There’s the official Instagram app that is used by more than 400 million people around the world, according to figures from September 2015. Alongside the official Instagram app, the company has the 3 other interesting apps to offer.

There’s the Hyperlapse app that can create time lapse videos, the Layout app that can create photo collages, and the new Boomerang app that can create something similar to GIF animations.

Create time lapse videos with Hyperlapse from Instagram



Are you a fan of time lapse videos? Do you want to create time lapse videos of your own, with a minimal amount of effort? You can do just that with Hyperlapse from Instagram. This mobile app lets you easily create moving, handheld time lapses that have a cinematic look, quality, and feel.

Using Hyperlapse is a very straightforward matter. Tap the circle to start recording, tap the circle to stop recording. Use the slider to set the playback speed. Tap the checkmark in the top right hand side to save your work.

I know what you’re thinking. You’re concerned that you’ll have to hold your phone very, very still while filming. Traditionally, time lapse videos depend on holding the camera very still. That’s not a problem with Hyperlapse. Instagram addressed this issue by giving Hyperlapse built-in video stabilization technology. See it in action here.

There are a couple of drawbacks that must be mentioned. The first one is that there are no filters; you can’t use a filter on the time lapse video. The second is that Hyperlapse is available for iOS only (all the other apps in this article are available for iOS and Android).

Hyperlapse from Instagram – Main Features

• Create time lapse videos – shoot up to 45 minutes of footage and turn it into a hypelapse. The whole thing is a very straightforward matter. You’ll easily create time lapse videos that have a cinematic look, quality and feel.
• Built-in video stabilization – thanks to this technology, you don’t have to hold your phone very still. You can shoot while walking, running, jumping or falling.
• Custom playback speed – use a slider to set the video’s playback speed. You can speed it up to 12x.
• Share time lapse videos – once you’re done creating a video, you can share it on Instagram or Facebook.
• No sign-up – you don’t need an Instagram account to use Hyperlapse.

Get the Hyperlapse app for iOS from Apple’s App Store.
Visit the Hyperlapse Help Center if you need any assistance.


Create photo collages with Layout from Instagram



When Instagram introduced the Layout app, it carefully avoided using the word collage, opting instead to describe Layout as an app that can “combine multiple photos into a single image.”

It doesn’t really matter what you call them – collages, layouts, or whatever. What matters is that Layout is easy to use and has lots of interesting features to offer.

Layout from Instagram – Main Features

• Custom layouts – use up to 9 photos to create layouts; as you select what photos to use, the app shows previews of custom layouts; drag and drop photos to arrange them in the order you want; pinch to resize photos.
• Faces – from the Faces tab you can find photos with people in them.
• Camera Roll or Photo Booth – select photos from your phone’s Camera Roll or take new photos in Photo Booth mode.
• Recents – it displays the last 30 photos you selected.
• Save & share – when you’re done creating a custom layout, you can save it to your camera roll or share it on Instagram and other social networks.
• No sign-up – you don’t need an Instagram account to use Layout.

Get Layout for iOS from Apple’s App Store.
Get Layout for Android from Google Play.

Visit the Layout Help Center if you need any assistance.


Create short videos with Boomerang from Instagram



The Instagram app lets you record and share videos. People keeping track of these things will remember that Instagram added support for videos back in the summer of 2013. Tap the movie camera icon and you can shoot videos that are up to 15 seconds long. The app’s world-class image stabilization technology will ensure you make beautiful videos even when on the go. And if you want to make your videos pop, you can always apply a filter.

Boomerang from Instagram lets you create videos, just like the Instagram app – the key difference is that Boomerang lets you create short videos that loop back and forth. It works like this: when you tap the capture button, the app shoots a burst of 10 photos; then it takes those photos and turns them into a high-quality 1-second video that plays forward and backward. The video can be shared on Instagram and Facebook.

Boomerang from Instagram – Main Features

• Create boomerangs – the app shoots a burt of 10 photos and turns them into a 1-second long video that loops back and forth.
• Portrait & landscape – shoot in portrait or landscape.
• Save & share – your boomerangs will be saved to your camera roll. You can easily share your boomerangs on Facebook and Instagram.
• No sign-up – you don’t need an Instagram account to use Boomerang.

Get Boomerang for iOS from Apple’s App Store.
Get Boomerang for Android from Google Play.

Visit the Boomerang Help Center if you need any assistance.


In related news…



I have to remind you that you can create animations and collages with Google Photos, the mobile and web app that Google introduced back in May, 2015. Creating an animation is as simple as selecting a few photos, tapping the + button, and then selecting Animation.

Google recently celebrated the fact that Google Photos has 100 million active users. To mark this joyous occasion, it shared some interesting facts about Google Photos. One of those facts revealed that more than 15 million animations and collages have been created with Google Photos.