How to Make Connecting Slides on Instagram

Creating an Instagram post with connecting slides that seamlessly flow from one to the next is a fantastic way to capture attention and tell a more detailed story. This guide will walk you through exactly why these posts are so effective and provide step-by-step instructions on how to create them using popular design tools.

Why Seamless Carousels Stop the Scroll

In a feed crowded with static images and fast-moving videos, a seamless carousel makes people pause. The "cut-off" look of a panoramic image or an element stretching to the next slide piques curiosity and practically begs users to swipe left. This isn't just about cool aesthetics, it's a smart engagement strategy.

• Increased Dwell Time: The longer someone spends interacting with your post (swiping through slides), the more the Instagram algorithm values it. This signals that your content is engaging and worth showing to more people.
• Better Storytelling: You're no longer limited to one square. You have a wide canvas to tell a narrative, reveal a transformation, showcase a process, or present a list of tips in a visually captivating way.
• Elevated Brand Perception: A well-executed connecting carousel looks professional and thoughtful. It shows you put effort into your content, which can build credibility and make your brand look more polished and authoritative.
• Strategic Information Delivery: You can guide your audience's eye exactly where you want it to go, moving them from a hook on the first slide to a call-to-action on the last, all within one smooth experience.

Planning Your Perfect Connecting Carousel

Before you jump into a design app, a little bit of planning will save you a ton of headaches later. A great seamless carousel is more than just a wide picture, it's a strategically planned piece of content.

Step 1: Define Your Goal and Story

What do you want this carousel to achieve? Are you teaching a concept, telling a before-and-after story, or showcasing a product line? Your goal will define the flow. For example:

• For a tutorial: Slide 1 could be the headline, slides 2-4 could be the steps, and slide 5 could be the final result with a CTA.
• For a product launch: Slide 1 could be a teaser, and subsequent slides could reveal different product features, flowing into a panoramic shot of the full product lineup on the final slides.
• For a narrative: Use a long, scenic photo or continuous illustration to draw the user through a personal story or travel journey from beginning to end.

Think in terms of flow. How can one slide logically or visually lead to the next? Use connecting lines, overlapping photos, or a consistent background color to create that smooth journey for the viewer.

Step 2: Get Your Dimensions Right

This is the most important technical detail to get right from the start. Instagram posts have specific sizes, and your canvas needs to be a multiple of that size.

First, decide on your orientation:

• Square (1:1 Ratio): Each slide is 1080px wide by 1080px tall.
• Portrait (4:5 Ratio): Each slide is 1080px wide by 1350px tall. (We recommend portrait, as it takes up more screen space and is generally more effective.)

Next, multiply the width of a single slide (1080px) by the total number of slides you want in your carousel. The maximum is 10.

Here’s the simple math:

For Square Carousels (1080px Height):

• 2 slides: 2160px wide x 1080px tall
• 3 slides: 3240px wide x 1080px tall
• 4 slides: 4320px wide x 1080px tall
• 5 slides: 5400px wide x 1080px tall

For Portrait Carousels (1350px Height):

• 2 slides: 2160px wide x 1350px tall
• 3 slides: 3240px wide x 1350px tall
• 4 slides: 4320px wide x 1350px tall
• 5 slides: 5400px wide x 1350px tall

Write down these dimensions. You’ll need them for the next section.

How to Make Connecting Slides: The Step-by-Step Tutorials

Now for the fun part: bringing your idea to life. Here’s how to do it using the most popular design tools.

Method 1: Using Canva (The Go-To for Most Creators)

Canva makes this surprisingly easy, even if you’re not a graphic designer. The key is setting up your document with guides so you know exactly where the slides will be divided.

