The big news this week came yesterday when Facebook announced video support for Instagram, the photo sharing app acquired by the social network for around $1bn last year. You could argue that it’s a little late to be joining the party given that Twitter’s Vine already allows for the sharing of short clips (6 second limit), so what did Facebook have up its sleeve to make Instagram video stand out?
Well the ‘hold to record’ method of capture is the same as Vine, but there are some other key differences. Size does matter, and Instagram allows users to create videos up to 15 seconds in length, which is two and a half times as long as Vine’s offering. The actual editing process also allows you to delete the individual clips that make up the whole video, so there’s no need to start from scratch if you fudge one little part of it.
Of course it wouldn’t be Instagram without the filters, and there are 13 brand new ones that can be used when creating videos. One feature that was perhaps over-egged during the press event was something called ‘Cinema’. Essentially it’s image stabilisation for when you’re filming on the move, but YouTube has been doing this for some time. That said, it’s good to see it included.
Another feature of Instagram video that you won’t find in Vine is being able to choose the cover frame. This will surely have a positive effect on sharing, as users can now pick the most interesting looking frame to show off their efforts, which should result in more views. Instagram also boasts a broader range of sharing platforms, with support to instantly upload to Tumblr, Flickr, email and Foursquare, as well as Facebook and Twitter which are Vine’s only current options.
Head over to TechCrunch for a more in-depth look at the difference between Vine and Instagram video, and take a look at your Instagram feed to see if any of your friends have already uploaded any videos! Let us know what you think of the new Instagram video feature by leaving a comment below.