Instagram Panorama allows anyone to post multiple photos and videos in one status update. But think more creatively than using this only for photo albums. From panoramic pictures and polls to reverse stories and text adventures, this opens up many cool avenues.

Before you start, here's what you need to know:

  1. Tap the cascading squares icon to select multiple photos or videos.
  2. Maximum 10 photos or videos in one post.
  3. You determine the order of the photos or videos.
  4. The result is called the "carousel."

Here are some of the cool, useful, and creative ways you can use Instagram's carousel.

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1. Post Instagram Panoramas Easily

Every smartphone today lets you shoot panoramic pictures with ease. But if you post them on Instagram, they lose their allure since you can't zoom in on Instagram photos. The new Multiple Images feature is a great way to share a full panoramic picture.

Here's a swipeable Instagram panorama that I posted:

Before you start, you'll need to capture a panorama on your phone with another app, not Instagram. (You'll find plenty of free tools to create stunning panorama photos.) Then, download one of these apps, depending on whether you're using an Android or an iPhone.

Download: Swipeable for iOS (Free)

Start the app and open your panoramic picture in it. Follow the instructions to chop up your long image into a bunch of smaller square images, and save them to your phone's storage.

Next, open Instagram, tap to upload a new picture from your gallery and choose Multiple Images. From your gallery, pick the pictures you just chopped up, and make sure they are in the right order! Post it on Instagram with a smart caption or hashtag, and watch the likes roll in.

For additional mobile apps for Instagram, take a look at these repost tools for Android and iOS:

2. Take a Visual Poll or Quiz

Which of the two shoes should you buy? Who wore it best? What's the best way to hang toilet paper? Can you identify this? If you ever needed an answer to a visual question, then use Instagram's Multiple Images.

Post all the photos and videos you need, and ask a question in the comments. You can set it up to get an answer or to have readers vote in a poll. It's not as efficient as Twitter Polls, but you get to add up to 10 choices to make it easy. You'll have to count the results manually though.

3. Read or Post Comic Strips

Panel-based comic strips have never been as much fun to read on mobiles. Follow your favorite artist on Instagram to get each day's comic strip presented panel-by-panel through the Multiple Images feature.

You can make comics yourself too, but like Chris Hallbeck above, please ensure you add a notice telling your followers to swipe for more. You don't need to necessarily create equal-sized square panels, but it obviously helps if you do.

4. Same Scene, Different Times

It's a classic photographer's trick to make you appreciate something even more. By showing the same scene at different times of a day, or on different days with varied activity, you add more depth to your photo's story.

The most-used method is to play with the lighting, as you can see from the above example, but you can also get creative. For example, take photos of a wedding from the same vantage point to capture different important moments.

5. Show Before-After Comparisons

Like the "same scene, different times" idea, you can post before-after comparison shots, especially selfies. This is tremendously useful to show progression in your own story.

It's a tactic used often in the popular hashtag #transformationtuesdays to show progress in your fitness journey. Others use it to showcase their skills, like the hair stylist in the example above. Before-after is excellent whether it's your work, your hobby, yourself, or anything else.

6. How-Tos and Instructions

This is perhaps the most obvious one. Multiple Images lets you post step-by-step instructions to do something you're good at. It could be a recipe, a craft project, or anything else that needs a clear "how to."

Make sure you spend some time crafting the caption well. Add notes to each picture if you can, and number them. With a few well-placed hashtags and a call to action, this will help you get noticed on Instagram.

7. Use Personalized Pictures Instead of Group Photos

When you meet a bunch of people you like, you naturally take a photo of all of you together. On a tiny phone screen, that's a bit silly when you can take individual photos and talk about each of these personalities separately.

A few lines about each person will make a world of a difference to them, and to your readers. Plus, you can always put that group portrait picture at the end.

Experiment With Instagram's Features

Given how new Multiple Images is, you can expect to see many other creative implementations of it come up as time goes on. Experiment with it! Use it for Instagram panoramas, swipeable comic strips, and anything else you can think of. It's how you will make your Instagram pictures stand out.