ICYMI: Instagram’s New Edits App Is [insert adjective]
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💻 ROADMAP📲 Meta Updates: Edits App LaunchThe big news this week: Instagram launched Edits, a new app for creators. It’s Meta’s answer to CapCut, TikTok’s popular video editing tool. A few key elements of the app — which is currently free to download:
So, is Edits worth the hype? I polled the ICYMI community and scrolled social to see how people were reacting to the launch. This might be my favorite online takes: “Edits is NOT a video editing tool. But here’s why you should use it anyway…” It reflects the mixed reactions online and also people’s impatience that the app launched early as an MVP (minimal viable product). People are usually more forgiving with new apps — bugs, missing features, etc — but this one’s from Meta. Expectations were higher. And one of the biggest complaints? The lack of key functionality. That said, Edits still has fans. Creators seem like the insights, the 4K resolution and the clean UX. But the frustration around missing features is real. Here’s a quick look at what people are saying: 👎 COMPLAINTS“The app has no audio sync option to sync cuts to beat marks. The transition effects are barebones. No way to add a transition to the beginning of the first clip. Tik Tok has some awesome video effects that are nowhere to be seen here” - SKR Imagining, artist “I just tested it and it sucks honestly. Capcut just has way more features tbh and it doesn't even have keyframe” -Sharmarke Ahmed, Sharky No Cap filmmaker and creator 👍 PRAISE“I 100% believe that Meta just changed the entire game of influencer marketing by launching the Edit app... I did not know it was going to seamlessly integrate with your content, including new metrics we've never even seen before, like save rate, share rate, etc. I think it means that brands are going to have more specifics with what they ask for creators; Creators are going to have more fuel to ask for more money from brands; and talent managers are hopefully going to have more consistency to actually define rates based on things outside of reach, followers, and general engagement” -Sarah Weber, In the Cohort agency owner “Good entry level and the ability to see trending audio and reels is cool. The analytics are a nice touch as well. But it’s got a long way to go to catch up to CapCut” -Dani, Cozy Dani Girl creator “One cool feature is it automatically saves progress as you edit, so you don’t loose your work if the app crashes or you forgot to hit save” -Francesca Murray, One Girl One World creator “I’ve made three reels so far. Love the ease of use and similarity to editing videos with multiple track lines like CapCut without the pop ups and ads of CapCut free. Love the font choices, insights, easy animations and in-app music library” -Broderick Smylie, Savory Exposure creator 🛠 SUGGESTIONS FOR META“Improvements needed: Captions editing, easy way to add filter to all clips, a way to share a video to straight to Threads” -Broderick Smylie, Savory Exposure creator “A smart idea would be to integrate a messaging feature for creators because CapCut doesn’t have that and Meta could build within the creator community. Vivian Tu had a podcast recently where she talked about an initial lack of fellow creators in her life and I keep reflecting on that. And it’s missing some key elements like good filters AND the ability to add a filter to the whole video not just clip after clip” -Cristina Lopez, A Wildflower Spirit creator “I’m surprised Edits doesn’t include Templates. That’s a killer feature in CapCut and already exists within Instagram itself. I won’t consider switching until they add them” -Mandy Hoskinson, Zolay agency founder ✅ VERDICT“For reels, I still edit on Final Cut Pro on my Mac but will probably import those finished projects to Edits so that the final metadata is an “Edits” video - in hopes that Meta serves it to more people. But for Stories, I’m definitely editing from this vs CapCut” -Eddie Sanchez, Hungry In LA creator “It’s so basic like it’s 2020. And after exporting and wanting to share on Instagram, you can’t edit it in Instagram — not cut shorter, not change audio, not anything. Also, you can’t save it to your drafts on Instagram, so you have to go to the drafts in Edits to share when you’re ready to or add it to Instagram from your camera roll. I won’t be leaving CapCut anytime soon” -Małgorzata Gogut, La Reine Margot creator 💡 MY TAKEAWAYSEdits doesn’t yet compare to the paid version of CapCut — but it could catch up. I’m not here to be a Meta apologist, but the Edits team does plan to ship updates weekly. Some features they told me are on the way:
Product manager Tom Bender also said there would be an option to apply filters across all clips — a frequent request. And as always, platforms reward early adopters of new tools. One creator even posted a high-res comparison between a Trial Reel and one posted through Edits. No one’s saying Edits-made videos will definitely perform better — but higher quality could help boost your chances. The thing is, the better Edits gets, the more likely Meta is to roll out a paid tier. Right now, it’s a solid free option for editing Reels. But the real comparison to CapCut, VEED, InShot or others will come once Edits goes Pro. That’s when you’ll have to decide which app is worth your hard-earned money.
📲 More Meta Updates
📲 YouTube UpdatesAs part of its 20th anniversary this week, YouTube shared its latest features:
YouTube is running a limited test, surfacing a new video results carousel that appears after entering certain search queries. 📲 TikTok Updates
📲 Pinterest Updates
📲 Bluesky Updates
📲 Linktree Updates
📲 Roblox Updates
📲 Adobe Updates
📱📺 Influencer Marketing, But Make It MultichannelI’m in my influencer era. Catch me in this Linqia campaign that advocates for turning influencer content into hero assets across every channel — CTV, DOOH, websites, email, etc. It reflects something I’ve believed for a long time: Influencers shouldn’t just be used for endorsement posts. They should be integrated across the entire marketing engine! Chances are, that content is going to outperform traditional creative anyway! *sponsored 👀 ICYMI: JUST THE HEADLINES
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