Life

How To Make A Selfie Sticker On Instagram

by Lily Feinn
Instagram

With over 200 million tuning in to view and share these daily snapshots, Instagram Stories have never been more popular. Now the photo sharing app is debuting a fresh way for users to make their Stories uniquely individual with the new selfie sticker tool! Wondering how to make a selfie sticker on Instagram? It's never been easier to fill your Story posts with your lovely mug and give your followers a true taste of your daily experience and emotions. Say goodbye to taking 50 selfies in search of just one perfect image — now you can show all the sides of your personality and look in one awesome post.

Stickers have been a fun and easy way to jazz up Instagram posts since they were introduced in December of last year. Stickers give context to Stories with time, location, weather, and emoji — and now, with easy-to-make selfie stickers, the options are boundless. The selfie stickers can be created quickly with the click of a button and offer a wealth of fun, creative applications: You can add reaction shots, swap faces with another person in the post, and even create your own selfie artwork.

The latest Instagram update also offers a number of additional creative tools, including Geostickers for four more cities (Chicago, London, Madrid, and Tokyo) and the ability to pin any stickers you want to a video or Boomerang. Let's be honest, though: There's nothing quite as exciting as being able to stick your own face on top of... well, your own face.

Here's how to test out the new features and make your Stories even more personal:

1

Update Your 'Gram

Lily Feinn/Bustle

To enjoy all the fun new offerings from Instagram, you're going to want to head on over to the Google Play Store or iTunes App Store ASAP and update to the the latest version of the app (Instagram version 10.16 for iOS). The update will provide you with Direct — the Snapchat-esque messaging tool that allows you to send a photo or video to specific friends privately. You will also receive cool Geostickers for Chicago, London, Madrid, and Tokyo designed by local artists, and the ability to turn selfies into unique stickers for your story posts.

2

Take A Photo Or Video

Lily Feinn/Bustle

To give the new tool a try, open the app and tap the camera icon in the upper left hand corner of the screen. Snap a photo or Boomerang to test out the selfie sticker feature. You will also notice the new "Hands-Free" mode, which allows users to record a video without holding their phone. Set a timer by tapping and hold the button and it will start a count down to the video.

3

Tap The Sticker Icon For Your Mini-Selfie

Lily Feinn/Bustle

Once you are happy with your snapshot, tap the smiley face sticker icon in the upper right hand corner of the screen to bring up your stickers menu. In the second row from the top, you will see your profile photo with the selfie camera icon over it. Tap the new selfie icon and a camera will appear in the center of your post, frame your face and tap the while button below to capture a mini selfie.

4

Place Your Selfie Sticker On Your Photo Or Video

Lily Feinn/Bustle

Tap the selfie overlay you have created to change its frame style and press down to move it to your desired location or resize it. The "fade" style of framing will allow your selfie to blend in with the photo, hovering around the image, while the circle gives a more clearly defined barrier with cartoonish appeal.

With the latest update, users have easy access to recently created stickers by swiping to the right after tapping the sticker icon. A menu of favorite stickers will appear giving you yet another shortcut to create for fast and fun Story posts.

5

Post Your Creation!

Instagram

Click the arrow in the lower right of the screen to post your ephemeral Story creation. The posts only last 24 hours, so it's the perfect medium to play around with the new tool and get a little silly. Another cool feature of the April 13 update is that any stickers can be pinned to a video or Boomerang — meaning they will move where you tell them by holding down the sticker while the video plays to set its trajectory. Add selfie stickers, Geostickers, text, or emoji to jazz up your videos and make them even more original.

Happy 'gramming!