So you’re probably frustrated because in Instagram Reels, you can’t just add a photo! It’s super frustrating but I have THREE easy ways to work around this annoying little problem and add still photos to your Instagram Reels from your phone. You don’t even have to pull out your computer! 

Screen Recording

So when you go to your camera roll, have the photo pulled up that you want to record. Pull down your menu and click the screen recording button! Give it a second or two, then stop the screen recording. Then, you can directly add that video (as a “photo”) of the recording to your Instagram Reel!  I should note, this option only works for iPhone users.

Canva

But, for all of you Android users – there’s a great FREE app called Canva you can use to add still photos to your Instagram Reels! In Canva, create a new design. Use the Instagram stories size and choose a blank option. Then add your photo by clicking the plus icon in the corner. Make sure it fills up the entire screen. In the top right corner, there’s an upload icon. Click on that then hit “Save As”. Choose the MP4 option and download your video (the photo!) you made. Once it’s downloaded, go to Instagram and then to Reels. Then it will be the most recent video in your camera roll – and then here you can edit it to add to your Reels! 

InShot

Another option is using Inshot! It’s a free app (Full disclosure, I did pay for mine to be upgraded, because I LOVE it but you don’t need to!). You can either make your entire Reel here in Inshot or just do the same kind of thing we’ve already done where you add your image to the app and save it as a video. When you add an image, it will automatically add it for 5 seconds, making it a little video! 

Another Option….

I do want to mention that because I am proficient with video editing on Final Cut Pro so sometimes Ii use that too for my Reels. You could use that or something like iMovie if you want to do something on your computer! Edit your videos in a program on your computer like iMovie (free on macs) or Final Cut Pro, then airdrop them back to your phone to upload to reels

I hope that helps you add still photos to Instagram Reels! If you need some inspiration for ideas of Reels you can make today, I’ve got another post for you. And don’t’ forget to grab a copy of my Instagram Reels covers to keep all of your posts on brand!