There are three ways to put more than one photo in a story. Instagram's own Layout mode is quick but limited. The photo sticker is free-form but fiddly. A ready-made collage leaves everything in your hands.
Last updated: November 2026
It is fast, but the cells are equal and straight. You cannot set gaps, borders or transitions, and you cannot use the result anywhere else unless you save it to your phone.
Start a story with a background photo, choose the photo sticker from the sticker menu and add photos from your gallery. You can pinch to resize and rotate each one.
It is good when you want a loose, free layout. Lining up the edges is hard, though, and photos lose detail as they shrink.
If you build the collage first and post it as a single image, the layout is entirely yours. In Collage Maker, pick 9:16 as the size, stack the photos vertically, horizontally or in a grid, drag the seams, and add torn or diagonal transitions if you like.
For a ready-made story design, drop your photos into the templates in Story Layout.
| You want | Best way |
|---|---|
| An even grid in a few seconds | Layout |
| Photos overlapping, free-form | Photo sticker |
| An aligned, high-quality collage with transitions, or a video | Collage Maker |
How do I add multiple photos to an Instagram story?
Pick Layout in the story camera and put a photo in each cell. For a free layout use the photo sticker, or build the collage beforehand and upload it as one image.
Can a story collage be a video?
Yes. Collage Maker downloads the collage as a 9:16 sliding Reels video in which the photos settle into place one by one.
What size is a story collage?
1080 × 1920 pixels (9:16). Keep text that must be read away from the very top and bottom; those areas sit under Instagram's own buttons.
Does the collage lose quality?
Not in Collage Maker: the result downloads losslessly at source resolution. Instagram still runs its own compression on whatever you upload.
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