Top 3 Methods to Speed up Videos for Instagram

Changing the video speed is excellent for creating visually striking time-lapses and dramatic slow-motion videos. “How do I speed up a video for Instagram?” you may ask. It’s pretty straightforward; we’ll walk you through the top three methods.

Can you speed up a video on Instagram, or do you need a third-party app? You can use either, but the latter may provide more editing tools (depending on the app).

Before exploring the methods to speed up an Instagram video, let’s see what to consider.

Factors to Consider Before Speeding up Instagram Videos

Considering your needs is crucial before jumping into the Instagram video speed-up process. Here are some guidelines:

• Speeding up existing videos – Do you wish to speed up a video for an Instagram Story? You can’t do it on Instagram, so you’ll need a third-party app. However, you can change the playback speed of pre-recorded videos for Instagram Reels and video posts within the app. Unfortunately, you can’t accelerate specific parts or apply speed ramping, so a third-party app is a no-brainer.
• Increasing the playback speed before recording – The same rules apply here. You can only speed up videos for Reels because Stories don’t have built-in speed controls.
• Speeding up videos while recording – Instagram Reels support real-time video speed-up, letting you pause to change the speed and continue recording. The in-app video editor marks the segments to let you add transitions.

Now that you know which direction to take, it’s time to see how to speed up videos for Instagram.

How to Change Instagram Video Speed on Android/iPhone

Using Instagram to speed up videos is convenient because you don’t need to download a third-party app. Although the latter has perks, the Instagram app is a solid option for regular video posts and Reels. It’s excellent if you don’t need advanced editing.

Here’s how to speed up an Instagram video on your Android or iPhone using the Instagram app.

Speeding up Existing Videos for Instagram

Follow these steps to speed up an existing video for an Instagram Reel or post:

Step 1: Launch Instagram and tap the Plus button at the bottom.

Step 2: Switch to the Post or Reel option and choose a video from your gallery.

Step 3: Swipe up or tap Edit Video.

Step 4: Tap the video track on the timeline to select it and hit Speed.

Step 5: Drag the slider to speed up your Instagram video (you can go up to 10x the original speed). Play the video to see the result, and hit the Checkmark to save the change.

Step 6: Return to all editing tools (e.g., add music, text, stickers, filters, effects, captions, or a voiceover) for additional tweaks or tap the Next button (the blue right-facing arrow).

Step 7: Add the finishing touches before sharing. You can change the cover, create a poll, write a caption, specify an audience, tag someone, and add a location and hashtags. You can also save the video as a draft.

Step 8: Choose a profile display, include an AI label (if necessary), add a reminder, and adjust other options. Finally, hit Share.

Speeding up Videos Before Recording on Instagram

Follow these steps to speed up an Instagram Reel before recording:

Step 1: Tap the Plus button on the Instagram Feed and switch to the Reel option. Then, tap Camera at the top.

Step 2: Choose the video length.

Step 3: Tap the 1x speed button to select a faster playback.

Step 4: Tap the Record button to make a Reel.

Step 5: Once you finish recording, Instagram will display editing options. Tap Next if you stop recording beforehand. Then, fine-tune and share your video.

How to Speed up Instagram Videos Using a Third-Party App

Third-party apps are perfect for speeding up existing videos for Instagram Stories, Reels, or posts. Many have more video editing features than Instagram, helping you create stunning visuals.

Filmora is a fantastic example. It lets you speed up an entire video or specific segments and use speed ramping to highlight crucial parts. It also offers motion tracking, stickers, filters, video and sound effects, music, animations, transitions, text tools (including templates and animations), etc.

Furthermore, you can reframe videos for social media, extract the audio, reduce noise, and record a voiceover. Filmora also has many AI-powered tools, including an AI remover, music and sound FX generator, auto-captions, text-to-speech, text-to-video, etc. It’s a treasure trove of helpful features for content creators.

Therefore, download Filmora for Android or Filmora for iOS to see how the app can elevate your video editing. Here’s how to speed up a video for Instagram using Filmora:

Step 1: Launch Filmora and tap the Plus button to create a new project.

Step 2: Choose a video for Instagram and tap Import.

Step 3: Tap the video track on the timeline and select the Speed tool. You can also split the video to change the speed of one or more segments and add transitions between them.

Step 4: Increase the speed (up to 10x) and hit the Checkmark to save the change.

Step 5: (Optional) Switch to the Curve tab under Speed to use speed ramping.

Step 6: Once you speed up the video for Instagram, continue editing to make it more visually appealing. For instance, you can add music and animated text that pops in at the beginning and fades out after a few seconds. Tap Export to save the video to your phone.

Step 7: Customize the output settings (free users get watermarked 720p videos) and export the video.

How to Change Instagram Video Speed in Real Time

How do you speed up a video on Instagram in real time? By pausing the recording and changing the speed. The feature is available only for Reels.

Here’s how to speed up a video on Instagram while recording:

Step 1: Tap the Plus button on your Instagram Feed and go to Reel > Camera. Then, specify the video length and speed and hit the Record button.

Step 2: Tap the Stop button anytime to pause the recording (before reaching the maximum length).

Step 3: Increase the speed and continue recording. The subsequent part will have faster playback.

Step 4: (Optional) Pause the recording again and lower the speed for dramatic effect. Then, continue recording.

Step 5: After recording, swipe up to access the editing tools. Tap the Transition symbols on the timeline to connect the shots and create a more cohesive look.

Step 6: Choose a transition (e.g., zoom, warp, blur, flare, glitch, spin, etc.) and tap Done or Apply to All. Repeat the step for other transitions (if any) if you don’t want to use the same effect.

Step 7: Make other tweaks (if necessary) and hit Next (the blue arrow) to share your Instagram Reel.

Conclusion

Now that you know how to speed up Instagram videos, it’s time to put your knowledge to use. Whether using the Instagram app, Filmora, or another third-party app, you can quickly change the video speed to add more flair to your content.

However, Filmora is your best bet for eye-catching Instagram videos because of its abundant editing features, including various speed controls and AI-powered tools. The best part? Many are free, so download it to your Android or iPhone and get your creative juices flowing.