Meta’s TikTok challenger is taking it to the next level as Instagram merges Reels and pushes more users towards video.
Instagram video posts under 15 minutes will soon be shared as Reels. The change will take effect over the next few weeks, after which videos published prior to the change will remain as videos and not become Reels. Instagram is also merging the Video and Reels tabs in the app to create a home for videos.
“Since Reels offers a more immersive and entertaining way to watch and create videos on Instagram, we’re also bringing those creative tools and the full-screen experience to your video posts,” Instagram says.
The change will also improve discoverability. Currently, only reels under 90 seconds are eligible to be recommended for more Instagram users. From now on, this recommendation will apply to videos up to 15 minutes long.
As part of the change, Instagram is introducing new creative tools, including the ability to remix any public photo. Expanded Remix layouts include green screen and picture-in-picture to add live commentary to existing reels. Remixes can now appear sequentially after the original clip.
New reel templates will speed up post creation, allowing users to easily create reels by pre-loading audio markers and clips, so they can simply add your own photos or video clips.
Users can also record content and their reaction at the same time, using their phone’s front and back cameras simultaneously to share another perspective using Instagram’s Dual Camera feature.
TikTok adds more tools
As Instagram merges Reels, TikTok has announced new captioning and translation tools in hopes of reducing the language barrier.
TikTok updates will support an initial batch of languages including English, Portuguese, German, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Mandarin, Spanish, and Turkish. New tools include auto-generated subtitles, subtitle translations and video descriptions, and text sticker translation.
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