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Facebook takes on Twitter’s Vine, launches Video on Instagram

Alex Walls
June 21, 2013

If you’re a fan of the things Vine lets you do, but a die-hard Instagram user, rejoice – Facebook have launched Video on Instagram.

The Twitter-owned Vine was released earlier this year, an app which allows users to take a few seconds of video and edit it, to create tiny movies or snippets of stories.

Facebook, which bought Instagram back in April last year for $US1 billion, has stepped up to the plate, releasing Video on Instagram, which allows users of the popular photography app to take 15 seconds of video.

In line with the app’s forte, users can then add 13 specially designed filters to the videos, and select a favourite scene to use as a thumbnail when sharing the footage, much like when uploading onto YouTube.

The press release announcing the new capability on Instagram’s page said this didn’t change ownership or user control of content.

“We’re still committed to making sure you have control over all of your content. Only the people who you let see your photos will be able to see your videos. And as with photos, you own your videos.”

This statement is mildly ironic, given the kerfuffle which occurred when Instagram changed its terms of service (ToS) in December, to include a clause which effectively allowed the company to sell users’ photos without asking or paying them.  Protests saw Instagram revert to its original ToS.

If you’re keen to try it out, the newest version of the app is available from the Play Store or the App Store, and the video function is included in the app itself, depicted as a video camera icon.

 

 

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