You’ve probably seen beautifully crafted Instagram Stories and wondered, ‘How can I do that?’ Whether you’re sharing a later-gram or reposting something funny from one of your friends’ accounts, you can always customize content to match your own personal style.
One of the best (but least known) hacks is playing around with the color of your Instagram Story background — and it’s easier than you might think. Here, we’ll break down how to change the background color of an Instagram Story so you can add a personal touch to every picture.
Why should you change the background color on your Instagram Story?
A simple background color change can transform your Instagram Stories, helping you reinforce your brand’s identity, segment longer Stories, and more. Remember: The key is to be purposeful in your background changes. For the best results, backgrounds should complement your content, align with your brand (if applicable), and contribute to your overall aesthetic.
Boost your aesthetic appeal
A fresh background can make your Story more visually appealing and eye-catching. Whether it’s a solid color, a gradient, or a textured pattern, a new background color can elevate the overall look of your Story and make it more enjoyable for your audience to view.
Build brand consistency
If you’re using Instagram for personal branding or promoting a business, try changing the background to help maintain brand consistency. When potential customers repeatedly experience the same visual cues aligned with your brand, it’ll reinforce trust and recognition, encouraging engagement and loyalty.
Simple Story segmentation
Different backgrounds can be used to segment longer Stories or multiple posts, giving each segment its unique identity. This helps guide viewers through the sequence of your content while preventing information overload, so viewers can better grasp the Story’s structure and navigate it without confusion.
How to change backgrounds on Instagram Stories
Changing the background on your Instagram Stories can be done using features available within the Instagram app. Here’s a guide on how to change backgrounds on Instagram Stories:
- To start a new story, open the Instagram app on your smartphone and tap on your profile picture or swipe right from your feed to access the camera.
- Take a photo or record a video using the camera function within Instagram, or swipe up to select an existing photo or video from your camera roll. Then, you can access background options by tapping on the square smiley face icon at the top of the screen or the sticker icon.
- Look for the Background option among the available stickers or effects. Tap on it to explore various background styles or effects offered by Instagram. This includes solid colors, gradients, patterns, or other creative designs.
- Choose the background style you prefer by tapping on it. Some backgrounds allow you to adjust their opacity or orientation by tapping the screen.
- Resize or reposition the background as needed by pinching in or out on the screen with your fingers. Make sure it fits your picture or video appropriately before sharing your story.
How to change the background color: When sharing a feed post
Scrolling through your feed and spot something that you just have to share on your Story? To share a feed post to your Instagram Story, tap on the Paper Airplane icon and choose the option to share to your Story.
The Instagram background color is automatically set by pulling one from the palette in the image. It’s usually a gradient or a solid color background, selected from their default palette, but it isn’t always the best option. If the default color choice isn’t making the grade, here’s how to change your Instagram Story background color when sharing feed posts:
- Once the post or Story that you want to share is in the Story editor, select the Scribble icon in the top menu.
- Choose any of the marker tools. The first option can be used for solid backgrounds, while the third creates a more transparent effect.
- Next, choose the color you want to use for your background. You can select one of the preloaded color options, or use the Dropper tool to pull a unique color directly from the post or Story you’re sharing.
- After choosing your desired color, long-press (hold your finger down for a few seconds) on the screen to apply your new background color.
- Voila! Feel free to play around with the shade range variety of solid backgrounds until you’ve found the perfect match for your aesthetic.
How to change backgrounds on Instagram Stories with Picsart
Even if you’re not a seasoned editor, it only takes a few seconds to change the backgrounds of your Instagram Stories with Picsart’s intuitive editing tools. You can easily remove the existing background with laser precision and then add a new background that matches your aesthetic.
Follow these steps to get started:
On the web:
- Open the Picsart background changer and upload the photo you’d like to change the background of.
- Use the Remove BG button on the top toolbar to instantly remove the existing background from your photo using artificial intelligence.
- Next, it’s time to add your new background. Choose a solid color or a gradient that matches your vision.
- Customize your edit as needed using Picsart’s extensive suite of editing tools.
- Once you’re satisfied with your Instagram Story, click Export and choose Download to save your newly edited photo.
On mobile:
- Open the Picsart app. Then, tap on the + icon at the bottom of the screen, choose Edit and select the size of the canvas suitable for an Instagram Story (1080 x 1920 pixels).
- Tap Remove BG on the bottom toolbar to automatically the background from your image.
- Then, add a new background color or choose a gradient to supercharge your Story with creativity.
- Tap Apply to save your changes. If needed, edit your photo with Picsart’s beginner-friendly editing tools until you’re satisfied with the final result.
- When you’re done editing, tap Next. Then, choose Save to download your newly edited image.
Once you’ve learned how to change background colors on Instagram Stories, it’s time to take your editing skills to the next level. Try scrolling through Picsart’s library of stickers, including emojis, decorative elements, GIFs, themed stickers to find stickers that complement your content — or experiment with vintage, artistic, dramatic, and themed filters for a new look.
Want to step up your background game? Tap into the PNG color changer for quick background color changes on social media posts, profile pictures, and more. To take a different approach to editing, use AI-generated backgrounds to add an innovative and distinct visual style to your Stories, setting your content apart from others.
Amplify your Instagram Stories with Picsart
Whether you’re changing the background color of a video or adding a fresh gradient to your Instagram Stories, a fresh background can instantly transform an ordinary Story into an eye-catching masterpiece.
For even more inspiration when it comes to one-of-a-kind social media edits, check out the Picsart Design School. There’s something for everyone, including step-by-step tutorials and videos to help you step up your Instagram Stories game.