Filters are a common sight on social media, particularly on photo-sharing platforms. Instagram, the go-to app for sharing aesthetic lunches and holiday snaps, allows users to apply AR filters to their Stories.

Instagram's AR filters for Stories include branding, emo, and whimsical options. Since the app started allowing users to create their own AR filters in 2019, the catalog has been swamped with custom-made content modifiers.

To help you have fun and stand out on Instagram, we've picked out six awesome AR filters to try on your Instagram Stories.

1. Visit Italy by @qreal3d

Don't have the budget for a trip to Italy? This virtual experience will give you a quick tour of some Renaissance Italian architecture. The visuals are believable, and you can get a 360 view of the area by turning your phone.

The filter only shows a specific spot, and you can't walk around the whole street as you can in some VR-based videos. Still, it's a pretty cool filter if you have good lighting, and it gets a plus for its explorational/educational value.

Most of qreal3d's filters are similar to this one, adding AR objects like Timberland shoes, pizza boxes, spinning tops, and money stacks to real-life spaces. There's even one that plants the Eiffel Tower wherever you want it. You can check out more of the creator's filters by clicking the Effects tab at the top of the profile.

2. Custom Color by @instagram

Want to paint the sky purple and your skin blue? Instagram's Custom Color Effect makes this possible. With this AR filter, you can change the chromatic vibrance with a color slider and adjust saturation, adding blue, red, purple, orange, yellow, or pink hues to whatever surface you want.

Instagram has an entire collection of its own AR filters, but this is one of the coolest. Paint the town red, or blue, or pink with it. It's all up to your creativity.

3. Gardar Portal by @tridamedia

Ever watched Doctor Strange? Then this other-worldly portal filter won't seem so strange to you. Gardar Portal allows you to step into an alternate reality, much like what the Metaverse is promising to offer.

The "other world" is a serene mountain view in all its natural glory, complete with birds chirping and goats bleating in the background. You can take in the 360-degree view by turning your phone. When you're ready to return to the real world, simply tap on the Return portal, and the filter will restore your actual view.

If spending time in nature is your kind of jam, here's a fun chance to escape into another world for a few seconds. It probably won't deliver the feeling of taking a breather in nature, but at least it'll make for a cool Instagram story.

Related: Tips for Making Your Instagram Stories Stand Out

4. A Crewmate Among Us by @luchoegonzalez

If you've played Among Us, you'll love this one. The multiplayer game went viral during the 2020 lockdown, mainly because it offered people an engaging, immersive way to socialize virtually. It even ended up on Apple's list of top apps and games of 2021.

With this particular AR filter, you can place a crewmate on any flat surface, choose from several color options, and adjust its size. Using the slider on the right side of your screen, you can make the crewmate sit, walk, or remain static.

5. 3D Lyrics by @instagram

Next on the list, we have yet another Effect by Instagram. Create your personal karaoke on your Instagram story with this 3D filter. The feature that allows you to add lyrics is not new, but this filter adds a cool spin.

The default feature offers a limited set of basic fonts and animations, but this filter from Instagram itself is a pulsating block of text with more customization options.

You can change the font type, color, text direction, and shadow depth. Here's a fun way to show your pals your favorite lyrics if you're a music lover.

6. Space Face by @filt.ar

This face filter is a gorgeous spatial mask with pastel stars and planets. Apart from simply being a cool overlay for an Instagram story, Space Face gets extra points for how well it fits over different users' facial contours. Not many AR filters can do that.

The rest of filt.ar's work is similar to this one; cool, conceptual filters that mimic celebrities' features or iconic pop culture figures. You'll find filters for Barbie, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Kylie Jenner, Spongebob, and even Gollum. You can check filt.ar's Effects tab for a full view of his AR filter catalog.

How to Find and Add AR Filters to Your Instagram Stories

Since Instagram's Spark AR Studio is now open to every user, there's a ton of AR filters to discover. If none of the above filters catch your fancy, you can do some searching yourself. Here's how to find and add AR filters to spice up your Instagram Stories:

1. Find AR Filters In the Effect Gallery

Instagram curates an Effect Gallery, conveniently grouped into themes like Funny, Weird/Scary, Causes, Moods, Love, Surroundings, Animals, Sci-Fi and Fantasy, Immersive, and more. The categories make it easy to find what you like, but they're not always accurate. To access the Effect gallery:

1. Tap the + sign at the top of your Instagram mobile app. AR filters are not yet available on the web version.
2. Next, select Story and swipe left till you get to the end of the Effects tray.
3. Tap the last icon on the tray, which is a magnifying glass icon with Browse Effects underneath, and you'll see the Effect gallery.
4. Swipe through to find an AR filter you like, then tap Try It to use the Effect.

You can also use the search field if you already know the filter's name or you're trying to browse by the creator.

2. Explore AR Filters In Creators' Profiles

Another way to see all of a creator's Effects is to visit their Instagram profile page and tap on the sparkles icon to visit the Effects section.

This will bring up a preview screen with all of the AR filters the creator has made for the platform.

You may see a demo video for each Effect, try it out with your front-facing camera, share it with a friend, or save it to your profile for later use.

3. Get AR Filters From Friends' Instagram Stories

This is probably one of the easiest ways to find and try out new filters. When someone you follow posts a Story with a filter you like, simply click the filter details under the user's handle and tap Try it.

You'll get options to use the filter or save it to your library. You could also ask your friends to share their favorite Effects with you.

Create Cool Instagram Stories With AR Filters

Instagram is a raucous world where there are always more things to discover than time allows. Hopefully, this rundown has helped you find new AR filters to have fun and create fun moments on your Instagram Stories.