Video & Photo Tech

  With the Facebook-owned platform copying the format from the upstart video-sharing app, here’s how brands should think about the difference between the two products. As the saying goes, “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” And, Facebook tends to flatter (or copy) quiet a number of features from its competitors. The tech company’s latest form of flattery is with the Reels feature for Instagram, a “clone” of the incredibly popular app, TikTok. So how do the two compare? What they’ve both got: Both apps/features are free to use. Both have the ability to create short videos with editing and enhancement features (e.g., overlaying videos with copyrighted music or sounds, and adding special effects). Reels essentially mimicked this from TikTok. Instagram leads in overall downloads, but TikTok leads in new user downloads How they differ: One is a standalone app (TikTok); one is a feature within a platform (Instagram’s Reels). The usability and experience of Reels pales in compa...

  After President Trump's recent Executive Order stating he'd ban TikTok in the Unites States if Chinese parent company ByteDance doesn't sell or spin off the the app in the United States, some of the platform's 500 million active monthly users may be trying to find an alternative to the popular social media platform (just in case). As of publication on Aug. 23, TikTok is still up and running, but with Instagram's recent release of Reels, a short-form video-sharing feature, you might be wondering if there are any other apps which offer comparable features. To get you started, here are five apps like TikTok you can try if you're looking to add some more options for video creation. TikTok, which was officially released in 2016 as a Chinese-owned video-sharing app, has repeatedly denied sharing user data with the Chinese government or censoring content at the Chinese government's request. Back in July 2020, TikTok responded to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo...

Instagram has rolled out its Reels feature to everyone. Now you can make your own music videos within Instagram itself. Here’s how to get started. Reels is a feature that allows you to record and edit short videos set to songs. You know TikTok? Yeah, it’s basically TikTok. It’s so very much TikTok that, if you’re already on TikTok, then I’m not sure if you’re going to get much out of using Reels. Still, whether you want to wriggle free of TikTok’s insidious grip, or you just want to check out the latest feature Instagram swiped from a competitor (no, I’m not cynical; perish the thought), we’re here to help. Here’s how to make your first Instagram Reel — or your first Reels. The singular is unclear. First, access the Instagram Camera by swiping from the main timeline. At the bottom of the camera, you’ll see the options “Live,” “Story,” and the new one, “Reels.” Live and Story you probably already know about, so swipe over to Reels and get started. From this camera, you can record clips ...