How to Add Filters on an Instagram Story

Adding a filter to your Instagram Story is one of the quickest ways to change its entire vibe, turning a simple photo or video into something curated and unique. This guide will walk you through every step of the process, from finding and using standard filters to discovering an endless library of custom creations from other users. We’ll also cover tips for applying effects to existing media and using filters to build a consistent brand style.

The Absolute Basics: Using Filters on a New Story Post

Let's start with the most straightforward method: applying a filter as you're creating a new Story. When you open the Instagram Story camera, you immediately have access to a library of augmented reality (AR) filters that can do everything from adding a subtle color grade to placing virtual objects and makeup onto your face. It's the foundation of crafting eye-catching Stories in seconds.

Here’s the step-by-step process:

1. Open the Instagram Story Camera: Launch the Instagram app. From your home feed, you can either swipe right from anywhere on the screen or tap the plus sign (+) icon at the top of your screen and select "Story" from the menu.
2. Browse Your Saved Filters: At the bottom of the screen, you’ll see the white circular shutter button. To its left and right are smaller circles, each representing a different filter or effect. This is your filter tray or carousel. Swipe left and right along this carousel to cycle through the filters you currently have saved.
3. Select and Apply: As you swipe, the camera view will change in real time to show you a preview of how each filter looks. Simply tap on a filter’s icon to apply it. Some filters are interactive - they might react to you opening your mouth, raising your eyebrows, or tapping on the screen. The filter’s name often gives a clue, or you can just experiment to see what it does.
4. Capture Your Content: With the filter active, tap the shutter button to take a photo. If you want to record a video, press and hold the shutter button. The video will record as long as you hold the button, and the filter will remain active for the entire duration.
5. Finalize and Post: After you take your photo or video, you can add other elements like text, stickers, or music before sharing it with your followers.

This is the simplest way to add a filter, and your filter tray will likely come pre-loaded with a handful of Instagram’s own creations. But the real fun begins when you start finding and adding filters made by thousands of independent creators.

Finding Your Vibe: How to Discover and Save New Filters

Sticking with the default filters is fine, but the best ones are often waiting to be discovered in the vast Effect Gallery or on the stories of other users. Once you know where to look, you can build a personal collection of filters that perfectly match your aesthetic.

Method 1: Browsing the Effect Gallery

The Effect Gallery is Instagram's official repository for every public filter on the platform. It's a huge, searchable database where you can find effects for any mood, theme, or visual style you can imagine.

• Step 1: Access the Gallery. In your Story camera, swipe your filter carousel all the way to the right until you've passed all your saved effects. At the very end, you'll see a magnifying glass icon with the words "Browse Effects." Tap it.
• Step 2: Navigate the Gallery. The gallery is organized into several sections to help you find what you’re looking for. You'll see categories like Trending, Appearance, Aesthetics, and Games. Tap on any of these to see relevant filters. You can also use the search bar at the very top (another magnifying glass icon) to search for filters by name or keyword.
• Step 3: Use Keywords to Find Your Style. Searching is often the fastest way to get what you want. Try searching for specific descriptive terms. For example:
  • "Vintage," "Film," "90s," or "Retro" for old-school film camera looks.
  • "Grain," "Dust," or "Scratches" to add subtle texture to your images.
  • "Minimal," "Clean," or "Neutral" for modern, understated color grading.
  • "Glitch," "VHS," or "CRT" for a distorted, lo-fi digital feel.
• Step 4: Preview and Save. Tap on any thumbnail to see a preview of the filter in action. From there, you have a few options at the bottom of the screen. You can tap "Try It" to immediately go back to your Story camera and test it out. If you love it, tap the downward-facing arrow icon (the "Save Effect" button). Doing so adds the filter directly to your camera’s carousel for easy access next time.

Method 2: Saving Filters from Other People's Stories

This is probably the most common way new and popular filters spread across Instagram. You see someone use a cool effect, and in two taps, it's yours.

1. When you’re watching someone else’s Instagram Story and you see a filter you like, look just below their username at the top-left corner of the screen. You’ll see the filter’s name credited there (e.g., "Vintage Film by @creator_name").
2. Tap directly on the filter’s name. A gray menu will pop up from the bottom of the screen.
3. Here you'll see details about the filter, plus a few calls to action. Tapping "Try It" will instantly open your own Story camera with that filter applied. To add it to your permanent collection, tap "Save Effect." It will now appear in your filter tray indefinitely.

This is a fantastic, organic way to build your filter collection based on the styles and trends you see from the accounts you follow.

