Instagram Stories allow users to share photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. Since launching in August 2016, Stories have become one of the most popular Instagram features with over 500 million daily active users.
The default background color for Stories is chosen automatically based on the dominant colors in your photo or video. But changing up this background color can help make your content stand out, match branding, and set specific moods or themes.
In this comprehensive guide, you‘ll learn several methods for customizing the Instagram Story background color in 2024. I‘ll provide step-by-step instructions, pro tips, and examples to help take your Stories to the next level. Let‘s get started!
Contents
Why Use Instagram Stories?
Before jumping into background color changes, it helps to understand why Instagram Stories are worth investing time into in the first place.
The ephemeral nature of Stories lowers the pressure for perfection. You can share fun, casual glimpses into your daily life without worrying about high-quality editing. This allows followers to connect with the real you or your brand on a more authentic level.
Reach a Wider Audience
When you share to Stories, your content is visible to all your followers rather than just your permanent feed. This gives each Story the potential to reach a larger portion of your audience.
Inspire Real-Time Engagement
Viewers can react to Stories with messages, taps, and swipe-up actions. This drives more instant, two-way engagement than regular Instagram posts.
Promote Time-Sensitive Content
With Stories lasting just 24 hours, it’s easy to promote relevant, in-the-moment content like sales, events, new product drops, etc. The ephemeral format adds a sense of urgency.
Boost Brand Awareness
Creative, eye-catching Stories help attract attention and get your brand noticed. Changing up the background color can enhance the uniqueness and recognizability of your content.
It‘s Where Your Audience Is
500 million Instagram users watch Stories every day. So in order to connect with followers in 2024, you need to be where they‘re spending time – and Stories are increasingly popular.
Now that you understand why Stories matter, let‘s get into how to customize them.
Why Change the Background Color?
When you take or upload a photo/video for your Story, Instagram automatically chooses a background color gradient based on the dominant shades in that piece of content.
Here are some reasons why you may want to override this default and pick your own custom background color:
Branding
Choose colors that match your brand palette. This helps all your Stories feel cohesive and recognizable.
Themes
Set color schemes to fit different themes, holidays, seasons or events. This adds visual interest to your content.
Moods
Different colors can evoke different emotions and vibes. Use backgrounds to set the desired tone.
Pop Culture
Leverage trending colors related to pop culture moments, celebrities, or viral content.
Creativity
Beyond branding, custom colors allow you to get more artistic and showcase creativity.
Stand Out
A unique, unexpected background color helps your content catch the viewer‘s eye in their Story feed.
Complement The Foreground
Choose colors that work well with key elements in the foreground like your product, text, graphics, etc.
As you can see, customizing your Story background color provides tons of creative opportunities to take your content to the next level in 2024!
How To Change Background Color on Instagram Stories
Now let‘s get into the step-by-step process for changing up that background color. I‘ll cover the three easiest methods:
- Using Instagram‘s built-in design tools
- Applying an image from your camera roll
- Adding a gradient color blend
Option 1 is the quickest for simple, solid color backgrounds. Options 2 and 3 allow for more complex designs.
Method 1: Instagram Design Tools
Instagram has editing tools built right into the Story composer that make it easy to overlay a solid color background.
Here‘s how:
- Capture or select your Story photo/video as usual. Adjust the framing if needed.
- Tap the 3-dot menu at the top right corner, then select the drawing tool (looks like a marker).
- Choose the pen icon, then tap one of the color dots to pick your desired background color.
- Tap and hold your finger on the screen to draw over the entire background with that color.
- You can add text, stickers, drawings or other embellishments on top.
- When finished, tap "Your Story" at the bottom to share it or the arrow icon to save a draft.
This method is super quick and lets you lay down a solid color backdrop in just a few taps. Feel free to get creative!
| Cons | Pros |
|---|---|
| Limited to solid colors | Easy and intuitive in-app process |
| Less design flexibility | Results appear instantly as you draw |
| Can‘t include gradients | Huge range of color options |
| Covers up whole background | Allows layers of text/graphics on top |
Method 2: Use a Custom Image
For more control over the Story background design, you can upload an image from your camera roll.
