Instagram Announces Edits, a Video Editing App for Creators That Will Rival CapCut
Instagram announced Edits, a new video editing app. The tool is focused on helping creators make short-form videos on mobile for Instagram and other platforms. Creators will be able to capture videos up to 10 minutes long, use a higher-quality camera, and access tools such as clip-level editing, auto-enhance features, green screen overlays, transition effects, and captions.
There will also be an Inspiration and Trending Audio Tab, and a section to track creative ideas, including rough drafts, that can be shared with others.
Creators will be able to download their creations without watermarks, allowing them to share them on their platform of choice. However, when sharing videos to Instagram, creators will gain access to performance metrics and insights.
Edits is scheduled to be available in next month, but pre-orders are available here.
Why It Matters: The timing of this release is strategic, as it was announced while CapCut was unavailable (since then, it has become available) in the U.S.
But, Mosseri mentions the app has been in development for months. With creativity being one of Instagram’s key priorities for the year and the goal to provide creators with best-in-class creative tools, Edits looks set to play a big role in reaching that goal.
Edits might be considered a CapCut copycat, but based on what Instagram has shared, the tool will likely differentiate itself in the long run especially as CapCut has been expanding beyond mobile by launching desktop versions and features aimed at enterprise brands, something Instagram doesn't seem likely to pursue.
Last year, YouTube announced its own CapCut rival, YouTube Create, but we haven’t heard much about it since. A big part of that might be because it is tied directly to YouTube, while Edits is designed to help Meta creators but also allows content creation for other platforms, similar to CapCut. This broader flexibility could help Edits achieve greater adoption.
The forthcoming arrival of Edits also fits within the ongoing trend of major social media platforms launching or investing more in standalone apps to support their broader initiatives.
Over the past few years, we've seen this in various ways. Notable examples include ByteDance launching Lemon8, which is now integrated with TikTok; Pinterest launching Shuffles, which eventually became the inspiration for its popular Collage feature; Meta launching Threads, a home for those looking for an X alternative; and YouTube’s launch of YouTube Create to help bring new creators to the platform.
