BlogInstagram set to rival Vine in video sharing stakes
Instagram set to rival Vine in video sharing stakes
Users of Facebook's photo-sharing app, Instagram, will now be able to upload videos as well as still photographs after a deal was announced by the social network giant.
Instagram's chief executive Kevin Systrom said the updated app would allow users to make and upload clips lasting between three and 15 seconds in length and will also feature the distinctive filters that epitomise Instagram photographs.
The move follows Facebook's acquisition of Instagram last year for more than $700m (£450m).
The 15 second clip facility is more than double the amount of time currently offered by Vine for Twitter users, which can only upload around six seconds of video content at any one time. The move also means there is now direct competition between the two providers.
The Instagram update will allow iPhone and Android users to record and stitch together their clips to form a "collage", which can then have one of 13 customisable filters applied to them. Users will also be able to make the clips black-and-white, add a blur-effect or alter and enhance the footage in other ways.
iPhone customers can look forward to a "cinema" facility, which stabilises the clips to counteract camera shake.