Instagram is changing a lot these days, especially when it comes to the ways in which we can share our content with others and segment different audiences. But today, the Meta-owned app is bringing the focus back to its creative tools â adding a handful of features including Instagramâs first new filters in ages. And there are a ton of them: I count 25 new filter additions on iOS before you reach the ones that were present before.
Technology
Instagram gets new filters for the first time in forever
Instagram is adding dozens of new photo filters, the first that have come to the app in years, and streamlining tools so that Reels are easier to create.
âFrom subtle color edits to options for expressive styles, these updates make it easy for you to try various looks for your posts,â Metaâs blog post reads. As always, you can adjust the intensity of any filter with a slider. For the first time, some of these filters (like âwide angleâ and âwavyâ) make significant changes to your original images instead of just switching up the color and tone.
And there are others, like âcolor leakâ and âzoom blur,â that seem aimed at users of VSCO, Picsart, and other apps; Instagram is clearly trying to extend the range of its filters so you wonât need to go elsewhere for the edits youâre trying to achieve. Hereâs the full list of new filters on iOS:
See? I told you there are a lot.
The new updates also include several improvements for Reels. Instagram says itâs testing the ability to scale, crop, and rotate individual clips, and itâll soon be adding undo and redo buttons. âWeâre also adding 10 new English text-to-speech voices to choose from, available in select countries,â the company said, plus there are a few new fonts (with optional outlines for better readability).
Perhaps the most fun new thing is that Instagram is âtesting the ability to create custom stickers from your own photos and videos in your camera roll, or from eligible photos and videos you see on Instagram.â The company says this feature uses learnings from its Segment Anything AI model, though there isnât any information about how itâs being used here.
Other changes include a streamlined drafts view, quicker access to the audio page in Reels, and more data for creators. In the case of the latter, Instagram says, âOver the coming months, we are rolling out the ability for creators to see how many people are watching their Reel on a moment-by-moment basis.â Youâll definitely want to check out the blog post for all the details. After that? Go ahead and start exploring those new filters, and remember that you can now use them to create feed posts that are only visible to your close friends.