How to Post a Video on Instagram: The Complete Guide

Photos are extremely popular content on Instagram, but a video can bring moments to life even more effectively in some instances, lending more to your Instagram posts. If you want to know more about how to add a video to Instagram, there are plenty of ways to post videos to your profile, whether using a mobile device or desktop computer.

Here we'll review how to post a video on Instagram, along with how to edit your videos using the platform or another software before uploading.

How to post a video on Instagram

If you want to learn the basics of posting videos on Instagram from a mobile device, you can take the following steps:

1. Open your Instagram app on your mobile device.
2. Tap on the "+" icon located at the bottom center of the screen.
3. Record a video exclusively for posting or choose from pre-recorded videos in your video library. You can tap on "Video" to record your video on the spot or tap "Library" to select an existing video from your device.
4. Choose "Next" in the top right corner to edit the video and add captions, locations, and tags.
5. Tap on "Share" to post the completed video.

If you want to know how to upload video to Instagram from a PC, you can do so in a couple of ways. You share videos from your desktop to your mobile device and upload them to Instagram via the app, or you can use free and paid third-party software, including scheduling tools, to post videos straight from your desktop.

How to edit a video on Instagram

Right before posting your video on Instagram using the app, you'll have the option to edit your video. While you won't have as much flexibility as other software would allow, you'll have access to basic editing functions on the app. To begin editing, you can simply tap on "Next" once you've chosen or recorded your video in the app to be uploaded. The app will then take you to a screen that allows you to make edits.

In the app, you'll be able to:

• Add filters — Choose from 24 filters and preview each one to see how it would look in the completed video.
• Stabilize images — Automatically applied but can be toggled off by tapping on the small camera icon at the top of the screen after recording a video.
• Add cover frames — Choose a frame to be used as the video thumbnail once uploaded, which serves as the cover.

After making these edits, you can then create a caption for your video before posting.

How to edit a video before uploading

If you want to make more advanced edits to your video before uploading them, you can use a desktop with third-party editing software to edit video clips. Many mobile video editing apps are also available to allow you to edit videos on your mobile device without a desktop.

Remember that Instagram's YouTube-like platform IGTV allows you to upload longer videos, which you can upload straight from your desktop after editing. Unlike regular Instagram posts, IGTV allows you to upload videos up to 10 minutes long or longer, which is why it's great for tutorials, explainer videos, and more long-form content.

With the right software, you can edit existing videos with more advanced filters, trimming, and many other editing options. Once you've made the edits you want to your videos, you can save them to your mobile devices, upload them through your Instagram app, or use other software on your desktop to directly upload your videos from your PC.

Conclusion

Regardless of what you want to achieve with your Instagram videos, there are many options to help you share the perfect video with your audience.