Instagram Adds New Creative Options For Boomerang
Photo/GIF: Instagram
Nearly five years after launching Boomerang in 2015, Instagram has rolled out a much-needed update to its popular video looping feature. The Facebook-owned company recently announced via Twitter that a trio of new creative options in SlowMo, Echo, and Duo for one of its most used features is now available.
🐢 SlowMo
— Instagram (@instagram) January 10, 2020
🗣 Echo
👯♀️ Duo
Boomerang has new creative twists that'll make you say yaaassssss. Try them all out today. pic.twitter.com/wp0A71RefL
Available in the Stories composer, the new creative options give users the ability to spice up their Boomerangs in a variety of ways. In a statement to TechCrunch, an Instagram spokesperson described the new options as the following:
SlowMo: Reduces Boomerangs to half-speed so they play for two seconds in each direction instead of one second. “Slows down your Boomerang to capture each detail”
Echo: Adds a motion blur effect so a translucent trail appears behind anything moving, almost like you’re drunk or tripping. “Creates a double vision effect.”
Duo: Rapidly rewinds the clip to the beginning with a glitchy, digitized look. “Both speeds up and slows down your Boomerang, adding a texturized effect.”
In addition to these, there is a new Trimming option that lets users edit the length of their Boomerang.
The roll-out of these new options is likely a result of heightened competition from TikTok. The Byte-Dance owned company is receiving an enormous amount of attention for its fun-filled, snackable video content from creators and brands right now.
These options won’t be enough for Instagram to combat TikTok when it comes to short-form videos, but they are likely the beginning of a string of new video-focused features and tools to give creators greater depth and flexibility to create fun-filled and entertaining short-form video content like what is currently being produced and shared on TikTok.
In other Instagram news, it recently launched a new Layout feature that lets users capture and share multiple photos within one Story.
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