Instagram Just Launched Its Version of CapCut
Instagram is officially launching Edits, its take on mobile video editors. The launch comes three months after Instagram announced the app , and two months after Edits’ original launch date in February.
Instagram is coming to TikTok
It makes sense for Instagram to have its own video editor for many reasons. The company is no longer just an app you open to view the photos and videos people and businesses post on their pages: Instagram Reels are now a huge part of the experience. Short videos have become ubiquitous ( even LinkedIn has them ), and Instagram is no exception. There’s a good chance this is your platform for these little clips, especially if you live in the United States, even if TikTok users generally laugh at the idea of using Reels.
But it’s not just friendly competition that fuels Edits’ popularity. You may remember that back in January, TikTok and its related apps went offline. Americans have not only lost access to the world’s most popular short video app, but also other popular apps like CapCut.
Although TikTok and many of its apps are back, the situation continues , and the future of these apps in the US is far from guaranteed. Meta has a real opportunity to strengthen Instagram as a one-stop shop for both consumers and short video creators to compete with TikTok and take its crown if the apps are banned again.
What can you do with edits?
Instagram itself has an editing tool that you can use when creating a reel, but the Edit app seems more comprehensive. I haven’t had a chance to try out Edits yet, but based on Meta’s promotional materials, the app looks like a standard mobile video editor. You can import video files or shoot directly in the app (up to 10 minutes) and edit them on a non-linear timeline. Like other apps, you can access various editing tools such as the Chrome Key tool for green screen, title editor, and cutout feature for isolating subjects and objects.
You can browse videos of popular audio and use a track if you find one you like, or access a larger audio library to add music and sounds to your video. In addition to the general project manager, there is also an “Ideas” section. Here you can write down concepts for future videos; It looks like it’s more than just a glorified notes app, as it appears you can create vision board stickers for these ideas. You can also monitor the performance of any video in the Statistics tab.
Of course, it’s 2025, so Instagram is incorporating artificial intelligence into its editors. This comes in the form of the Animate feature, which allows you to animate static images using generative AI. It sounds similar to features offered by other companies, such as Google’s Veo 2 video model , but we’ll have to see how it works before passing judgment. Meta says there’s also an “Edit” feature that changes the “look” of your videos using AI, but doesn’t elaborate on how that actually works. Again, we need to test the application to understand what it is.
You can download Edits starting today from the iOS App Store and Google Play Store . To use it, you’ll need to be logged into your Instagram account, and that makes sense: Meta wants you to use this for Instagram Reels. However, if you have an Instagram account, you can use Edits to create videos for any platform. The company says all exported files are unwatermarked, so you could theoretically use Edits to post videos to platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts, not just Instagram.
Again, the big question is how the app performs compared to traditional mobile video editing apps . If you’re already using Instagram, it might make sense to use Edits. But if you’re used to another mobile video editor, especially one that doesn’t risk getting banned, will Edits be tempting enough to make the switch? Only time (and edits) will tell.