How to Create Highlight Videos on Instagram

Like TikTok and YouTube Shorts, Instagram now allows users to create and share "Reels," which are vertical short videos. A reel is a novel and creative way to display your media. "Reels are short, entertaining videos on Instagram where you can express your creativity and bring your brand to life," Instagram says. ”

The most impressive reels typically feature the photographer in action, but not all photographers are equally comfortable with this. Some photographers may feel uncomfortable talking to the camera or sharing a behind-the-scenes clip because of their natural shyness. You can hone your presentation skills and refine your method with practice and confidence. However, a video slideshow of your work, with or without music, can still get you exposure within the Instagram Reels algorithm. Creating slideshow-style Instagram photo reels is the subject of this piece.

In this article, we’ll go over the following:

1. Visual Reel Examples on Instagram
2. One (deplorable) option is to use the Instagram app itself to create a photo reel.
3. A second (and highly recommended) option is to use Canva to create an Instagram highlight reel.

Instagram photo reel example

To kick things off, here is a real-life, recent wedding photoshoot Instagram Reel. Click here to see it on Instagram if it doesn't appear automatically. If you follow the steps outlined in this article, you should have a finished video in about 20-30 minutes.

One (not recommended) option is to use the Instagram app itself to create a photo reel.

Using only Instagram's native app is one way to create photo reels. We do not suggest this method, however, because it is less efficient and has fewer features. But if you'd rather stay on Instagram, you can do so by following these instructions:

1. The Instagram "Reels" section can be accessed by clicking this tab.
2. Create a new Reel by tapping the camera icon in the top right.
3. To access the gallery, either swipe up from the bottom left or tap the gallery icon.
4. Pick the picture (or pictures) to use.

   capture of the multiple-photo uploading process

5. Set the shutter speed and exposure time for your photo.
6. Save the image to your reel
7. To add more images, just hit "Repeat."
8. To add sound to your Reel, click the "Audio" tab.  
9. In addition to the default options, you have the option to add text, effects, and stickers.
10. Click the blue "Share" button when you're finished.

The native Instagram app can be used to make a photo slideshow Reel, but doing so can be tedious, and third-party apps offer more flexibility and customization options. Instead, we recommend using Canva, which we'll explain further down.

Create Instagram highlight reels with Canva

If you want to create a slideshow of images for your Instagram Reel, Canva is the best tool for the job. Although there are other options available, we favor Canva because of its user-friendly interface and wide range of useful features. Since this is the case, we recommend Canva as an alternative to Adobe Premier or iMovie when it comes to making slideshows for Instagram.

Why You Should Use Canva

We favor Canva because of the following features:

• At the time of this writing, all of the functionality discussed in this article is included in the free tier. Though additional templates and features are available in the premium version, they are not required.
• Photographers typically store their high-resolution images on their desktop computers. Canva allows you to upload your images and create your Reel on the desktop, bypassing the need to do so within the native Instagram app. The finished product can be downloaded to your mobile device via the app.
• Templates You can either pick one of their premade templates or make your own, which streamlines the process considerably. It's easy to make another reel after making the first one; just duplicate the project and swap out the images.
• Canva's font and transition options are extensive, allowing you to easily match your brand. You'll also have the option of adding transitions and animations to your reel.
• The Instagram Is Just the Beginning All sorts of presentation and social media purposes are catered to by Canva's plethora of premade design templates. Therefore, learning Canva and storing image assets on the website could be useful down the road.

Using Canva and Instagram to create highlight reels

Let's make an Instagram highlight reel together using Canva's features. As was previously mentioned, with practice, you could likely reduce this time to around 20 minutes.

1) Decide on a starting point

Canva's Premade Instagram Highlight Reels

Start by making a Canva account, or sign in if you already have one. After that, you can look up "instagram reels" and peruse the pre-made examples.

Try out a few different options until you find a design that communicates the essence of your brand. Don't fret over the soundtrack; we'll be picking it out from within Instagram.

The Second Step: Choosing Your Pictures

Choose twenty to thirty pictures for your presentation. If you want to show each image for at least 1 second but only have 60 seconds in the Reel, 40 images per 5 seconds is the absolute maximum you should aim for.

Image Types - If you're trying to get things done quickly, narrowing your choices to just one or two kinds of photos can help. It's not ideal to have to spend time sorting through thousands of photos. These are some guidelines for wedding photographers to follow.

• 1–4 images of the location(s) (providing context)
• four to two images of the bride getting ready
• 2-4 photos of the groom getting ready
• Four to six thumbnails
• 5-10 couples session images
• Images from the ceremony, with a range of 5-10
• Pictures of the Reception, Numbering 5-10
• Snapshot of the happy couple dancing the night away
• Your Logo

Step Three: Share Your Images on Canva

You can save time by sorting and renaming your pictures before uploading them. For this purpose, we rely on Adobe Bridge; however, its presence is not required. All you have to do is use Canva to upload your chosen images.

Fourth, you must make your featured image.

Create a captivating cover photo with the help of Canva's built-in tools, such as fonts and animations. At weddings, we usually use the best picture from the couple's session and superimpose their names on top.

The Fifth Step: Upload Your Pictures

Add images bearing these guidelines in mind.

• Simply use the "replace background" option under the "right-click" menu to make your photo fill the entire screen.
• Images taken in landscape mode can benefit from a black or semi-transparent background. Take a look at the sample below:

  If you're taking pictures in landscape mode, you might want to use a transparent or nearly transparent background.

6) Make your transitions consistent.

Seven) Open the App and Save the Video

Your video is now ready for export and download to your computer, or you can launch the Canva app on your mobile device and save the file there. The latter is what we employ so that we don't have to move the video file from our computer to our mobile device (in order to post it on Instagram). Thus, the quickest way to make Instagram photo reels is to make the slideshow in Canva on the desktop and download it with the app.

8. Post Instagram Video Highlights

You can access Instagram's Reels section in the same way we did in the first section. Then, embed the finished Canva-made video.

Nine) Include a Sound File

Determine which tune best fits your image and brand. For our company's image, we favor laid-back instrumental music, such as lofi or acoustic versions of well-known songs. To keep these photo slideshows from sounding too "dated," we usually steer clear of songs with a lot of lyrics or that are too popular. ”

One useful piece of advice while searching for music is to swipe left on the ones you like. In the long run, this will help you save a ton of time as you continue to create Instagram photo reels.

Tenth, Publish (Share)

Then, after deciding how you want to share, hit the "share" button. If the audience doesn't react positively to your first attempt, make some changes and give it another shot. It may take a few tries for your Reels to start getting the engagement you're looking for if your audience is not used to the new format. The video you made can be used in other places, like your Youtube Shorts or Tiktok, if you like.

There Is Further Detail

Take a look at the Photography Business Training System in SLR Lounge Premium if you want to learn more about online promotion.