A carousel post is just a post with multiple photos — but the difference between a random stack and a carousel people swipe to the end is preparation. Here's the full process, from photo selection to publishing, in five steps.
Step 1 — Pick the photos (aim for 6–12)
Fewer than 5 feels thin; 20 is a commitment few viewers finish. Pick one loose theme — a weekend, a trip, a month — and choose photos that vary: wide shots, details, one candid, one texture (receipt, ticket, screenshot). Variety is what keeps thumbs swiping.
Step 2 — Decide the format and size
Set every slide to 1080×1350 (4:5 portrait) — it fills the most screen and is the de-facto standard. Remember: all slides inherit the crop of slide one, so prepare images at the right ratio instead of letting Instagram crop for you. (Full specs in the carousel guide.)
Step 3 — Design the slides
This is where the time goes — or doesn't:
- Raw photos: skip design entirely. Honest, fast, and fine for casual dumps.
- Manual design: arrange each slide in a template editor. Full control, but ten slides can take an hour.
- AI layout: PSTR assembles scrapbook-style slides from your photos automatically — film frames, polaroids, tape, stickers — and exports them at full resolution, already sized 4:5. Ten slides in a couple of minutes, still editable if you want to fine-tune.
Want a starting point instead of a blank page? Use free carousel templates.
Step 4 — Order the slides like a story
- Slide 1 is the thumbnail: your strongest image, or a title slide that promises what's inside.
- Middle: alternate strong and quiet images so there's a reason to keep swiping.
- Last slide: a closer — the punchline photo, a group shot, or a call to action.
Step 5 — Post it
- Open Instagram, tap + → Post.
- Tap the stacked-squares icon (multi-select) above your camera roll.
- Select your slides in order — up to 20.
- Long-press and drag to reorder if needed; check the crop.
- Caption, tag, share.
After posting you can delete a slide, edit the caption, and on newer versions of Instagram reorder slides (rolling out since March 2026) — but you still can't add slides, so final checks happen before you hit share.
FAQ
How do I post multiple photos in one Instagram post?
Tap + → Post, then tap the stacked-squares icon above your camera roll to enable multi-select. Pick up to 20 photos in the order you want, then continue as usual.
Can I edit a carousel after posting?
Partially. You can edit the caption, delete individual slides, and — on accounts with the newest update (rolling out since March 2026) — reorder slides via Edit. Adding new slides after publishing still isn't possible.
Why do my carousel photos get cropped?
All slides inherit the aspect ratio of the first slide. If your first photo is square, every photo gets a square crop. Prepare all slides at 4:5 (1080×1350) beforehand to keep control.
Do I need a separate app to make carousel posts?
Not for raw photos. But for designed slides — layouts, frames, text, one cohesive style — you prepare images in an app first. PSTR does this automatically: its AI turns selected photos into finished scrapbook-style slides.
More carousel guides
- Instagram carousel: the complete guide
- Seamless carousel tutorial
- 20 Instagram carousel ideas
- Free carousel templates
Skip to the fun part
Steps 2–3 are the ones that eat your evening — and the ones AI does well. Download PSTR free, select your photos, and get finished carousel slides in minutes.