Step aside, Vine: 15-second videos are coming to Instagram on iOS and Android, complete with basic editing, filters, and stabilization. Announced at Facebook's headquarters in Menlo Park on Thursday, video on Instagram is an expansion of the formerly photos-only sharing service, and brings videos straight to Instagram's feed. "It's the same Instagram that we know and love, but it moves," said Instagram's cofounder and CEO Kevin Systrom.
Systrom explained that the tool is simple and fits right in the Instagram feed, still offers the same beautiful imaging tools, and will help expand the Instagram community. Users can record and share video from right within the same Capture screen they already use to shoot photos.
Videos can be up to 15 seconds long total, recorded in segments by holding down the capture button, much like the 6-second videos on Vine. But Instagram improves upon Vine by letting you highlight and delete the last segment you recorded, without having to trash the entire video and start over.
Video on Instagram features 13 new filters that are specifically for video. These filters have all-new names, and are chosen just as you would select a photo filter--you even see a preview of your video with each filter as you tap them.
You get to select the Cover Frame, or the still image that appears in your followers' feeds. Tap the small Play button in the upper-right corner, and it plays once without looping. Naturally, videos can also be shared through social networks.
Also announced was Cinema, a video-stabilization feature for iPhone users. Cinema cleans up videos that you record within the Instagram app, smoothing out any jerky action to make them more share-worthy and easier on your followers' eyes.
Video will be available in Instagram's iOS and Android apps, and viewable on web profiles too.