Here are the steps:
- Create your background graphic in a design app like Canva, sized 1080 x 1920 pixels.
- Save the finished image to your camera roll.
- When making your Story, select the image from your camera roll.
- Adjust the zoom and framing as desired.
- Add any text, stickers, or other embellishments on top.
- Tap "Your Story" to share when done.
This approach allows for backgrounds with designs, patterns, illustrations, colors, etc. Get creative with different graphic elements that suit your brand!
| Cons | Pros |
|---|---|
| Requires design software | Complete control over background look |
| Extra creation time | Dynamic visual interest |
| Image uploading takes a few taps | Match to brand, themes, trends |
| Fixed background can‘t be edited during Story creation | Reusable images across multiple Stories |
Method 3: Gradient Color Blend
For a more artistic look, you can apply a gradient fade using the Instagram color dropper tool.
Follow these steps:
- Select the pen tool from the top right editing menu.
- Tap the color dropper next to the pen, then touch anywhere on the screen to pick up a color from your photo/video.
- Choose the highlighter tool beside the pen.
- Lightly swipe your finger across the screen to apply a gradient fade.
- Repeat steps 2-4, varying the start and end points to blend multiple colors.
- Finish off by adding any text overlays, stickers, etc.
This leaves a beautiful ombre backdrop that adds flair. The color blending possibilities are endless!
| Cons | Pros |
|---|---|
| More complex process | Super artsy, eye-catching results |
| Trial and error to perfect | Creatively complements foreground visuals |
| Gradient could cover key elements | Allows you to blend relevant colors from the actual photo/video |
| Unique look compared to solid backgrounds |
Pro Tips for Customizing Background Color
Now that you know how to change up the background color, here are some pro tips to take it to the next level:
- Preview first: Apply different background options as a draft to see what works best before posting publicly.
- Match colors: Sample colors from your product packaging, brand palette, or other assets for cohesive branding.
- Set themes: Use red and pink for Valentine‘s Day, pastels for Easter, neon for summer vibes, black and orange for Halloween, etc.
- Complement the foreground: Choose hues that work well with key people, objects, graphics, or text in the foreground.
- Contrast pop: Vibrant backgrounds make muted foreground elements stand out more.
- Tie to emotions: Green and blue inspire calmness, yellow brings joy, purple can symbolize creativity.
- Overlap edits: Layer color gradients over solid backgrounds for multiplied effects.
- Reuse backgrounds: Design universal backgrounds to maintain consistency across different Stories.
- Collaborate: Have designers or influencers suggest creative ways to use color for new perspectives.
Don‘t be afraid to experiment until you find color combinations that delight your audience and make your content shine!
Real-World Examples
To spark some inspiration, here are examples from three top brands leveraging custom background colors for stylish Instagram Stories:
1. Glossier
Beauty brand Glossier frequently uses pastel gradients that match their product packaging. This creates a dreamy, consistent aesthetic.
2. Barkbox
Pet subscription company Barkbox applies colorful solid backgrounds to complement their mascot and text pops. The lively hues match their playful branding.
3. Wendy‘s
Fast food chain Wendy‘s incorporates patterned backgrounds with illustrations relevant to their content topic. This adds context and personality.
As you can see, creative use of color can take Stories from bland to bold! Don‘t be afraid to stand out from the crowd in 2024.
Key Takeaways
- Customizing your Instagram Story background color helps grab attention, express creativity, and match branding.
- Change up the default color using Instagram‘s built-in drawing tools, custom images, or gradient blends.
- Pick colors that complement the visual theme, emotions, or foreground elements you want to emphasize.
- Add visual interest, personality, and branding cohesion with strategic color use in Stories.
- Save background images or gradients to reuse across multiple Stories for consistency.
- Preview different options before posting to choose the most eye-catching, effective combo.
With these tips, you have all the tools needed to take your Instagram Stories to the next level in 2024. Vibrant, customized backgrounds are an easy way to enhance your content and delight your audience. So get out there and start coloring outside the lines!
