How To Change Background Color On Instagram Story?

‣ Instagram Stories play a vital role in creating the space for engagement. So, individuals and brands use it to interact, alert, and announce new posts.

‣ Changing the background color of the Instagram Stories — Using the Draw option; Choosing an Image from the camera roll; and using the color dropper.

Anyone who has used Instagram for their business knows how essential its Stories feature is.

From interacting with the followers to announcing a new post, it plays a vital role in managing the audience engagement on the social media platform.

According to the report from Photoroom on the relevance of Instagram Stories—

“Of the two billion monthly active users on Instagram, more than 500 million say they post Stories to their feed daily. Brands, celebrities, influencers, and individuals all use Stories to share news and updates to their followers”.

So, naturally, it is important to know the tricks to make them aesthetically appealing. And, guess what? You can absolutely do it.

Either by using a cool image or changing the background of the story, you can easily tweak the boring stories into something that keeps your followers hooked!

Even though most users stick to the default gradient background for the stories, Instagram actually allows its users to change it to something they like.

That is, you can change the gradient into something creative or a single shade that complements your images.

So, today, I have brought you a guide on how to change background color on Instagram story by exploring—

• How the Instagram story background works,
• Steps to change the background color,
• Some tips to create the best stories, and more.

Stay tuned!

How Does Instagram Story Background Work?

First things first, Instagram Stories background works in a unique way. That is, users get a default gradient shade with the main colors from the image or video that they are sharing.

Generally, this gradient gives a little oomph to the otherwise boring story. Making it appear more appealing to the audience.

But the simple gradient can be changed using a few methods. So, users can choose an image from their gallery or change the color of the background to make the story stand out.

According to the post from SkedSocial about Instagram Stories features—

“Instagram offers a series of features that help you take your Stories to the next level with ease. Changing your background to your desired color or even a gradient color is an easy way to align with your brand’s aesthetic, keep your content recognizable, and make reposts feel intentional rather than recycled”.

How To Change Background Color On Instagram Story? A Step-by-Step Guide

Changing the background color of Instagram stories is quite simple. So, here is the step-by-step guide for both iPhone and Android users.

iPhone

If you are using an iPhone and want to change the Instagram story background color, just follow these steps—

• Open your Instagram app and swipe right to share a story.
• Alternatively, you can click on the “+” sign at the bottom middle of the home screen and choose the Story option.
• Then, select an image or video from the synced camera roll.
• So, once the media file loads, tap on the 3 dots at the upper right-hand corner and select the Draw option from the menu.
• Then, choose a specific color from the bottom palette. Also, you can long-press on the palette to choose a customized shade.
• After that, tap and hold the background of the image or video for a couple of seconds. And, the color will be automatically changed.
• Then, select Done at the top right and repost your original image or video using the sticker icon.
• Finally, adjust the position of the media and share the story.

Android

Similarly, if you have an Android phone, you need to follow these steps to change the background color of the Instagram stories—

• Firstly, open your Instagram app and either swipe right or click on the “+” sign at the bottom middle to share a story.
• Then, tap on the Create option at the bottom of the screen and choose a color from the circular color palette at the bottom right corner.
• After that, you can add your image or video using the stickers icon and adjust its position.
• Alternatively, you can follow the steps for changing the background color for iPhone devices.
• Finally, click on the Done option and share the story.

Even though there are many methods to change the Instagram story background color, these are the most popular ones. As the Reddit user comments—

“Apparently, the only way to change the background color of an Instagram story is to use the ‘three dots’ and ‘draw’ option to color the whole screen a different color”.

Alternative Methods To Change Instagram Story Background

If you are not satisfied with a solid background, here are some alternative methods that can help change the Instagram Story background into something creative.

1. Adding An Image To The Story Background

Apart from using a solid background, using an image can give a creative nudge to the story. So, here are the steps to put a story in your Instagram story background—

• Open the Instagram app and swipe right to start a new story.
• Then, click on the Image option in the bottom left corner and choose an image from your camera roll.
• So, once the image loads, tap on the Stickers icon and select the “add photo” option.
• Then, from the gallery, choose the image that you want to post on your story. Adjust the position and add some cool sticker overlays.
• Finally, click on Done and share the story.

Another Reddit user shares a cool method to use an image in the Instagram story background—

“In the stickers tool, there is a photo icon that allows you to search through your camera roll and add photos to the story. An alternate method would be to open the photo on your phone, select “copy photo,” then return to the Instagram story. Select the typing tool, press and hold down, and then “paste”.

2. Adding A Tint To The Story Background

Alternatively, you can select a particular tint for your background that complements what you are sharing in the story. So, just follow these steps—

• Open the Instagram app and start a new story.
• Then, select the image from the gallery that you want to share and click on the 3 dots in the top-right corner.
• From the menu, select the Draw option and tap on the pen icon at the bottom left corner.
• Then, hover the tint dropper around the image and choose a shade that best complements the image.
• So, once the background color is applied, use the Stickers icon and add the image again.
• Finally, adjust the size and position before sharing the story.

3. Changing The Background Color While Sharing Posts

Moreover, Instagram has a feature that allows users to reshare a post in their stories. So, you can also change the background color while sharing the posts through these steps—

• Firstly, click on the Airplane arrow at the bottom of the post you want to share and select the “Add to your story” option.
• Then, once the post loads on the story, click on the 3 dots and choose Draw.
• After that, select a color from the palette or use the color dropper pen to choose a specific color from the post.
• Finally, once the background color changes, select Done and share the story with your followers.

Even though this is a cool feature, there are a few limitations. That is, users cannot change the background color while sharing video posts or reels.

Additionally, users cannot remove the credit tag mentioning the original account of the post while sharing the story. So, the username will be shown with an “@” sign at the bottom of the post.

How To Troubleshoot Common Issues?

If you are facing issues while changing the background color for your Instagram stories, here are some troubleshooting ideas—

‣ Plain Black Background

If the background of your story is showing a plain black color, instead of the default gradient, you can update the app and reshare the story.

Alternatively, you can choose a color from the Draw option and change the background color to a solid shade. A Reddit user gives a step-by-step guide on resolving this issue—

“However, there’s a manual solution for now.

1. Tap the Draw button.
2. Then tap on “Pen”.
3. Choose the color of your choice from the palette at the bottom.
4. Press and hold the image/graphic for a couple of seconds, and that should do the trick.”

‣ Color Dropper Tool Not Working

In rare cases, the color dropper tool stops working. So, if it happens to you, close the app and restart it or update its version.

Moreover, you can remove the Instagram cache from the Settings. This way, the glitch or the bug can be fixed.

‣ Background Image Is Blurry

If the background image you selected appears pixelated or blurry, then you need to fix the Instagram settings.

So, just go to the Account and choose “Data Usage & Media Quality” from the “Settings and Privacy” option. Then, turn on the “Upload at Highest Quality” toggle.

Tips To Create The Best Instagram Story Background

Sharing an Instagram story is all about creating the space for audience engagement. That is, making them creative and appealing is the key.

So, a few tips to turn your boring stories into engaging ones include—

• Using editing tools like Canva, Photoshop, and Picsart to create collages with multiple images with the design templates.
• Creating custom gradients for Story backgrounds using external apps.
• Adding stickers, trending audios, and interactive captions on the Story to make them more fun and engaging.

Now, only posting a simple image on Instagram story is not enough. So, use a striking background or explore other creative ideas to take your Stories to the next level!

FAQs

In this section, I am going to break down the common questions around changing the Instagram Stories background.