Instagram 2.0 is here!

The long-awaited 2.0 version of Instagram is finally here. We’ve been anticipating the update since it was billed to be revolutionary in technology publications. And in our opinion, it puts even more fun into the photo-sharing experience.

When you tap “share” in Instagram, you used to get a camera screen without many options. After snapping a pic, you would proceed to the next screen and add filters, tiltshift, etc. Take a look at the old app:

Now Instagram brings these features directly into the photo-taking experience. When you tap share, not only can you take a picture, but you have at least 5 things you can do: filter, frame, flash, tiltshift, and flip to front camera.

NOW THAT IS COOL.

But I’ll admit, when I first opened the camera on Instagram, I thought I was supposed to do all of my filter options and tiltshifting while the camera was open. That’s not the case. You can also take a normal photo then tap the filter button - now you can scroll through all 16 filters at lightning speed to choose the right one, then add tiltshift and even rotate the image if you want.

Wait, 16 filters? Yup you heard correct. Instagram added four new filters (Amaro, Rise, Hudson, Valencia) and got rid of one of our favorites, Gotham, as well as Poprocket and Apollo.

The one main flaw we’ve noticed is the lack of the “slider” on the tiltshift, which gave control of the amount of blur. We’re also noticing that the 1977 filter has lost its texture, but perhaps we’re nitpicky.

Overall, these are some vast improvements to the app without sacrificing what worked well for 1.0 -> a fast, fun way to post pictures and interact with friends. While some might continue to use the hundreds of photo-editing apps, these new features will enhance an already excellent user experience. Great job, Instagram!

Instagramers in the Crowd

On Saturday at the Newport Folk Fest, we noticed a lot of awesome pictures from fellow Instagramer LizMcBride. Later on we saw a woman using Instagram near the main stage and @Takinyerphoto asked, “Hey are you Liz?” Sure enough, it was!

We learned that Liz left her professional photo gear at home so the Fest could be more of a vacation. She quickly realized there were a lot of great shots happening around her, and of course she photographed the entire weekend on Instagram.

According to Liz, “Bumping into you guys just reinforced how awesome it was to share the amazing things that were happening and experience them together instantly - virtually or otherwise.” Liz, we totally agree!

You can see Liz’s photos of Boston’s music scene and friends here.

…and this is our favorite photo of hers from the fest!