2 Easy Ways to Apply Blur Effects to Photos on Instagram

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Add an artistic blur to a story or post on Instagram

Co-authored by Travis Boylls Reviewed by Candace Gasper

Last Updated: August 15, 2025 Fact Checked

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• Blurring a Story Photo
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• Blurring a Post
|
• Tips

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Do you want to apply a blur effect to a photo on Instagram? If you are posting a photo to your feed, you can use the Tilt Shift effect to blur a photo you upload. If you are taking a picture to post as a story, there is a plethora of blur effects you can apply to the photo. This wikiHow article teaches you how to use the blur effects on Instagram using your iPhone, iPad, or Android.

Quick Steps

1. Open Instagram and tap the Plus (+) icon.
2. Tap Story.
3. Scroll to the right and tap the Browse Effects option at the bottom.
4. Tap the magnifying glass icon and search “Blur.”
5. Select a blur effect and tap the back arrow.
6. Tap the circular icon at the bottom of the screen to take a picture.
7. Post the picture as a Story to Instagram.

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Blurring a Story Photo

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1. 
   1
   Open Instagram. It's an orange and pink app with a white camera icon, typically located on your home screen (iPhone/iPad) or in the app drawer (Android).

   • If prompted, enter your Instagram username and password, then tap Log In.
2. 
   2
   Tap +. The Plus icon is at the bottom of the screen in the center. Tap this icon when you want to create a new post.
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3. 
   3
   Tap Story. It’s one of the options at the bottom of the screen. A story allows you to take a photo with your camera and search for blur effects to add to the photo.

   • Posting a story gives you access to more filters and effects that aren’t all available for regular Instagram posts.
4. 
   4
   Open the Browse Effects menu. To do so, swipe left on the round icons at the bottom of the screen until you reach the one that has an icon that resembles a magnifying glass at the end. Tap the round icon with the magnifying glass labeled Browse Effects.
5. 
   5
   Tap the magnifying glass icon. It’s at the top of the list of effects on the left side of the menu bar.
6. 
   6
   Search blur. The search bar is at the top of the page. This displays a list of blur effects.

   • Alternatively, you can search “Blur background” to find an effect that blurs the background, creating a camera effect.
7. 
   7
   Tap an effect. This displays a preview of the effect in the camera view at the top of the page. Try out different effects until you find one that you like.
8. 
   8
   Tap the back arrow. This displays the camera view with the effect applied in full-screen mode.
9. 
   9
   Tap the round icon at the bottom of the screen. It will have the effect icon in the center. This will take a picture with the blur effect applied.
10. 
    10
    Add text, music or stickers to the photo. Use the icons at the top of the screen to add to the photo. The options are as follows:

    • Tap the “Aa” icon at the top of the screen to add text to your photo.
    • Tap the icon that resembles a smiley face sticker to apply stickers to the photo.
    • Tap the icon with two music notes to add music to your story.
11. 
    11
    Tap Your Stories. It’s at the bottom of the screen. This posts the photo as a story on Instagram.

    • If you want to download the photo without posting it, tap the icon with three dots (•••) at the top of the screen. Then tap Save.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Blurring a Post

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1. 
   1
   Open Instagram. It's an orange and pink app with a white camera icon, typically located on your home screen (iPhone/iPad) or in the app drawer (Android).

   • If prompted, enter your Instagram username and password, then tap Log In.
2. 
   2
   Tap +. The Plus icon is at the bottom of the screen in the center. Tap this icon when you want to create a new post.
3. 
   3
   Tap Post. This allows you to post a photo to your Instagram feed. Not all effects that are available for Stories are available for posts.
4. 
   4
   Select an image and tap Next. Tap the photo you want to upload and then tap Next in the upper-right corner.
5. 
   5
   Tap Edit. It's at the bottom of the screen on the right side.
6. 
   6
   Scroll right and tap Tilt Shift. It's the next-to-last editing option at the bottom of the screen.
7. 
   7
   Select a blur effect. Choose one of the two options and then edit as desired.

   • Radial: This selection adds blurring at the corners of the screen, leaving a round area at the center that remains clear.
     • Slide your finger across the photo to focus on the subject area.
     • Pinch your fingers in or out to adjust the size of the blurring effect.
   • Linear: This selection leaves a linear area of the photo clear while blurring everything else.
     • Slide your finger across the photo to choose the subject area.
     • Pinch your fingers in or out to adjust the size of the blurring effect.
     • Tap and rotate your two fingers to rotate the linear area.
8. 
   8
   Tap Done (iOS) or the checkmark (Android). It's at the bottom of the screen.
9. 
   9
   Share your photo. Type a caption into the text box, if desired, then tap Share. Your blurred photo will now appear in your Instagram feed.
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Tips

• You can also use third-party apps like Snapseed or Photoshop Express to blur a photo before posting it to Instagram.
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