How to Add an AI Background to an Instagram Story

You've seen them on your feed: Instagram Stories with surreal, specific, and impossibly cool backgrounds. An influencer showing off a new outfit while standing in a watercolor field of lavender, or a friend sharing a selfie from the surface of Mars. This isn’t a new set of filters, it's Instagram's powerful AI Backdrop tool, a new feature that lets you instantly transform your Story's background with just a few words. This guide will walk you through exactly how to add an AI background to your Instagram Story, share proven tips for writing effective text prompts, and offer creative ideas for using this tool to build your brand.

What is Instagram's AI Background Tool, Anyway?

At its core, Instagram's AI Backdrop tool (sometimes called cutout stickers) is a form of generative AI. You give it a text prompt - a short description of an image you have in mind - and it creates a brand-new, unique background based on your words. The tool first identifies the main subject in your original photo (you, a product, your pet) and neatly cuts it out. Then, it places your cutout subject against the AI-generated backdrop of your choice.

Think of it as having a professional Hollywood green screen and a personal graphic designer right inside your phone. Instead of being limited to your actual surroundings or a handful of pre-made backgrounds, your creative possibilities are now endless. You can transport yourself to any place, real or imagined, to better match the mood, story, or message of your content. This shift from static backgrounds to dynamic, generated ones gives you an incredible opportunity to make your Stories more visually arresting, entertaining, and memorable.

How to Add an AI Background to Your Story: A Step-by-Step Guide

The process is surprisingly straightforward. Once you find the feature, you'll be creating custom backgrounds in seconds. Follow these simple steps to get started:

• Step 1: Open Your Story and Add an Image. Open the Instagram app and tap the plus icon to create a new Story. Select a photo from your camera roll that has a clear subject you want to feature. This works best with photos of people, pets, or distinct objects.
• Step 2: Find the “Backdrop” Icon. After selecting your image, look at the row of icons at the top of your screen (where you’d find options to add text, stickers, or music). Tap the icon that looks like a person with a rectangular background behind them. This is the Backdrop tool.
• Step 3: Let the AI Work. The moment you tap the icon, Instagram will automatically detect and cut out the main subject from your photo. The original background will disappear, leaving your subject floating on a transparent layer. You'll now see a text bar that says "Backdrop" with a blinking cursor inside.
• Step 4: Write Your AI Prompt. This is where the fun begins. In the text bar, type out a description of the background you want to create. Try to include keywords about the setting, style, mood, and colors. When you’re done, tap the button to generate your options. (We’ll cover how to write powerful prompts in the next section.)
• Step 5: Choose Your Favorite Background. The AI will generate two different background options based on your prompt. Tap on the one you like best to apply it. If neither option is quite what you wanted, you can tap “Generate more” to get two new variations or revise your original prompt and try again.
• Step 6: Finalize and Post Your Story. Once your new AI background is in place, you can move and resize your cutout subject as needed. From here, you can add all the other Story elements you normally would - text, music, polls, GIFs, or other stickers. When you're happy with your creation, share it to your Story!

Mastering the AI Prompt: Tips for Jaw-Dropping Backgrounds

The quality of your AI-generated background depends entirely on the quality of your prompt. A vague prompt like "a beach" will get you a generic, uninspired image. But a detailed prompt will produce something truly special. Here’s how to craft prompts that deliver stunning results.

Be Specific and Descriptive

The more detail you provide, the better. Don’t just name a place, describe it. Think about the textures, objects, and specific features you want to see. This helps the AI understand the exact scene you're imagining.

• Instead of: A city skyline.
• Try: "A futuristic cyberpunk city skyline at twilight with glowing neon billboards and flying cars."

• Instead of: A forest.
• Try: "A lush, enchanted forest floor with glowing mushrooms and moss-covered ancient trees."

Include Mood, Style, and Lighting Cues

Art direction is your best friend when writing AI prompts. Including keywords about the feel and style of the background can completely transform the outcome. It's the difference between a simple picture and a work of art.

• For Vibe: Add words like dreamy, serene, chaotic, melancholic, joyful, mysterious.
• For Artistic Style: Try terms like watercolor painting, vaporwave, comic book art, minimalist, photorealistic, cinematic.
• For Lighting: Use descriptions like golden hour light, cinematic lighting, soft morning glow, dramatic backlight, disco lights.

For example, "A field of sunflowers" is okay. But "A field of sunflowers in the impressionist style of Van Gogh, during golden hour" is going to generate a background with a much stronger, more compelling aesthetic.

Combine Unrelated Concepts for Unique Results

Don't be afraid to get a little weird. Some of the most interesting AI generations come from prompts that merge two or more completely separate ideas. This is a great way to create visuals that no one has ever seen before - the kind of content that makes people stop scrolling.

• Example 1: "A bookstore set on a quiet tropical beach."
• Example 2: "A classical Roman marble statue garden filled with bubblegum-colored plants."
• Example 3: "An office space floating in outer space, with Earth visible through the window."

Beyond Just Fun: Using AI Backgrounds for Your Brand

The AI Backdrop tool is more than just a creative toy, it's a powerful branding and marketing tool that can help your content stand out in a crowded space. With a little strategy, you can use it to build a stronger connection with your audience and achieve your business goals.

Maintain a Consistent Brand Aesthetic

Does your brand have a specific color palette or visual identity? You can use AI backdrops to reinforce it. By consistently using prompts that generate backgrounds with your brand’s colors or style - like "a minimalist interior with terracotta and beige tones" or "an electric 80s synthwave landscape" - you can make your Stories instantly recognizable, even if the content itself changes.

Create Themed Product Showcases

Stop shooting products on a plain white background. Use AI backdrops to place your product in a setting that tells a story or evokes the feeling you want customers to associate with it.

• Selling durable hiking boots? Create a backdrop of "a rugged, snow-dusted mountain peak at sunrise."
• Launching a new line of coffee? How about a background that's "a cozy, rainy Parisian cafe scene, seen through a steamy window."
• Showcasing a new tech gadget? Place it in "a sleek, futuristic laboratory with holographic displays."

Tease New Launches and Announcements

Build anticipation for something new by using abstract or symbolic backgrounds that hint at what's coming. If you're launching a product with a "coconut" scent, you could post Stories against backdrops of "a serene tropical island." If a new clothing collection is called "Midnight Bloom," use backgrounds of "a dark, mystical garden at night with glowing flowers." It's a clever and visually engaging way to prime your audience without giving everything away at once.

Elevate Your "Talking Head" Videos

Most quick, informative Stories are filmed from a desk or office. Instead of showing off a mundane wall, create a custom background that relates to your topic. Talking about quarterly marketing stats? Pop yourself in front of a "futuristic data visualization dashboard." Sharing tips on organization? Try a background of "a beautifully organized, sun-drenched minimalist library." It makes your content immediately more dynamic and professional.

Final Thoughts

Instagram's AI Backdrop tool is a surprisingly deep and effective feature that gives creators an extraordinary amount of creative freedom. By moving beyond basic prompts and injecting specificity, style, and brand strategy into your background creation, you can turn your everyday Stories into engaging visual experiences that capture attention and tell a compelling story.

Creating amazing content is the first step, but having a consistent plan to organize and schedule it is what turns momentary engagement into audience growth. As we've built Postbase, we focused on making a modern social media management platform that streamlines the entire workflow - especially for the kinds of media that define today's social platforms. Our visual calendar lets you plan all your content - including all your video formats like Stories, Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts ahead of time, ensuring your brilliant creative content is always delivered reliably to your audience.