How to Change the Background Color/Image of an Instagram Story

With an impressive array of features, Instagram stories allow you to get creative and have a lot of fun while at it. With the limited capabilities for interaction between users and their smartphones, Instagram Stories maximizes this experience through a mix of taps, holds, and swipes.

Changing the Background Color of Instagram Stories

Having a one-color background may seem like something that’s a default setting when creating an Instagram Story. Since IG is a photo-oriented service, a plain background is not something you should generally expect from Instagram.

That’s why creating a plain background for your story requires a few steps, starting with a photo:

1. Open the “Instagram app” on your smartphone.
   
2. Use the “in-app camera” to shoot a random photo.
   
3. When you take the photo, tap the “pen tool” int the top right section of your screen.
   
4. Tap the “color” you like from the menu in the lower portion of the screen. If none of the offered colors look appealing enough, you can always tap and hold one of them to open the “color picker menu.” Here you can choose from millions of available colors by simply moving your finger across the palette.
   
5. When you’ve selected the color, tap and hold anywhere on the photo that you see on the main screen. That way, you will fill the entire photo with the chosen color, creating a plain background.
   
6. With the background uniform in its appearance, now you can add text or emojis anywhere you like.
   

Adding a Transparent Overlay for Text in Instagram Stories

Learning how to create a solid background for your Instagram Story is just the beginning. If you choose to have the photo you just shot but still need to add text that stands out, add a transparent layer over the existing image.

1. Take a photo using “Instagram.”
   
2. Tap the “pen tool” then select the “transparent pen tool” from the top menu. It’s the third icon from the left.
   
3. Choose a “color” for the overlay.
   
4. Tap and hold anywhere on the photo to create the transparent layer.
   

Instagram Story overlays are helpful when you want to hint at something about your photo while adding text that’s supposed to be the focus of your post.

Using the Eraser Tool with the Overlay

The eraser tool is a great way to direct attention to a portion of the photo.

1. Take a photo.
   
2. Add a “full-color fill” or a “transparent overlay” to your photo, as explained in the previous two sections.
   
3. Tap the “eraser tool” from the top menu, which is the fifth icon from the left.
   
4. Tap and drag on the portion of the photo you’d like to stand out.
   

The eraser tool will follow your finger, allowing you to delete portions of the overlay. That will reveal that particular thing in the photo you want to become the focal point. You’ll also have the rest of the screen available to type text, tag people, or add hashtags.

Creating Rainbow Text

With the background of your post sorted out, you can add whatever text you like. While you can choose any color, you can also have it appear in a rainbow of colors. Here’s how to do that.

1. Add text to your post.
   
2. Select the text.
   
3. Use your right thumb to tap and hold on the purple color from the bottom menu.
   
4. While holding the color with your right thumb, use your left thumb to tap and hold the text selection cursor at the end of your text.
   
5. Now slide both thumbs to the left at the same time.
   

And there you go! Your text is now in rainbow colors. Thanks to this neat trick, you can add some “pop” to your Instagram Story, letting it stand out from the rest!

Use the Same Background Image for Several Stories

If you want parts of your text to appear over a couple of Stories but want to keep the same background, there’s a way to do that.

For example, you might want to list your top five films from last year, bottom to top, with the number one spot being the last one in the list. Another example is when you’d like to share “how-to” advice that takes a couple of steps, having each step appear in a succession of stories.

No matter why you want the same background image for several stories, here’s how to do it.

1. Create your Instagram Story using a background photo and adding text.
   
2. Tap “Save.” It’s the second icon on the top menu. That will save the current look of your story to the camera roll.
   
3. Add more text to the story.
   
4. Save it again.
   
5. Proceed with adding more content to your Story until it’s finished.
   
6. Once your Stories are ready, post them in the order you’d like them to appear.
   

Thanks to this trick, Instagram allows you to create Stories that look more like animation than static photos.

In closing, adding backgrounds to your Instagram Stories is not that difficult, whether you want a plain colored layout or a specific image. Creativity is essential here, especially when making your Instagram Story/Stories stand out and grab attention. Thanks to all the tools Instagram provides, it’s almost certain you’ll add more appeal to your Stories and hopefully gain new followers or engage more with them.