Topics · Format
Photos
Contents
Photos are still images shared on Instagram, either individually or in multi-image posts called carousels1. Instagram selects photos for Feed and Explore using signals such as whom people follow and what they have liked or interacted with, allowing photos to reach both followers and people who do not follow the creator23. Creators can adjust brightness, contrast and filter strength, and add custom alternative text that describes photos for people using screen readers45. Mosseri said in February 2025 that Instagram does not automatically reduce photos’ and carousels’ visibility compared with Reels; his January 2025 guidance listed adding audio and avoiding watermarks among the requirements for recommendations to non-followers67. In April 2026, Instagram for Creators defined original photo content as work creators wholly make themselves or that reflects their unique perspective, including third-party material meaningfully changed with additions such as informative text or creative graphics8.
How photos appear in Feed and Explore
Instagram considers recent photo posts from followed accounts and potentially interesting accounts a person does not follow when assembling Feed, alongside other posts and ads2. Its Feed choices take account of whom someone follows and what they have recently liked or interacted with2. Explore can find photos through connections between people's interests: Instagram's example starts with someone liking a chef's photographs, then considers other accounts enjoyed by people who also like that chef3. Mosseri said in February 2025 that Instagram does not automatically reduce the visibility of photos and carousels compared with Reels6. Mosseri explained that Reels tend to attract more engagement because they combine moving pictures and sound, although some accounts find that photos and carousels perform better than Reels6. Mosseri recommended audio on photos and carousels in September 2024 because it could help engagement9. In January 2025, Mosseri listed adding audio among the requirements for content to be considered for recommendations to non-followers, emphasizing its importance for photos and carousels7. For photos to be considered for recommendations to people who do not follow the account, Mosseri's January 2025 guidance also specified no watermarks7.
Creating and managing photo posts
Editing tools and AI images
Instagram's photo-editing controls include brightness, contrast, saturation and warmth; Meta's Newsroom and Mosseri also announced additional photo filters in November 2023, ranging from subtle color changes to more expressive styles41011. Creators can control how strongly a filter is applied to a photo4. Mosseri described artificial-intelligence image-editing tools as coming soon in the United States in September 2023, then announced testing and rollout over the following weeks in September 2024 for changes such as adding or removing objects and replacing backgrounds1213. Generating a new image is a different use: Instagram's December 2024 announcement described Meta AI creating imagined versions of someone from supplied photos in a chat, while Mosseri's September announcement described AI-generated selfies becoming available across Feed, Stories and Profile1314. In October 2025, Mosseri also pointed creators to Restyle in the Stories creation process as a way to change a photo's appearance15.
Accessible descriptions and downloadable copies
Instagram's automatic alternative text provides spoken descriptions of photos for people using screen readers in Feed, Explore and Profile, using technology that recognizes objects in an image5. Custom alternative text lets the person uploading a photo supply a richer description for a screen reader to read5. To save copies of uploaded photos, Meta's Newsroom said Download Your Information and Access Your Information were centralized in Accounts Center, where people could download uploaded Facebook and Instagram photos together or choose the accounts separately16.
Photo storytelling, reach and earnings
Multi-photo storytelling
Mosseri suggested trying carousels because a sequence can offer a richer experience and give one post multiple chances to appear in followers' feeds17. In his July 2024 photographer spotlight, he praised Reuben's use of carousels and occasional video within them as ways to encourage engagement18. His April 2024 spotlight on Johannes also highlighted turning Stories from a Tokyo trip into a Feed post so viewers could follow the trip as a sequence19.
The photo-view bonus test
The Instagram bonus announced by Meta's Newsroom and Mosseri in November 2023 covered both single-image posts and carousels for selected creators in the United States, South Korea and Japan120. Invited creators could activate the bonus and earn based on photo views during the bonus period, provided their content passed Content Monetization Policies1. The announcement said selected creators would be invited to test it until the end of that year and called it the year-end bonus in South Korea and Japan, rather than describing a generally available ongoing program1.
Originality and sensitive-photo visibility
For photo posts, Instagram for Creators' April 2026 definition of original content covers work creators wholly make themselves or that reflects their unique perspective8. For photo posts using third-party material, Instagram for Creators says meaningful changes can qualify as original, such as creative graphics or text that adds information rather than merely describing what is already shown8. Instagram's Help Center says photos flagged by the community as sensitive may have their visibility limited, and sensitive or graphic images may carry a warning before someone views them in Feed or on a profile21. The Help Center says Sensitive Content Control and the corresponding Teen Account content setting do not apply to posts carrying these warnings21.
How it has changed
- 2010
October
Instagram launched in October 201022.
- 2013
July
Instagram introduced web embedding so people could display Instagram photos and videos on external websites23.
- 2017
February
Instagram introduced swipeable posts containing up to 10 photos and videos, initially limited to square formats24.
August
Instagram expanded multi-photo and video posts to support landscape and portrait formats, requiring every item in a post to share the same format25.
- 2022
May
Mosseri announced a Feed experiment in which photos and videos would take up more of the screen through taller presentation26.
- 2023
May
Mosseri described adding a soundtrack to a single Feed photo and announced that music support for carousels was being tested27.
- 2024
October
Mosseri said photos and carousels with music could now be shown in the Reels tab, adding another opportunity for reach28.
- 2025
January
Mosseri announced that a taller profile grid had launched that week to better display the predominantly vertical photos and videos people uploaded29.
July
Mosseri confirmed support for taller 3:4 photos after the previous 4:5 limit, explaining that the change accommodated the standard smartphone photo shape30.
See also
References
- 1Giving Creators More Ways to Earn Money on Facebook and Instagram
- 2Instagram Ranking Explained
- 3Shedding More Light on How Instagram Works
- 4Introducing Creative Tools to Adjust Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, Warmth and More
- 5Improved Accessibility Through Alternative Text Support
- 6AMA: do you shadow-ban photos and carousels??
- 7This is the second video in a short series where I’m breaking down key things to know about ranking on Instagram.
- 8Rewarding original creators on Instagram
- 9I always recommend using audio on Reels, photos and carousels.
- 10New Ways to Create Content on Instagram
- 11New photo filters, reels editing tools and more!
- 12Lots of fun announcements today
- 13Lots of announcements today
- 14Discover, Create, and Connect with Meta AI on Instagram
- 15If you haven’t already, check out restyle in the stories creation flow.
- 16Making It Easier To Manage Your Information Across Meta’s Apps
- 17Creator Tips & Tricks
- 18This weeks spotlight: @reuben, an amazing photographer for National Geographic (@natgeo) who has worked out all sorts of interesting ways to use Instagram to showcase his work.
- 19Trying something new this week for Creator Spotlight, and making a reel where I highlight some amazing content from at @pangea, a guy named Johannes who’s an amazing photo and video creator out of Germany.
- 20The holidays are coming up and we're testing a new holiday bonus with select creators in the US, Japan and South Korea that pay for both reels and photos — a new approach with bonuses.
- 21Why you're seeing a warning before you can view a photo or video on Instagram
- 22Instagram Reaches 80 Million Users
- 23Introducing Web Embedding Instagram Content on Websites
- 24New: Share Up to 10 Photos and Videos in One Post
- 25New Options for Instagram Posts with Multiple Photos and Videos
- 26Testing Feed Changes
- 27Hidden Gems - Music in Feed
- 28Carousels often get more reach than single photo posts for two main reasons.
- 29Profile roadmap
- 30AMA: can you explain the move from the 4:5 aspect ratio to 3:4 for photos?