Instagram Now Has Video

Facebook’s baby, the photo-sharing application Instagram, now lets you upload video as well. Clearly launched to compete with Vine, the big daddy of video-sharing, video on Instagram is now available on both iOS and Android.

Users can now share 15-second video clips, called an ‘Instavid’, with potential for modification with 13 filters, and a new stabilization feature called ‘Cinema’ to improve shaky videos. Like on Vine, there is also an option to combine multiple videos together.

Instagram, the most popular photo editing and sharing app in the world, has now grown to 130 million monthly active users worldwide, who have liked pictures 1 billion times so far. 16 billion photos have been shared on Instagram so far. The service was acquired by Facebook last year for $715 million, after initially being valued at $1 billion.

Vine on the other hand, has 13 million users.

Instagram vs Vine

There are many aspects where Instagram video seems to win over Vine. Vine videos, for example, can only be a maximum of 6.5 seconds in length. Instagram is offering 2.5 times that value. Additionally, Cinema – the stabilization feature in Instagram is unique to the app. To date, Vine offers no stabilization feature. But then again, if you’re shooting 6 second videos, you may never need stabilization?

Instagram is also giving you some editing options. Users can edit the last clip from the collection of multiple videos they’ve put together.

There’s filters too, of course. While Vine offers absolutely no filters, Instagram brings 13 filters for shooting videos on the app, making for an immersive and satisfactory user experience. You can even choose the Cover Frame for the video you’ve shot in Instagram. Vine loses again.

At the same time, Vine does manage to retain some uniqueness. The app, unlike Instagram, allows users to loop their videos – making them seem like GIF files.

Both apps allow sharing via social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter. But Vine goes a step ahead and offers sharing via embedded codes, allowing videos to be shared outside social networks as well.

Instagram seems to be the winner, for now.  Download it from the App Store here, or Google’s Play Store here.