Features and tools

An original photograph (left) is automatically cropped to a square by Instagram, and has a filter added at the selection of the user (right)

Users can upload photographs and short videos, follow other users' feeds^[84] and geotag images with longitude and latitude coordinates, or the name of a location. Every year, Instagram released Top 10 Instagram geotagged locations in the world, in pictures.^[85] Users can connect their Instagram account to other social networking sites, enabling them to share uploaded photos to those sites.^[84] As of June 2013, users can connect their Instagram accounts to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Flickr.

In 2012, Instagram created web profiles which allows users to use their Instagram account like a social media site. This gave users a web profile featuring a selection of recently shared photographs, biographical information, and other personal details. The web feed is a simpler version of the phone app, mimicking the look and feel users are already accustomed to.^[86]

In December 2013, Instagram added a feature named Instagram Direct that allows users to send photos only to a specific user or group of users, rather than having it be viewable by all. This was viewed as a response to the popularity of services like Snapchat.^[87]

In August 2015, Instagram allowed users to start using non square images as part of the feature set.^[88]

On October 29, 2015, Instagram announced that it would allow advertisers to buy carousel ads to expose company brands to more people.^[89]

Explore Tab

The new explore tab was introduced in mid-2012 in which 21 photos are featured when a user clicks the tab second from the left on the bottom bar of the Instagram app. The photos must be of a public user whose profile is not set to private. This section of Instagram is where users can search for specific users or particular hashtags that interest them.

Filters

A photo collage of an unprocessed image (top left) modified with the 16 different Instagram filters available in 2011

Instagram offers a number of photographic filters that users can apply to their images:

• Normal: No filter applied
• 1977: The increased exposure with a red tint gives the photograph a rosy, brighter, faded look.
• Amaro: Adds light to an image, with the focus on the centre.^[90]
• Brannan: Increases contrast and exposure and adds a metallic tint.
• Earlybird: Gives photographs an older look with a sepia tint and warm temperature.
• Hefe: Hight contrast and saturation, with a similar effect to Lo-Fi but not quite as dramatic.
• Hudson: Creates an "icy" illusion with heightened shadows, cool tint and dodged center.^[91]
• Inkwell: Direct shift to black and white - no extra editing.
• Kelvin: Increases saturation and temperature to give it a radiant "glow".^[92]
• Lo-fi: Enriches color and adds strong shadows through the use of saturation and "warming" the temperature.
• Mayfair: Applies a warm pink tone, subtle vignetting to brighten the photograph center and a thin black border^[93]
• Nashville: Warms the temperature, lowers contrast and increases exposure to give a light "pink" tint - making it feel "nostalgic".
• Rise: Adds a "glow" to the image, with softer lighting of the subject.
• Sierra: Gives a faded, softer look.
• Sutro: Burns photo edges, increases highlights and shadows dramatically with a focus on purple and brown colors.
• Toaster: Ages the image by "burning" the centre and adds a dramatic vignette.
• Valencia: Fades the image by increasing exposure and warming the colors, to give it an antique feel
• Walden: Increases exposure and adds a yellow tint.
• Willow: A monochromatic filter with subtle purple tones and a translucent white border.^[94]
• X-Pro II: Increases color vibrance with a golden tint, high contrast and slight vignette added to the edges.
• Slumber: Desaturates the image as well as adds haze for a retro, dreamy look - with an emphasis on blacks and blues.
• Cream: Adds a creamy look that both warms and cools the image.
• Ludwig: A slight hint of desaturation that also enhances light.
• Aden: This filter gives a blue/green natural look.
• Perpetua: Adding a pastel look, this filter is ideal for portraits.^[95][96]