How to Add Videos and Photos to One Instagram Story

Quick answer

There are two distinct ways to combine photos and video in an Instagram Story. For a sequence (photo, then video, then another photo, each as its own frame), use multi-select when choosing content from your camera roll. For a layered single frame (a photo pasted on top of a video background, or vice versa), use the Photo sticker to drop a still image directly onto whatever you're already filming or have selected as the background.

Key takeaways

• Multi-select creates multiple separate Story frames that play in sequence, one after another — it's not one merged clip, just an ordered set of individual Stories.
• The Photo sticker lets you layer one still image on top of a video (or another photo) within a single frame, resizable and repositionable like any other sticker.
• Stories are built for a vertical 9:16 canvas, so photos and videos shot in other aspect ratios may need cropping or will show with blank space/blur padding around them.
• Each frame in a multi-select sequence can be individually edited (trimmed, captioned, filtered) before you publish the whole set.
• Layout (Instagram's built-in photo grid tool) handles multiple still photos well but isn't designed for combining video into the same grid arrangement.

Creating a sequence of photos and videos (multi-select)

1. Swipe right from your feed or tap + > Story to open the Story camera.
2. Tap the gallery/camera-roll icon in the bottom-left corner.
3. Instead of tapping a single item, tap and hold or use the selection circles to choose multiple photos and videos — Instagram lets you pick the order they'll play in.
4. Once selected, tap Next (or the arrow) to move into the editor, where each frame appears individually for you to trim, caption, or filter before moving to the next.
5. Preview the full sequence, then tap Your Story to publish — viewers will see each item play one after another, tapping or waiting to advance exactly like any multi-frame Story.

Layering a photo on top of a video (Photo sticker)

1. Start a Story and either shoot or select a video as your base layer.
2. Tap the sticker icon in the top toolbar.
3. Scroll to find the Photo sticker option (sometimes listed simply as "Photo" among the other sticker types).
4. Choose a photo from your camera roll — it appears as a resizable, draggable sticker on top of your video.
5. Position and resize it as needed, then publish as a normal Story.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Expecting multi-select to merge everything into one single continuous video file — it creates separate sequential Story frames, not a single stitched clip.
• Forgetting that photos and videos shot in different aspect ratios can look inconsistent back-to-back in a sequence — consider cropping content to a consistent vertical format beforehand for a cleaner look.
• Placing a Photo sticker so large it completely obscures the video background, defeating the purpose of layering the two together.
• Assuming Layout (the grid tool) supports mixing in video clips — it's built specifically for arranging multiple still photos, not combining photo and video content in one grid.

Tips

• Plan your sequence order before selecting multiple items, since reordering mid-selection can be less intuitive than choosing them in your intended viewing order from the start.
• Use consistent filters or color grading across a multi-frame sequence so the Story feels cohesive rather than like disconnected clips.
• If you're building a narrative Story (before/after, tutorial steps, event recap), the sequence method suits that better than layering, which works best for adding a small supplementary image to a primary video moment.