Since its very inception, Facebook has been keen on building itself as a one-stop platform for everything social. In line with that, Facebook is reportedly testing a photo editing feature on iOS that lets users add filters, text, stickers and more on photos before you post them on the social network.
Discovered by TechCrunch’s Josh Constine, those who’ve got the update can add overlaid text in any color, instantly preview filters that you swipe across your photos, or paste Facebook’s stickers on top. Facebook has a Stickered app allows you to put stickers on your photos. However, the essential difference is that the new features are integrated into the app, and not a separate app. And yes, if you hadn’t guessed it already, its pretty much Snapchat-esque.
Facebook taking off cue from other competitor apps and stitching them up together isn’t new. But then, thats exactly what Facebook says it does, taking the best of what you like and presenting it to its over 1 Billion users across the globe.
As of now, filters available in the new app are Vintage, sepia, bright spring, golden Summer, orange Fall, muted Winter, and black-and-white Snow filters. These are swipeable, wherein you can simply drag your finger across a photo to try different filters.
The enhancement tray can be pulled up using the magic-wand indicated at the bottom-right. It contains tabs for filters, tags, text, cropping, and stickers. Users can tap through a more Instagram-style list of the filters, tag friends in the photos, or crop the image.
Photo-sharing has become the driving force behind the success of erstwhile social media networks, and any company not imparting due attention to its photo capabilities will face the consequences. You can pretty much sum up as to what happens when you don’t focus on photos, by looking at Google+. Yuuup.
However, Facebook’s latest feature isn’t just about photo-sharing/editing. It is more of the social network’s way of matching up Snapchat and ultimately getting better, considering the latter’s rejection of former’s acquisition proposal. Moreover Japanese IM app line too has taken up stickers/photos very seriously and has indeed been able to set up a loyal base of users who are in love with those features within the app.
But Facebook’s new photo editing features also make me think, isn’t it something which might also end up putting Instagram into the grave ? After all, Facebook owns it and Instagram’s user numbers aren’t very inspiring.
SCREENSHOT IMAGE : TECHCRUNCH
