Instagram became widely popular at a time when cameras in mobile phones didn’t offer very good quality. The app that launched in 2010 allowed users to take pictures directly from the app and it made it easy to share them on almost any social network. The use of a wide variety of filters made the pictures look better or more artistic, for those who felt extra creative. It became so popular that Facebook, which is always interested in picture sharing, acquired Instagram on 2012. Since then, the app has been updated with many features including video capture and the resolution of the photos was bumped last month. Even with the added resolution, photos were still taken in a square format as they always have. This format along with some of the filters provided a vintage look as if the photos were taken by an instant camera.
That is changing with the new update of Instagram version 7.5, as now users will be able to share their photos and videos in both landscape and portrait orientations. This comes as most pictures taken by mobile devices (or any other for that matter) are usually in other formats. On average, only one of five pictures taken is taken in square format. While the service will keep embracing the square format, they are allowing users to share their particular point of view and make pictures look exactly like they want to for a more personal experience. With the new formats, more people can fit into the picture and more elements can be captured in various scenarios.
The updated version of the app should be available soon in the Google Play Store and after they get the update, users will be able to choose another format by tapping the format icon. When the picture is shared, followers can now see the full-sized version of the photo, but a square crop will appear in the grid view to keep a consistent look. Videos are also available in widescreen mode and now all of the filters work on pictures and videos, plus users can adjust the intensity of the filter.