Method 3: Finding Filters Directly from a Creator’s Profile

Many creators specialize in making popular AR filters and host their entire catalog on their Instagram profile. If you find a creator whose style you admire, you can go straight to the source to browse all their work at once.

1. Navigate to the creator’s Instagram profile page.
2. Look at the row of icons just above their photo grid. Alongside the grid icon (which shows their feed posts) and the video icon (for Reels), you’ll see a tab with three sparkles (✨). This is their Effects tab.
3. Tap the sparkles tab to see a grid of every filter they have created.
4. Tap on any effect to open a preview. From there, you can either "Try It" or use the "Save Effect" button to add it to your carousel, just as you would from the Effect Gallery.

Next-Level Storytelling: Pro Tips for Using Filters

Once you’ve mastered finding and saving filters, you can start using them more strategically to create cleaner, more engaging, and more consistent content.

Adding Filters to Pre-Existing Photos or Videos

You’re not limited to using filters only on live camera captures. You can also apply them to photos and videos already saved to your phone's camera roll.

1. Open your Story camera and swipe up from the bottom (or tap the gallery icon in the bottom-left corner) to open your camera roll.
2. Select the photo or video you want to post to your Story.
3. Once your media loads into the Story editor, look at the icons at the top of the screen. Tap the icon that looks like three sparkles (✨).
4. This will open your saved filter carousel along the bottom of the screen. Now, you can tap on any of your saved AR filters and preview how they look on your photo or video.
5. Once you've chosen a filter, tap "Done" in the top-right corner to apply it.

An important distinction: The method above applies camera-style AR effects. Instagram also offers more basic color grading filters (like the old-school "Clarendon" or "Lark"). You can access these simply by swiping left or right on your screen after selecting a photo or video from your camera roll. You can even combine the two: first apply an AR effect, then swipe to add a final color grade.

Managing Your Saved Filters

After a while, your filter tray can get quite crowded, making it hard to find your favorites. You can easily clean up and reorganize your collection.

• Removing a filter: Find the filter in your carousel. Tap on its name box, which appears just above the shutter button. This will bring up the same bottom menu as if you were saving it. From that menu, tap "Remove" to delete it from your tray.
• Reordering your filters: To move your favorite filters to the front of the line, just tap and hold on any filter bubble in the carousel. All the icons will start to jiggle, allowing you to drag and drop them into whatever order you prefer. Placing your top 2-3 most used filters at the very beginning saves a ton of time.

Using Filters to Build Your Brand Aesthetic

For brands, entrepreneurs, and creators, filters aren't just for fun - they're a powerful branding tool. Consistently using the same family of filters helps establish a recognizable visual identity for your Stories. This creates a cohesive look that makes your content feel more professional and instantly identifiable to your followers.

Here’s how to do it:

• Curate a "Filter Kit": Instead of picking a random filter every time you post, spend some time in the Effect Gallery searching for 2-4 filters that perfectly match your brand's style guide and color palette. If you run a wellness brand, look for a filter that gives a warm, calming, and natural look. If you're a tech company, perhaps a clean and modern filter with a subtle cool tone. A clothing brand might go for something that mimics vintage polaroids or film grain.
• Save and Organize Them: Once you find your perfect set, save them to your tray. Use the reorganization tip from above to drag these "brand-approved" filters to the very beginning of your carousel. This makes sticking to your style effortless.
• Be Consistent: Make it a habit to use one of your approved filters on almost every Story. This repetition builds brand recognition over time. When a follower is tapping through their stories, they'll be able to recognize your content by its visual feel, even before they look at your username.

A consistent aesthetic makes your Stories look less like a random collection of moments and more like a thoughtfully curated chapter in your brand's narrative.

Final Thoughts

Learning how to add filters is a basic Instagram skill, but mastering filter discovery and management can fundamentally change your Story content. Whether you're finding unique effects in the gallery, saving them from creators you admire, or curating a set for your brand, filters are an easy yet mighty tool for self-expression and building a recognizable presence.

Using brand-aligned filters in your Stories is a great step toward a cohesive look. But managing that cohesive look across all your posts, especially when scheduling content in advance, can sometimes feel disconnected. We built Postbase to solve this very problem. Our visual calendar makes it simple to plan your entire content strategy - including video-heavy formats like Reels and Stories - so you can see your brand's aesthetic laid out clearly. It’s designed for how creators and marketers actually work today, helping you create and schedule beautiful content without getting tangled up in tools that were built for a different social media era.