Instagram Adds Portrait, Landscape Orientations
Instagram Adds Portrait, Landscape Orientations
Instagram is thinking outside the box—er, square—with a new update that allows for photos and videos in portrait and landscape orientation.
The filtered-photo application has finally set users free: no more inventive cropping or black-bar frames.
Now, when choosing content to post, tap the format icon to move between square, portrait (vertical), or landscape (horizontal). An image of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, for example, may be best represented in landscape mode, while Florida palm trees work better in portrait.
A full-sized version of the image will appear to followers as a center-cropped square, “in a beautiful, natural way,” Instagram said.
“Square format has been and always will be part of who we are,” the company wrote in a blog post. “That said, the visual story you’re trying to tell should always come first, and we want to make it simple and fun for you to share moments just the way you want to.”
As The Verge reported, Instagram’s own research shows that 20 percent of uploaded photos are modified to fit into a square shape, often using a third-party app to add a “letterbox” effect. But the white, black, or matching-colored frame can be distracting, and often makes an image look less appealing, not to mention the added prep time to share a photo.
While most people still stick to posting pictures, this week’s update also means new options for video—like cinematic widescreen.
Plus, Instagram announced the end of filter segregation; by merging all filters, photo-based Amaro can be placed on top of videos, while film-featured Dogpatch can brighten still images.
Today’s update—version 7.5—is available now via the Apple iTunes Store and Google Play store.
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