How to Share Multiple Photos on Instagram

Sharing just one photo on Instagram feels like a thing of the past. Today, it’s all about telling a bigger story, and that often requires more than a single shot. This guide will walk you through exactly how to share multiple photos on Instagram, from creating a basic swipeable carousel post to crafting engaging, multi-image Stories. We'll cover the step-by-step mechanics and the creative strategies that turn a simple photo dump into content your followers will love.

Mastering the Carousel Post: The Go-To for Multiple Photos

The most common way to share multiple photos is through an Instagram carousel. This feature lets you add up to 10 photos and videos in a single, swipeable feed post. It’s perfect for everything from event recaps to step-by-step tutorials.

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Carousel Post

Creating a carousel is straightforward. Just follow these steps:

1. Open Instagram and tap the "+" icon at the bottom of the screen to create a new post.
2. Tap the "Select Multiple" icon. This is the icon that looks like layered squares, usually located in the bottom right corner of your photo preview. Once you tap it, you can select up to 10 photos and videos from your camera roll.
3. Choose your photos and videos. As you tap on your media, a number will appear on each thumbnail, indicating its order in the carousel. You can select a mix of photos and videos.
4. Rearrange your selections (if needed). Don't worry if you didn't select them in the perfect order. After selecting your images but before moving to the next step, you can tap and hold any image to drag it to a new position in the sequence.
5. Proceed to the editing screen. Tap "Next" in the top right corner. Here, you have a few options:
   • Apply a filter to all images: At the bottom, you can scroll through Instagram’s filters and apply one to every photo and video in your carousel simultaneously.
   • Edit individual images: To edit a single photo, just tap on it. The filter and editing options will now only apply to that specific image. This is ideal for adjusting the brightness of one dark photo without blowing out the others. You can crop, adjust brightness, contrast, and more for each item independently.
6. Write your caption and tag people. Tap "Next" again to get to the final screen. Here you'll write your caption, add a location, tag accounts, and add hashtags just like you would for any other post.
7. Share your post. When you’re ready, hit "Share" to post your carousel to your feed.

That's all there is to it. Your followers can now swipe through your photos and videos, giving you way more room to share your story than a single image ever could.

Beyond the Basics: Creative Strategies for Carousel Posts

Now that you know how to make a carousel post, let's talk about the why. A good carousel doesn’t just show multiple photos, it uses the format to its advantage to keep users engaged and swiping. Here are a few proven ideas.

1. Tell a Compelling Story

Use the sequential nature of a carousel to build a narrative. The swipe-through format is perfect for "before and after" transformations, showing the progression of a project, or taking your followers on a mini-journey.

• Example (Home Renovator):
  • Slide 1: The neglected, outdated kitchen.
  • Slide 2-5: In-progress shots of demolition and construction.
  • Slide 6-10: Multiple angles of the beautiful, finished kitchen.
• Example (Traveler):
  • Slide 1: A stunning wide shot of a hiking trail.
  • Slide 2: A close-up of interesting plants found along the way.
  • Slide 3: A candid shot of you enjoying the view.
  • Slide 4: The final breathtaking vista at the summit.

The key is to make the first photo compelling enough to make someone want to see what happens next.

2. Create a Mini-Tutorial or Guide

Carousels are an amazing format for educational content. You can break down a complex topic into digestible, visual steps that are easy to follow and save for later.

• Example (Food Blogger):
  • Slide 1: A delicious photo of the finished dish.
  • Slide 2: A flat lay of all the required ingredients.
  • Slide 3-8: Step-by-step photos of the creation process (chopping, mixing, baking).
  • Slide 9: The recipe written out on a simple text graphic.

Encourage your audience to save the post for later with a call-to-action in your caption, like "Save this recipe for your next dinner party!"

3. Showcase a Product from Every Angle

For small businesses and e-commerce brands, a single photo is rarely enough to sell a product. Use a carousel to give potential customers a 360-degree view, show styling options, or highlight key details.

• Example (Handbag Designer):
  • Slide 1: A lifestyle shot of a model carrying the bag.
  • Slide 2: A clean studio shot of the bag on a white background.
  • Slide 3: A close-up of a unique detail, like the hardware or stitching.
  • Slide 4: A photo showing the inside of the bag and its capacity.
  • Slide 5: The product shown in other available colors.

4. Embrace the "Photo Dump"

Not every carousel needs a tight narrative. The "photo dump" trend is all about sharing a collection of more candid, less-curated photos from a specific period, like a weekend or a recent trip. It feels authentic and gives your followers a behind-the-scenes look at your life. The key is a mix of people, places, and details that create a cohesive mood or vibe.

How to Share Multiple Photos in an Instagram Story

Your Instagram feed isn’t the only place to share multiple photos. Stories offer a more playful and immediate way to create collages and multi-image layouts. Here are the two best methods.

Method 1: Using the "Layout" Tool

The easiest way to create a clean-looking photo collage in your Story is with the built-in Layout tool.

1. Open the Story camera and swipe through the tools on the left-hand side. Tap the "Layout" icon.
2. Choose your grid. You can select different grid styles to hold anywhere from two to six photos.
3. Add your photos. Tap on each section of the grid to either take a live photo or select one from your camera roll.
4. Post your Story. Once your grid is full, you can add stickers, text, and music before sharing.

Method 2: Using the Photo Sticker

If you want more creative control over the size and placement of your photos, the photo sticker method is the way to go.

1. Start by creating a background for your Story. You can take a new photo, select one from your gallery, or use the "Create" mode to choose a solid color or gradient.
2. Open the sticker tray by tapping the smiley-face icon at the top of the screen.
3. Scroll down and find the photo sticker icon (it often looks like a picture of your most recent photo with a "gallery" logo). Tap it.
4. Select a photo from your camera roll. It will appear on your Story as a sticker.
5. You can now resize, rotate, and move the image anywhere you want. Tapping on the photo sticker will change its shape from a rectangle to a circle, star, and other shapes.
6. Repeat this process to add as many photos as you like, layering them to create a custom collage.

This method works especially well for creating scrapbook-style visuals and mood boards.

A Few Final Tips for Success

Keep these best practices in mind to get the most out of your multi-photo posts:

• Start with a Strong First Image. The first photo in your carousel is what people will see in their feed. Make it your most eye-catching one to encourage them to stop scrolling and start swiping.
• Use the Portrait Orientation (4:5). While square (1:1) works, a vertical image with a 4:5 aspect ratio takes up more screen space, making your post more prominent and harder to ignore. Just be sure all images in your carousel share the same aspect ratio to avoid awkward cropping.
• Mix Photos and Videos. Adding a video into your carousel can be a great way to surprise your audience and hold their attention longer.
• Tease the Swipe in Your Caption. A simple prompt like "Swipe to see the transformation!" or "Which shot is your favorite? Let me know!" can significantly increase the chances that people engage with your full carousel.

Final Thoughts

Sharing multiple photos on Instagram gives you a powerful canvas for telling deeper stories, educating your audience, and showcasing your brand's personality. Whether you're building a narrative with a carousel post or creating a quick collage for your Story, mastering these methods allows you to create more dynamic and engaging content.

Planning these multi-image posts in advance can be a huge time-saver. By scheduling carousels ahead of time in our visual calendar, we can see exactly how our storytelling posts fit into our feed and build cohesive campaigns. Postbase makes it incredibly simple to upload all your photos for a carousel, arrange them perfectly, customize the caption, and then schedule it to post reliably - so you can get back to creating more amazing content.