New short video posts on Instagram to be shared as Reels

SAN FRANCISCO: To make it more fun and easy to collaborate, Meta-owned photo-sharing platform Instagram has released several new features and said that new video posts shorter than 15 minutes will be shared as Reels.

The platform said this feature will roll out to users in the coming weeks and it also mentioned that videos posted before this change will remain as videos and will not become Reels.

"We want everyone to be able to easily express their creative ideas, so we are adding more features that allow you to capture, edit and share them -- right from your phone," the company said in a blogpost.

"We are always working on ways to improve your Instagram experience. We will continue to build features that make it easier and more fun to create and share reels on Instagram," it added.

The platform said it is also expanding tools for Remix to help enhance the way users tell stories on Instagram when collaborating with their favourite creators and friends.

In the coming weeks, the company said users will be able to remix public photos. This gives users limitless inspiration to create their own unique Reel.

They can choose between a green screen, horizontal or vertical split-screen, or picture-in-picture reaction view to add their own video commentary to existing reels.

If users have a public account, their new videos -- now reels -- may be eligible to be recommended and seen by more people on Instagram.

"This currently applies to reels that are under 90 seconds long. If your account is private, your reels will still only be shown to your followers," the company said.