How to Create Your Own Instagram Story Filters

If you use Instagram for your business, you know that posting to your story is an effective way to engage with the 400 million people using the app every day. Some brands are going a step further by creating custom AR (Augmented Reality) Instagram filters to generate additional brand awareness. Kylie Cosmetics, Adidas and Coca-Cola are a few of the companies who have previously used this strategy to market their products.

In August 2019, Facebook opened the program Spark AR to the public, which allows anyone with a little bit of time and Photoshop to make their own custom Instagram filter. If you want to learn how to make your own 2D filter for Instagram or Facebook, this week’s blog is for you.

First, download Spark AR to your computer. Once downloaded, open the program and click File > Create New.

In the scene panel, click + Add Object and click Face Mesh. You should see a black and white checkered mask on the avatar.

On the properties panel on the right-hand side of your screen, click the plus sign on the Material tab. You should see a gray sphere pop up on the left side under the folder Materials and the mask should turn from black and white checkered to gray.

Now you need to create a texture for that material. Navigate to Help > Download Face Assets. Click the link to download the Face Asset map. This will be the guide you use in Photoshop to put whatever objects or text on top as an overlay.

Next, open Photoshop. Open the Face Mask, create a new layer and put whatever design you’d like on top of the Face Mask. After you’re satisfied with your custom design, make the base layer transparent and export the file as a PNG.

Finally, toggle back over to Spark AR and drag your file to the Assets panel. Select the material, and in the dropbox under Texture, click the file name of what you created in Photoshop. This serves as the texture for the material you already made.

And there you have it! The filter should now track nicely with your moving face. Feel free to test it out with the different avatars Spark AR provides.

After you’re satisfied with your filter, upload it to the Spark AR Hub and submit for approval. In a few business days, your custom filter will be ready to use. It will appear on your Instagram profile in the gray horizontal bar right above your feed.

Once you’ve made your own filter, drop us a comment below so we can check it out! Have questions about creating a robust social media marketing strategy? Drop us a line to learn more about how the Social Ape Marketing team can help.