Apps for Instagram Stories Video Editing : Social Media Examiner

Want more editing options for your Instagram Stories video? Looking for apps to edit and produce creative Instagram Stories video?

In this article, you'll discover how to change the playback speed of your video, add transitions between clips, apply effect filters, change the aspect ratio, and more. You'll also find out how to quickly format long-form video into 1-minute segments suitable for Stories.

To learn how to use third-party apps to enhance Instagram Stories video, read the article below for an easy-to-follow walkthrough or watch this video:

#1: Edit and Enhance Instagram Stories Content

Instagram doesn't really allow you to edit your Instagram Stories video. You can't shorten, crop, or split it, or add transitions and music. That's where third-party apps come into play. With a mobile app called InShot, you can make all of these edits and more. It's available for iOS and Android in both free and paid plans.

After you install InShot on your phone, open the app and tap on Video.

When you see the pop-up menu below, tap New.

Next, select the videos you want to use. In this case, I'm going to select a group of videos to stitch together into one Instagram Stories video.

After you select your videos, tap the green checkmark icon at the bottom-right corner of the screen. You can now see your videos in a timeline at the bottom of the Edit screen.

Speed Up Your Video

First, we'll look at how to use InShot to speed up a specific video. Start by tapping a video segment in your timeline. For this example, I'm going to select a time-lapse video that I took.

In the toolbar at the bottom of the screen, scroll to the right and select Speed.

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On the next screen, drag the slider all the way to the right to select four times the speed. Tap the checkmark to apply your changes.

If you tap Play, you'll note that everything in that video clip has sped up and you've created your own time lapse.

Trim Your Video

If you want to adjust the length of a clip in your video, first tap to select the clip in the timeline. Then drag the controls at either end of the clip to the left or right to adjust the length.

Continue to adjust the length of individual clips until the Stories video is the length you want. Remember that if you want to upload this video as an Instagram story, it needs to be shorter than 15 seconds.

The bottom-right corner of the screen will show the total length of your video.

Add Transitions

InShot also lets you add transitions that appear on-screen between segments of your video. Look for the icon that's a white circle with a black dash between two clips. If you tap on that icon, it will bring up your transition options.

Note that you won't have access to all of the different transitions unless you have a pro subscription. With the free plan, you can choose from the basic transitions.

After you select a transition, tap the double checkmark to apply it to all of your clips or tap the single checkmark to apply it to just these two clips.

Add Music

To add music to your video, slide the timeline to move the cursor to where you want the music to begin. Then tap Music.

On the next screen, tap Tracks.

This brings up a variety of album options. Tap an album to open it and look for a suitable song to use. If you find something you like, tap the pink button with the cloud on it to import the song into the app. When the import process is complete, tap Use to add the song to your video.

If you look at the timeline, you'll see that InShot has brought the track straight into the editing app. From here, tap on Volume to see different volume options.

You can adjust the volume by percentage as well as fade the audio in and out. When you're done, tap the checkmark, and on the next screen, tap the checkmark again to apply your changes.

Use Filters and Effects

The next feature we want to look at is filters. Tap on the Filter icon and you'll see three options: Effect, Filter, and Adjust.

If you tap on Effect, you'll see a bunch of different options, not all of which are available to free users. However, the Glitch filter is. Tap on Glitch to see a preview of how it will look when you apply it to your video. If you're happy with it, tap the checkmark.

You'll now see the effect you added above your video timeline. To apply the effect to your entire video, drag the right control all the way to the end of your video. When you're done, tap the checkmark.

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Add a Sticker

Instagram lets you add emoji and GIF stickers to your story but they appear on the screen for the entirety of the story. InShot, on the other hand, allows you to control when stickers appear and disappear in your video.

Start by tapping the Sticker icon. Then choose the sticker you want to use. In this case, I'm going to go with bunny ears. After you make your selection, you'll immediately see the sticker on your video.

Unlike Instagram, InShot doesn't let you pinch and zoom to change the sizing of the sticker. Instead, you use the double-arrow icon at the bottom-right corner of the sticker. You can make the sticker bigger or smaller or rotate it. If you want to reposition it on the video, tap on the sticker itself and drag it.

Once you have the sticker in the right place, tap the checkmark.

Now you'll see the sticker on your video timeline. Drag the controls to specify where it will appear up on the screen in your video.

Pro Tip: For more precise control, drag your finger slowly so you're seeing the video frame by frame. That way, you can decide exactly where you want the effect to appear and disappear.

Remove Clips

If you want to remove part of your video, slide the timeline to move the cursor to the exact point you want to cut and then tap Split.

Next, move the cursor to the exact point that you want your video to begin again. Tap on that video clip to select it and then tap the Split icon. You've now created a third video clip.

The last step is to select the middle segment and tap Delete. And voilà! You've now removed it.

Change Your Video's Aspect Ratio

If you want to use InShot to change the aspect ratio of your video, tap the Canvas icon on the toolbar. You'll see a variety of ratio options including square (1:1) and 4:5. The one you want to use for Instagram Stories is 9:16.

After you make your selection, you can pinch your fingers to zoom in and out to tweak the blurry background.

If you want to change the blurry background, tap the Background tab below the video. You'll see various options including colors, gradients, and patterns. The one I use most often is the blurry background.

Once you've selected an aspect ratio and background, tap the checkmark icon and you're good to go.

Export Your Video

To save your video in InShot, tap the rectangle with arrow icon and then Save.

Make sure you wait until the counter gets to 100% before switching to another app or closing it down. You'll see a “Saved” message when the process is complete.

Once your video is saved to your camera roll, open Instagram, swipe from left to right, and then swipe up to bring up your camera roll. Now select the video you just created and share it to your Instagram story.

#2: Edit and Format Long-Form Video for Instagram Stories

As you know, Instagram Stories will only let you upload a video that's up to 1 minute long. Anything beyond that won't be included and the first minute will be divided into 15-second clips. I'm going to show you how to edit your longer videos into 1-minute clips with a free iOS app called CutStory so you can upload them to Instagram Stories.

After you download CutStory, open the app and tap on Video.

Now search for the video you want to import. In this case, I'm going to select a video of the ocean that's 1 minute 37 seconds long.

Once you've imported your video into the app, tap the download icon in the bottom-right corner (the one with a down arrow on a rectangle).

On the next screen, select One Minute as the duration.

Now wait for the app to do its thing. This process can take some time so you may want to set your phone aside for a bit. Just make sure you don't switch to another app while you wait.

When the process is finished, the videos are saved to your camera roll. Tap the checkmark icon to close this screen.

Now open up Instagram Stories, go straight to your camera, and swipe up to see both of the videos you just added. Select the first video you want to upload, tap Next, and then Add to Story. Then repeat this process for the second video. That's how you can upload a video that's longer than 1 minute to your stories.

Keep in mind that uploading longer videos isn't something you want to do regularly. Reserve it for special circumstances. Normally, you want your stories to be within the 15-second format.

Conclusion

Yes, there are tons of cool things you can do using the Instagram app itself but there are still some things that third-party apps do better.

InShot lets you trim your video, add transitions and music, apply effects, and change your video's aspect ratio, among other things. And if you've ever wanted to post a longer video to Instagram Stories, CutStory will divide your video into clips suitable for Stories.

What do you think? Have you ever used InShot or CutStory to create Instagram Stories content? What are your favorite apps to edit Stories video? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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Apps for Instagram Stories Video Editing