How to Make a Carousel on Instagram: Slides to Posted
To make a carousel on Instagram, you need the slides as images first. Write one idea per slide and turn the slides into images at 1080 by 1350 pixels (4:5). Then, in the app, tap +, choose Post, tap the multiple-select icon and pick the slides in order. Instagram takes up to 20 per carousel. The posting part takes a minute. Making the slides is the real work. You can do it in an editor like Canva, or in an AI chat that writes the slides and renders the images for you.
What do you need before you open Instagram?
Three things:
- The text for each slide. A hook slide, one idea per slide, a last slide with the next step. Carousel hook ideas helps with the first slide and the last slide of a carousel with the closing one.
- The slides as images, all the same size. Portrait 4:5 at 1080 by 1350 shows the most of each slide in the feed. The full spec, with safe zones, is in Instagram carousel size.
- A caption. The first line shows under the first slide, so it should back up the hook, not repeat it.
If the slides are not the same size, Instagram crops them all to the ratio of the first one. Render them together and the problem never shows up.
How do you make the slides?
| Way | Steps | Time per carousel |
|---|---|---|
| Canva or another editor | Pick a template, paste text into each slide, fix overflows, download PNGs | You do every slide by hand |
| A browser carousel tool | Type or generate text in the tool, adjust, export | Faster, still a separate tool |
| Your AI chat with Karou | Ask Claude or ChatGPT for the carousel; the PNGs come back in the chat | A few minutes, no editor |
Editors give you the most control. If you design every post by hand and enjoy it, keep doing that. If you already write your posts with an AI, the copy step between the chat and the editor is the one to remove. Canva carousel template covers the editor way in detail.
How do you make an Instagram carousel with Karou?
Karou is a carousel renderer that works inside Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor. You connect it once, and from then on a carousel is one message.
- Create a free account and add Karou to your AI. The setup guide has each app.
- Ask for the carousel, with your facts: “Make an Instagram carousel, 7 slides, clean template, 4:5, on the three things I check before I publish a recipe. Here are my notes: …”
- Your AI writes a hook slide, the body slides and a closing slide, and calls Karou. The thumbnails show in the chat.
- Ask for changes in plain words: “make slide 4 a list”, “shorter hook”. The same carousel re-renders; edits do not count against your daily limit.
- Download the ZIP. It holds one PNG per slide at 1080 pixels wide, already in order.
Karou never writes the slides itself and sends nothing to a model. Your AI writes; Karou lays out and renders on one of three templates (bold, clean, editorial), or your own on Pro.
How do you post the carousel on Instagram?
- Save the PNGs to your phone’s photos.
- Open Instagram, tap + and choose Post.
- Tap the multiple-select icon and pick the slides in order. The number on each one is its position.
- Tap Next. Skip filters: the slides are already finished.
- Write the caption, add a location or topics if you use them, and tap Share.
Instagram’s menus move around between app versions, so if a button has a new name, look for “select multiple” in the gallery picker.
What makes an Instagram carousel worth swiping?
- One idea per slide. If a slide needs two, split it. How much text fits on a carousel slide has the limits that still read on a phone.
- A length that matches the idea. Five to ten slides covers most. How many slides explains when to go longer.
- The same look every week, so your grid reads as one author. See brand consistency across carousels.
- Formats people save: checklists, mistakes, steps, comparisons. Carousel post ideas has thirty.
FAQ
How many photos can an Instagram carousel have?
Up to 20 photos or videos per post. Karou renders 2 to 20 slides per carousel.
What size should Instagram carousel slides be?
1080 by 1350 pixels (4:5 portrait) for the most space in the feed. Square 1080 by 1080 also works. All slides should share one size.
Can I make an Instagram carousel for free?
Yes. Canva has free templates, and Karou’s free plan renders 3 carousels a day with a small watermark. Pro removes the watermark and adds your own templates: free for 14 days, then $12 a month or $97 a year.
Can I add photos to a Karou carousel?
Not inside Karou: it renders text slides (hook, text, list, quote, stat and closing). You can mix its PNGs with your own photos when you pick them in Instagram.
Does Karou post to Instagram for me?
No. Karou hands you the files; you post them. It is not a scheduler.
Make your next Instagram carousel in the chat you already use: start free.