It’s been five years since Meta first rolled out its Reels short video feature in Instagram, but IG’s in-app video editing tools have never been as comprehensive as other editing apps and software, such as CapCut.
Recently, Meta developed its own video editing app, Edits. Here’s everything you need to know about the all-new Instagram Reels editing app.
What is Edits by Instagram?
Edits (or ‘Edits, an Instagram app’ in app stores) is a free video editing app designed for content creators and Reels posters.
The app allows users to capture up to 10-minute-long videos and edit them directly on their phone. Videos can then be exported in 4K with no watermark or posted directly on Instagram for high-quality playback.
Like CapCut, a video-editing app developed by ByteDance (the same company behind TikTok), Edits also shows users Reels from other creators that feature trending audio to inspire their own posts.
Instagram Edits features
Instagram Edits includes a number of handy features at launch, starting with the ability to set the resolution, frame rate and dynamic range needed when capturing videos. The camera tool also includes upgraded flash and zoom controls, with the ability to capture videos up to 10 minutes in length.
When it comes to editing those videos, users can cut out objects, add custom backgrounds using the green screen feature and add video overlays to produce creative results. There’s also a variety of fonts, filters, stickers and sound effects to choose from, along with the option to remove background noise in noisier areas.
Creators can use generative AI to bring still images to life, or generate automatic captions for voiceovers and video audio.
Meta has also added a tab that helps users analyse the performance and engagement of their Reels via a live insights dashboard. Meanwhile, the Ideas tab lets users save Reels from other creators with trending audio as inspiration and jot ideas down in the same tab with sticky notes.
Features coming in the future include keyframes, AI modifications, collaboration tools and more fonts, text animations, filters, transitions, voice effects and royalty-free music options.
What’s the difference between CapCut and Edits?
The biggest difference between Edits and CapCut is that Edits is designed to be free and easy-to-use.
While CapCut does include a free tier and remains beginner-friendly, the app also markets a $9.99/£13.99 per month Pro plan where you can find more advanced features, advanced auto captions, premium templates and additional retouching tools. The Pro tier also includes more storage, more credits and the ability to edit on the desktop and web apps.
CapCut also exports free videos with watermarks, though these are relatively easy to crop out in your camera app or on TikTok and Reels.
Is Instagram Edits free?
Yes, Instagram Edits is free to download and use.
How to download Instagram Edits
You can install the Edits app now by searching ‘Edits’ in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Make sure the app is the one developed by Instagram and hit ‘Get’ or ‘Install’ (depending on your chosen app store) to get started.
