Facebook has today officially announced the introduction of Instagram Reels: a new way to create and discover short, entertaining videos on Instagram. The Instagram Reels feature has been available in Brazil for the last 10 months.
In June, the feature was rolled out subsequently in France and Germany and it has been in the testing phase in India last month following the unanticipated ban of TikTok in the country.
Reels is a video editing tool on Instagram that lets you create fun videos to share with your friends or anyone on Instagram a similar approach toTikTok. With Reels, you can record and edit 15-second multi-clip videos with audio, effects and new creative tools like timer and countdown, AR effects or let align your previous clips.
Reels you new ways to express yourself, discover more of what you love on Instagram and help anyone with the ambition of becoming a creator take centre stage.
You can share reels with your followers in Feed and if you have a public account you can make them available to the wider Instagram community through a new space in Explore. Reels in Explore offers anyone the chance to become a creator on Instagram and reach new audiences on a global stage.
“Reels can be recorded in a series of clips (one at a time), all at once, or using video uploads from your gallery. Record the first clip by pressing and holding the capture button. You’ll see a progress indicator at the top of the screen as you record. Stop recording to end each clip.”
One good thing about Instagram reels is that it still follows your privacy settings. For instance, if you have a private account, You can share to Feed so only your followers can see your reel. People will not be able to use original audio from your reels, and people cannot share your reels with others who don’t follow you.
It also allows you to explore and have a chance to be seen by the wider Instagram community or share it only to your followers.
Whether you have a public or private account, you can share your reel to your Story, close friends or in a direct message. If you do so, your reel will behave like a regular Story it will not be shared to Reels in Explore, it will not appear on your profile and it will disappear after 24 hours.
Additionally, Reels in Explore showcases the best of trending culture on Instagram. Letting you discover an entertaining selection of reels made by anyone on Instagram, in a vertical feed customized for you. If you love a reel, you can easily like, comment or share it with your friends.
You’ll also see some reels with a “Featured” label. If your reel is featured in Explore, you’ll receive a notification. Featured reels are a selection of public reels chosen by Instagram to help you discover original content we hope will entertain and inspire you.