The latest update to Instagram Reels makes the short-form video feature mimic TikTok even more. In addition to letting you record longer Reels, Instagram now lets you easily edit clips, as well as extend the countdown timer.
Instagram Reels Gets Even Better
Reels, also known as Instagram’s take on TikTok, allows you to record and share short clips across the platform. Instagram announced the newest changes to the feature in a Tweet.
A few Reels updates coming at you:
🤳 Create a reel up to 30 seconds
⏱ Extend the timer to 10 seconds when you’re recording
🎬 Trim and delete any clip pic.twitter.com/kVrCEnvC55— Instagram (@instagram) September 23, 2020
When Reels was first released, videos had a tight time limit of only 15 seconds. In the new update, Instagram has extended the video length to 30 seconds. The longer time limit lets you stuff more content into the short clip, and also helps Reels compete with TikTok’s one-minute max video length.
Additionally, Reels now allows you to extend the countdown timer to 10 seconds, making it easier to record a handsfree video. Previously, you could only set the timer to three seconds, which doesn’t give you much time to get ready in front of the camera.
Instagram also gave the Reels editing tool an upgrade, as you can now trim and delete clips while editing your video. This makes the entire editing process much easier.
That said, Instagram has been rolling out a lot of changes as of late, and has even begun testing new home screen layouts that squeeze in a Reels tab. The platform is straying farther from its photo-sharing roots, and is becoming more like an all-in-one app for posting pictures, creating short videos, and even doing some shopping.
Will Reels Knock TikTok Off Its Throne?
If Instagram wants Reels to overthrow TikTok, it still has a long way to go. Reels still has some unintuitive features that TikTok already smoothed out.
Despite TikTok being in hot water with the US government, it still manages to maintain its status as the go-to short-form video platform.