How to Post a Before and After on Instagram, TikTok and Shorts
Social apps can't run interactive sliders. Here are four formats that work instead, from a slider sweep video to carousels, with sizes and tips for each platform.
By DiffSlider team · · 4 min read
On your own website, a before and after slider is a single embed code. On Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Facebook, it isn’t an option: those apps only accept photos and videos, and none of them run interactive embeds.
That doesn’t mean the slider is wasted. You can turn the same comparison into formats each app does accept, and link people to the interactive version when they want a closer look.
Option 1: a slider sweep video
This is the format that looks most like the real thing. The divider sweeps from one side to the other and back, revealing the “after” image, then the “before” again.
To make one:
- Publish your comparison with the slider tool.
- On the comparison page, click Download animated video.
- Your browser records a 4-second sweep and saves it as a video file.
The video is made in your browser from the original images, so there is no upload and no waiting in a queue. It plays well on loop, which is exactly how Reels, TikTok and Shorts show short clips.
Why it works: the movement catches the eye in a fast-scrolling feed, and the sweep shows the change in a way a still photo can’t. Viewers often rewatch a loop to see the difference again, which helps a short clip perform.
Tips for the video
- Add sound in the app. A whoosh or a beat drop timed to the reveal makes the clip feel finished. Add it in the Instagram or TikTok editor, not before uploading.
- Put the text in the app too. “Week 0 → Week 8” or “Before / After” labels written in the native editor stay sharp and are easier to change than text baked into the video.
- Keep the subject in the centre. Reels and TikTok crop vertical video differently in the feed and on the profile grid. Anything important near the edges may be cut off.
- Use vertical images when you can. The video takes the shape of your images. Portrait photos (for example 4:5 or 9:16) fill more of a phone screen than landscape ones.
Option 2: a two-slide carousel
Instagram and Facebook carousels let people swipe between images. Post the “before” as the first slide and the “after” as the second. The swipe works like a very simple slider.
- Crop both images to the same ratio (4:5 portrait shows largest in the Instagram feed).
- Put a small “swipe →” hint on the first slide.
- Add a third slide with the side-by-side version for people who don’t swipe.
Carousels are good for results that need a careful look, such as skin texture or fine detail, because each image gets the full screen.
Option 3: a side-by-side still
A single image with both versions next to each other is the most universal format. It works in every app, in messages and in email.
Open your comparison, switch to Side by side and take a screenshot, or put the two images next to each other in any editor. For a split down the middle, keep the dividing line obvious, so nobody confuses the two halves.
The trade-off: each half is only half as wide, so small changes are harder to see on a phone. Use it for big, obvious transformations, such as a room makeover, a car detail or a garden.
Option 4: link to the interactive slider
Every comparison has a permanent link. Put it where each platform allows links:
| Platform | Where links work |
|---|---|
| Bio link, Stories link sticker, Broadcast channels | |
| TikTok | Bio link (once your account qualifies), comments are not clickable |
| YouTube Shorts | Description and pinned comment (may not be clickable in Shorts) |
| Post text, comments | |
| The pin’s destination link |
The link preview shows the “after” image and the comparison’s title, so it looks good when shared in messages too. People who tap it can drag the slider, zoom up to 1600% and see the difference view.
Which format should you use?
- Fast, eye-catching result (hair, cleaning, detailing): slider sweep video.
- Subtle or technical result (skin, retouching, upscaling): carousel, plus a link to the slider so people can zoom.
- One image that works everywhere (marketplaces, email, messages): side-by-side still.
- Product pages and portfolios: the embedded slider on your own site.
Most accounts that post before and afters do well with a mix: the video to stop the scroll, and the link for people who want to look closely.
Be honest with your before and afters
Platforms and regulators take misleading before and after claims seriously, particularly for cosmetics, health and weight loss. A few rules keep you on the safe side:
- Use the same lighting, angle and distance in both photos. Our photo guide explains how.
- Don’t retouch one photo and not the other.
- Label the time between the photos, for example “after 8 weeks”.
- Get written consent before posting a client’s face or body.
Honest comparisons also simply perform better: viewers are quick to spot a filter or a change of light, and a result that looks too good loses trust.
Track what each post brings in
When you put the comparison’s link in a bio or a Story, the views show up in your dashboard, along with which apps and websites the visitors came from. It’s a simple way to see whether the TikTok or the Instagram post sends more people to look at your work.
Make a comparison and download the video. It takes a minute and needs no account.