Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Instagram is changing a lot these days, especially when it comes to the ways in which we can share our content with others and segment different audiences. But today, the Meta-owned app is bringing the focus back to its creative tools — adding a handful of features including Instagram’s first new filters in ages. And there are a ton of them: I count 25 new filter additions on iOS before you reach the ones that were present before.
“From subtle color edits to options for expressive styles, these updates make it easy for you to try various looks for your posts,” Meta’s blog post reads. As always, you can adjust the intensity of any filter with a slider. For the first time, some of these filters (like “wide angle” and “wavy”) make significant changes to your original images instead of just switching up the color and tone.
GIF: Instagram
Instagram has added dozens of new filters.
And there are others, like “color leak” and “zoom blur,” that seem aimed at users of VSCO, Picsart, and other apps; Instagram is clearly trying to extend the range of its filters so you won’t need to go elsewhere for the edits you’re trying to achieve. Here’s the full list of new filters on iOS:
Fade
Fade warm
Fade cool
Simple
Simple warm
Simple cool
Boost
Boost warm
Boost cool
Graphite
Hyper
Rosy
Emerald
Midnight
Grainy
Gritty
Halo
Color leak
Soft light
Zoom blur
Handheld
Moiré
Lo-res
Wide angle
Wavy
See? I told you there are a lot.
The new updates also include several improvements for Reels. Instagram says it’s testing the ability to scale, crop, and rotate individual clips, and it’ll soon be adding undo and redo buttons. “We’re also adding 10 new English text-to-speech voices to choose from, available in select countries,” the company said, plus there are a few new fonts (with optional outlines for better readability).
Image: Instagram
Instagram is testing the option to let users make stickers from their own photos and videos.
Perhaps the most fun new thing is that Instagram is “testing the ability to create custom stickers from your own photos and videos in your camera roll, or from eligible photos and videos you see on Instagram.” The company says this feature uses learnings from its Segment Anything AI model, though there isn’t any information about how it’s being used here.
Other changes include a streamlined drafts view, quicker access to the audio page in Reels, and more data for creators. In the case of the latter, Instagram says, “Over the coming months, we are rolling out the ability for creators to see how many people are watching their Reel on a moment-by-moment basis.” You’ll definitely want to check out the blog post for all the details. After that? Go ahead and start exploring those new filters, and remember that you can now use them to create feed posts that are only visible to your close friends.
