When might this be useful?- There's a picture on Instagram you want to download or link to from a forum
- There's no option to save the picture (ie. you can't right click on it and save)
- The picture isn't available elsewhere (ie. google, Twitter, Facebook, etc.)
General steps to do this in a browser:Notes:
- These steps apply to a browser (they probably won't work for the Instagram app ... certainly not on Android ... unsure if the Instagram app on iOS has a way to do this).
- If you're viewing Instagram in an app, you'll have to hope over to Instagram in a web browser to do this.
- The specific steps and ways to implement these steps can differ by browser / device, but this is the basic technique...
1. Click on the post to open it (so you're looking at the individual post, not as part of the feed).
2. View source on the web page.
3. Search for:
meta property="og:image" content=Example of what you'll find:
<meta property="og:image" content="
https://instagram.fykz1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/t51.2885-15/e35/19932344_210903022767248_xxxxxxxxxxxx_n.jpg" />
4. Copy the part i double-quotes after
content=. Using the example above:
https://instagram.fykz1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/t51.2885-15/e35/19932344_210903022767248_xxxxxxxxxxxx_n.jpg5. Now, you can:
- Browse to the image using the link and then download it, and/or
- Link directly to that image from a forum so you can 'post' the picture in a forum
A note of caution: I'm not sure if those URLs are permanent or if they change / expire like links to Facebook images do. So if you're linking to the pic from a forum, it's best to also save a link to the Instagram post, not just the pic. That's easier to do:
1. Click on the post to open it (so you're looking at the individual post, not as part of the feed).
2. Copy the URL in the address bar of the browser.
I also like to record the account that posted the pic and the date it was posted and document that along with the URL. That way, if the direct link to the image expires and even if the link to the post expires, you still have some idea of when / where it came from so you can find it again.
So to be clear:
- You use the direct link to the image in a forum post
- You save the other info (URL, date posted, account that did the Instagram post) in your own records in case the link expires and you need to find the Instagram image again so you can then update the link within your forum post.
If anything's not clear, just let me know and I'll try to clarify.
Enjoy!
