Tips for Making Your Instagram Stories More Aesthetic

In 2022, it's all about the aesthetic.

If you're unfamiliar, the word (which can be both an adjective and a noun depending on how it's used) is all about something's artistic style or vibe. That can go for everything from an actual artistic movement to interior design, fashion and even just how your Instagram grid looks.

Having an aesthetic—or simply making things as aesthetic as possible—is all about visual pleasure, meaning things can look the way that you want them to so that you enjoy them more. And if there's one area of your life that could potentially benefit from being made more aesthetic, it's your Instagram stories. No need to worry, as we've got a few beginner tips for making your stories more aesthetic right here:

1. Move Images Around for Visual Interest

When you take a photo—or simply upload one from your camera roll—for your story, you're not simply stuck with staring at it in the exact dimensions the photo was taken with. That means that you can zoom in, but you can also zoom out. This gives you the freedom to actually move your photo to one side of the screen, meaning you can play with artistic concepts like the rule of thirds (google it if you don't already know) and symmetry. You can also move it to one side to crop some of the photo you don't want shown, but without zooming in on everything else as you might need to if you cropped it before posting. It's a simple move, but one that could quickly define your stories with a certain aesthetic that makes for more visual interest for you and your followers.

(via @lai_tiffany)

 

Also Read About: 11 Tips, Tricks and Hacks You Need to Know for Instagram Stories

 

2. Layer Different Media

Whether you choose to move your chosen photo around or not for your story, you can layer in your choice of things like gifs (simply search the kind of words or reactions you're looking for to add some oomph to your post), location tags and more. You can even add more photos to the post, which is a great option for creating things like birthday collages or other celebratory posts. This is the part where your own artistic taste and, well, aesthetic come into play, as you can layer the media as you like, move it where your eye likes it best and finally filter to your heart's desire.

(via @subtle asian baking)

 

3. Download Fun Filters

Speaking of filters—you know those fun ones you always see on your friend's stories, or maybe the vibey ones your favorite influencers use? There's always an option to try and save those filters for yourself! Give it a go next time you see one you like, or you can simply search for them yourself within the story section. Try to collect a solid few that you can switch between for different types of content, from selfies to brunch pics, sunsets and everything in between.

(via @filterscreative)

 

Also Read About: This Is Your Most Annoying Habit on Instagram Story, Based on Your Zodiac Sign

 

4. 'Shadow Tag'

Fun fact: you don't need to actually keep your friends' separate handles in the frame when you tag them in your post for them to be able to see that you tagged them and/or re-share it on their own story/stories. The same goes for any songs you want to include. Sure, sometimes the lyric feature adds a great aesthetic touch, but other times the image is busy enough alone and the extra music bar just detracts from it. Thankfully, "shadow tagging"—tagging without the tag being visually present—is a thing, and it's way easier to do than you might think. You know when you tag the wrong thing or choose the wrong gif and need to drag it down to the trash can at the bottom of the screen? Well, all you need to do to successfully shadow tag is simply drag the names/song/whatever else you want to hide off the screen (anywhere but the trash can, of course). Go up, go down or go off to the side, it really doesn't matter. The tag will still be there, only the rest of the world won't be able to actually see it. You know, like they're hiding in the shadows.

 

And there you go! With these four simple tips in mind, you'll soon be having as much fun making your story posts aesthetic as you do your usual grid posts. Of course, you can go even more advanced than these, but to learn more about that you'll need to click HERE for some of the best editing apps for your Instagram stories.  You can thank us later.