1. Create Your Custom Canvas: On the Canva homepage, click "Create a design" and choose "Custom size." Enter the full dimensions you calculated earlier (e.g., 3240px by 1350px for a 3-slide portrait carousel).
2. Add Your Guides: This is a game-changer. Go to File >, View settings >, Show rulers and guides. Now you’ll see rulers on the top and side of your canvas. To add a vertical guide, simply click on the side ruler and drag a line onto your canvas.
3. Place Your Guides: You need to place guides at the end of each slide. Drag guides to the right and place them at these pixel marks (based on 1080px width per slide):
   • After Slide 1: at 1080px
   • After Slide 2: at 2160px
   • After Slide 3: at 3240px
   • And so on... continue adding 1080px for each additional slide.
   You can zoom in on the ruler to get the placement just right. These purple lines are your slice marks - they won't appear in the final download, but they show you where each slide ends.
4. Design Your Masterpiece: Now, start designing! Drag and drop photos, text, and graphics onto the massive canvas. Use the guides to your advantage:
   • Place text and core information so it falls entirely within one slide section, avoiding the cut.
   • Let background photos, textures, or illustrative elements beautifully span across the guides to create that seamless effect.
5. Download the Full Image: Once you’re happy with the design, click Share >, Download. Choose PNG for the best quality and download the single, very wide image.
6. Slice It Up: You've got your giant image, but now you need to split it into individual files. There are many free, browser-based tools for this. Search for "image splitter" or "photo slicer" online. A popular one is pinetools.com/split-image. Upload your design, choose to split it horizontally, select the number of blocks (slides), and it will automatically generate and download your perfectly cropped slides.

Method 2: Using Adobe Photoshop or Affinity Photo (For More Control)

If you're comfortable with more advanced design software, the process is even smoother thanks to the built-in Slice Tool.

1. Create the Canvas &, Guides: Just like in Canva, create a new document with your full custom dimensions (e.g., 4320px x 1350px). Use the rulers to drag out vertical guides at every 1080-pixel mark.
2. Select the Slice Tool: Find the Slice Tool in your toolbar (it's often nested under the Crop Tool, shortcut is typically 'C'). At the top of the screen in the tool options bar, click the button that says "Slices from Guides." Voila! Photoshop will instantly create perfectly sized slices based on the guides you placed.
3. Design Across the Slices: Now design your carousel as one cohesive image. You’ll be able to see the slice borders, but you can design right over them.
4. Export Your Slices: This is where the magic happens. Go to File >, Export >, Save for Web (Legacy). In the dialog box, select a preset like JPEG High. You don't need to select the individual slices - Photoshop already knows what to do. Make sure "All Slices" is selected in the export options. When you click "Save," it will automatically export each slice as a separate, sequentially numbered image file (e.g., MyCarousel_01.jpg, MyCarousel_02.jpg). It's all done for you in one click.

Bonus Method: Use a Mobile App (For Quick Splitting)

If you prefer to work entirely on your phone or have an existing panoramic photo you want to split, a dedicated app is the way to go. Search your app store for "Panorama Crop," "InGrids," or "Swipeable Panorama." The process is generally the same for all of them:

1. Open the app and upload your wide photo.
2. Select the number of images you want to split it into (e.g., 3 slides).
3. The app will show you a preview of the cropped sections.
4. Save the final images to your camera roll.

This method is great for splitting existing photos but offers less design control than Canva or Photoshop.

Tips for Publishing Your Masterpiece

You’ve designed and sliced your beautiful connecting slides. Now, let's make sure the post performs well.

• Check Your Order: Before you post, make sure your files are numbered correctly and that you select them in the exact right order when creating your Instagram post. It's a simple mistake that can ruin the whole effect.
• Add a "Swipe" Cue: While the seamless design is often enough, explicitly asking people to engage works. Add a small arrow icon or text like "Swipe left" or "Keep swiping" on the first one or two slides.
• Write an Engaging Caption: Your caption should support the carousel. Ask a question related to the content to encourage comments. Use a hook in the first sentence that complements the hook on your first slide.
• Don't Forget the Last Slide: The last slide is your most-valuable real estate. Use it to ask a question, drive people to the link in your bio, or give a clear summary of the information you just shared. Don't let your audience swipe to the end and have nowhere to go.

Making connecting slides for your Instagram carousels might seem complex at first, but it's a completely learnable skill that pays off in higher engagement and a more creative feed. Once you have the right dimensions and workflow, you can use tools like Canva or Photoshop to turn good ideas into scroll-stopping visual stories.

After you’ve put in the creative work designing and splitting the perfect carousel, the last thing you want is a clunky scheduling process. At Postbase, we built a modern planner specifically for today’s visual social media. You can upload all your slides at once, rearrange them in our simple visual calendar to make sure the flow is right, and trust that they will publish reliably when they're supposed to. We handle all kinds of modern content, from complex carousels to Reels and TikToks, without the fussy workflows of older tools.