If you use Instagram a lot, you probably know what a Boomerang is — those short videos played in a loop.
Starting today, users of the social network will have three new options to share Boomerang Stories: SloMo, Echo, and Duo. The announcement is an attempt to keep Instagram attractive to users, especially with the increasing competition.
Boomerangs were introduced in 2015, and it was almost five years without a significant update. An Instagram spokesman told TechCrunch that this is probably the most widely used feature for users to record Stories, so they decided to improve it.
The new filters are available in the Boomerang composer located in the Instagram Stories camera. Once you have recorded a video, tap the infinity symbol that appears on the screen to reveal the new options.
With SlowMo, as the name suggests, Boomerang videos are slowed to half their original speed. Echo adds a blur effect that makes everything move “almost like you’re drunk,” and Duo speeds up the video with a glitch effect as it moves back and forth. It’s also possible to trim and adjust the length of recorded Boomerangs with the update.
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
🐢 SlowMo 🗣 Echo 👯♀️ Duo
Boomerang has new creative twists that’ll make you say yaaassssss. Try them all out today. pic.twitter.com/wp0A71RefL
— Instagram (@instagram) January 10, 2020
These effects are not exactly new, as other apps like Snapchat and TikTok offer similar alternatives. Instagram has made several improvements to the Stories in the last few months to keep users on the platform.
To get the new effects, you need to have the latest version of the Instagram app available on the App Store.
