DIY

Instagram's New Feature Is Basically Snapchat But Here’s How To Use It Anyway

~new feature who dis~

Posted on August 02, 2016, 20:27 GMT

Nicole Nguyen

BuzzFeed Staff

This morning, you may have noticed a new Instagram feature called "Stories."

An Instagram Story is a series of temporary photos and videos that lasts 24 hours. (Sound familiar? 😏 )

The new feature is super easy to use, and you'll probably get the hang of it by jumping right in — but here are some handy tips and tricks:

First, launch the Stories camera using the new (+) button in the top left corner.

You can also use the shortcut: Just swipe right from the main Instagram feed.

Tap the shutter to take a photo or press and hold to record video.

You can also swipe down from the Stories camera to add a photo or video you've already taken.

You can only add photos you've taken from the past 24 hours!

Before publishing, you can choose from three different brush tools: pen, thick marker, and neon.

Add captions or emojis using the "Aa" text tool.

After adding text or emoji, pinch the caption to resize (just like zooming in and out on a map)...

...or change the angle.

Select different colors in the paint tool palette to create a multicolor drawing.

Swipe left or right on your image to change filters.

When viewing your own Story, swipe up to see who's seen it.

To see more Story options, view your story and tap the ellipsis (...) on the bottom right.

Select "Story Settings" to hide the story from specific users and adjust reply settings.

Here's what it looks like when you share a photo from your Story as a regular post.

On your main Instagram feed, a colorful ring around their avatar means that there's a new photo or video you haven't seen yet.

Pro-tip: when viewing someone else's story, you can tap the left side to go back or long press the screen to pause.

You can also send direct messages right from Story view.

Now go forth and snap, er, Story to your heart's content! 👻