Instagram chases after TikTok on short videos, which are no longer so short: Reels now reaches 1 minute, the Chinese app 3.
For those who use Instagram’s tools for publishing their video content on a daily basis, it’s time for an interesting new feature that could significantly change the approach to the tool. The feature involved is that of Reels, which now double in length from 30 seconds to the maximum limit of one minute.
The Reels have become part of the formats of Instagram just under a year ago, or last August 5, replicating a style already known to users of another social particularly appreciated by young people: TikTok. These are short videos, according to the needs of users also multi-clip, to which you can add augmented reality effects, music and text overlay, all through the creative tools available. A few days after the birthday, the platform has therefore focused on a small gift that could bring members closer together, following the trend already undertaken by the application born in China.
Instagram Reels, how they work
The extended duration of Instagram Reels will allow creators to have more freedom of action, with 60 seconds in total to give space for their creativity. Despite the doubled length, this is a relatively short time that doesn’t deprive the videos of the sense of freshness and immediacy that has always distinguished them.
To access them, the process remains the same as before. The function can be accessed in several ways, either by swiping to the right from the main screen and then scrolling through the items in the lower area until “Reel”, in the lower section of the screen, or by tapping on the plus icon in the upper right corner, taking care then to select the correct format.
Once inside the tool, you have the opportunity to integrate a piece of music from the Instagram library, increase or decrease the speed of the images, use special effects, retouch the details of the shot or set a timer to start recording. There are many alternatives offered to creators to choose from.
Instagram Reels, chasing TikTok
When the feature made its debut last year, the maximum extension was only 15 seconds, reaching 30 seconds within about a month and approaching step by step the standard of TikTok. Recently, the Chinese social itself has gone from one to 3 minutes, making it easier to create clips, especially those based on the narration of more complex themes or, simply, for those accounts that deal with cooking, tutorials and the like.
It would therefore not be improbable to imagine that, in the near future, Instagram Reels may also undergo such an evolution. After all, it was Ig’s leader, Adam Mosseri, who declared in early 2021 that “TikTok is ahead.” It’s clear how the race – or rather chase – to the direct challenger is still long.