My Favorite Apps for Instagram Stories

Instagram stories feels like what Instagram used to be--of the moment content a bit more casual and less polished than the way most of us post these days. But even though it's less polished, I do still like to apply my aesthetic preferences to my stories which means fun filters, borders, and vintage-y videos. For me it's very fun and playful to be able to choose a retro filter or apply a film border to a photograph and these are the apps I'm loving for those effects.
Unfold: I use this app to add borders to my pictures or collage photographs together. There's loads of options on the app for re-arranging photographs, so even if you don't want a retro feel to your stories, there's still some fun templates that allow you to collage photographs together. I've been loving the frames so much I've even started using them in my blog and IG posts.
8mm: Almost all of my videos these days are shot in the 8mm app, it has vintage filters that make your videos look retro and quirky. I go back and forth on my favorite affect in the app, right now I like the otherworldly affect of the Two-Color filter. I've been challenging myself to shoot more videos for my stories and talking ones especially which I feel so awkward doing, so this app is really helping me get comfortable with videos.
AColorStory: When I'm going for a more realistic look or sharing "tap to edit" posts I use AColorStory, specifically the Seasons+ pack I made for them. I still do the majority of my photo editing on my computer, but the Season+ pack on the app mimics my typical editing styles and it's good in a pinch for stories, or even the occasional Instagram post itself. More than filters, the app really lets you do a lot of precise editing on your phone.
A Design Kit: I used this app to make my templates (you can find them in my story highlights), it has really nice options for text and stickers. I like the idea of using some of the effects over photographs as well but I haven't played around with it beyond my templates yet.