How to use Instagram filters and effects on your photos or videos

• You can use Instagram's filters and effects to change how your pictures look before you post them.
• Instagram filters change your photo's colors and shading, like making it grayscale.
• Effects can only be used on your Instagram Stories, Reels, or Lives, and they add stickers, text, and even games.

If you know anything about Instagram, you know that it lets you put all sorts of filters on your photos. But filters aren't the only photo-editing tools that Instagram offers.

Here's a quick guide on how to add both filters and effects to your Instagram posts.

How to use filters on Instagram

Filters are basic overlays that change the colors and shading of your photos. Some might make the picture brighter, while others might strengthen the shadows. Some remove all the color completely, giving your photo a grayscale makeover.

You can use filters when you're posting a photo or video to your feed, or when you're adding to your Instagram Story.

To use filters on a post, tap the plus sign icon at the top of your homepage or profile, then tap Post. Select the photo or video you want to upload and tap Next in the top-right.

You'll be brought to a page where you can add all sorts of preset filters to your photo. Tap any of the filters to overlay them on the post, and then tap the filter again to manage how strong it is. And if you don't like any of the available filters, you can tap Edit in the bottom-right to make your own.

When you're done, tap Next in the top-right to save your filtered post.

Adding filters to your Story is simpler, but doesn't give you as much control. First, make a Story, either by taking a new picture/video or by uploading something from your phone's camera roll. When you're on the preview page that lets you add stickers and text, swipe left or right to switch between about a dozen different filters.

How to use effects on Instagram

Effects are very different from filters. While filters just change the colors, effects add entirely new aspects, from stickers to animations. If you've ever used effects on TikTok, these are the same thing.

Also unlike filters, you can only use effects when you're making a Story, a Reels video, or when you're using Instagram Live.

To do it, open Instagram and swipe right to turn on the camera. At the bottom of the screen, next to the record button, you should see some circular icons with designs inside. These are all effects, and you can tap any of them to put them on your post.

If you don't like the effects you're offered, scroll to the far-right of the list and tap the Browse effects bubble. You'll get a full library of all the effects on Instagram, which you can scroll through or search from.

You can only use one effect at a time, and you can't combine them with filters.