Facebook-owned Instagram launches Reels, its take on TikTok style videos, in India.
A little birdie told us that a lot of you were missing TikTok and the Indian alternatives like Mitron were not cutting it. That’s why, we guess, the powers-to-be decided to launch Instagram Reels in India.
Officially, Instagram says that they came up with Reels for three reasons:
- 45% of the videos on social media are 15 seconds or less long.
- Users wanted to share short videos that anyone and not just their followers could see.
- Users wished for videos that lasted longer than Stories.
Whatever be the reason, if you’re all atwitter about how to use Instagram Reels, like us, here’s a short guide.
What’s Instagram Reels?
Reels are TikTok-like videos that you can create from the camera of Instagram. The video can last from 1 to 15 seconds. You can add audio, from the massive music library on the social network, filters, and even effects to the clips.
Who has Instagram Reels?
Not everyone has Instagram Reels yet since it is still in the test phase. At DYT, some can already access the feature, and few are still living in a world without Reels.
To check, if you’ve got it:
- Update Instagram and then open it.
- Tap the camera icon.
- On the bottom, you’ll see 3 options – Live, Story and Reels.
If you don’t have the Reels option yet, worry not, we’re sure Instagram will roll it out to all users soon enough.
What can you do with Instagram Reels?
A lot, your creativity is the only limit.
Reels really steps into the vacant shoes of TikTok. You can shoot multiple 15-sec long Reels in one go. You can add different effects or filters to each clip.
Like TikTok, you can opt for “Use Audio.” It will allow other people to use your original audio in the Reels they create.
Reels can also be:
- Reviewed
- Re-recorded
- Deleted
Once you’re satisfied with a Reel, you can share it on your Stories or the Feed. If you opt for the latter, the Reel will pop-up on the Explore tab and can be viewed by anyone on Instagram.
How do you create Instagram Reels?
To create an Instagram Reel, go to the app, click the camera, and choose the Reels option on the bottom, and you’re ready to roll. The platform gives you quite a few options:
- The big, white button in the centre lets you start and stop a recording.
- If you want a hands-free recording, tap on the fourth icon you see on the left side – the timer. Through it, you can choose the duration of the clip. The maximum allowed is 15 seconds. It’ll give you a three-second lead and then automatically start and stop recording.
- To add music to a Reel, tap the first icon on the left side of the screen – the music icon. A pop-up will open, and you can pick any song. Since you can see the lyrics playing on the screen, you can choose any part of the song.
FYI, you can pick a song before you make a Reel to create a lip-sync video or add it afterwards like background music.
- To alter the recording speed of a Reel, tap on the second icon on the left side – the play button. For slo-mo, pick 0.3x or 0.5x. For higher speed, choose 2x or 3x.
- To include filters in your Reel, click on the third icon on the left side – the smiley face. Once you tap it, filters will pop-up next to the big, white button on the bottom. Swipe through them and pick the one you want.
You’re all set to make your first Instagram Reel!
We leave you with the most important question for creators – can you earn on Reels? Sorry folks, but there are no monetization avenues on Reels (for now)!
