to bring up the “Save Effect” option.
Select it to save the filter to your camera.
In the top left, press the back arrow to exit the “Effect Gallery.”

The filter will now be available from the menu.

To add the filter to your IG story:

At the bottom right of the camera, select the smiley icon to access your saved filter.
Choose the filter, then tap or hold down the white circle button to take a picture or video. This will take the picture or video with the filter on. Or you can tap the “Camera Roll” icon at the bottom-left to choose an existing picture or video.
On the bottom left, tap “Your Story.”

Your filtered picture or video will be added to your daily story.

How to Add Filters to Instagram Stories on a PC

IG’s photo editing feature is supported on Android and iOS only. Therefore, to get Instagram filters on your PC or Mac to apply to your photos and videos requires the help of a third-party app.

Try filter-friendly photo editing apps such as BatchPhoto, Fotor (Windows, Mac), or CameraBag Photo, to create your filters then save them to your desktop.

Since IG is a mobile-focused app, the upload photo feature is also not available when accessing from the web. Therefore, follow these steps to access the IG mobile view, via “Developer Tools” in Google Chrome:

In Google Chrome, navigate to Instagram.com and sign in to your account.
Right-click anywhere on the page to bring up the menu.
Select “Inspect” to open the “Developer Tools” panel. “Developer Tools” will launch on the right.
From the top left of the “Developer Tools” window, click on the “Toggle device toolbar.” It’s the icon that looks like a phone and a tablet. This will switch your IG account to the mobile view.
From the top of the main window, click the “Display” drop-down menu to select a view e.g. iPhone, iPad.
Refresh the browser.

To add your saved filter to an IG story:
From the top left of your newsfeed, click on the plus sign (+) next to “Your Story.”
This opens the camera screen. Ensure “Story” is selected at the bottom.
At the bottom right of the camera, select the smiley icon to access your saved filter.
Locate the filter created earlier from “File Explorer” or “Finder.”
Click on it to select it.
Click or long-press the white circle button to take a picture or video. This will take the picture or video with the filter on. Or, tap the “Camera Roll” icon at the bottom-left to choose an existing picture or video saved on your computer.
On the bottom left, click “Your Story.”

Your filtered picture or video will be added to your daily story.

FAQs

How Do I Find Instagram Filters by Creator?

Here’s how to search for an IG filter from a specific creator:

1. Locate the creator’s profile.

2. Above their grid, tap the smiley face.

3. Select the filter you want, then tap “Try It,” or select the down arrow to download it.

4. Take a photo or video using the filter to share with your friends.

Adding Filters to Your IG Stories

When it comes to selfies and videos that pop, IG is one of the best photo editors for social media. Their filters help make your posts stand out with an artistic finish.

Using the IG mobile app, you’ll have access to all the editing features for adding filters to your stories. However, since IG is a mobile-focused app, these options are not available using the desktop. Luckily, when accessing your IG account through “Developer Tools” in Google Chrome, the mobile view offers most of the mobile functionality.

What type of filters do you enjoy adding to your photos and videos the most? Tell us in the comments section below.