Instagram has introduced a new update to its standalone video editing app, Edits, adding improved cropping functionality and offering official guidance on how to achieve higher-quality video output.
The latest release brings enhanced cropping tools, allowing users to better control how their content appears across various aspect ratios. This feature gives creators more flexibility when refining videos for different formats, such as Reels or Stories, and is part of Instagram’s ongoing effort to support content creators with more precise in-app editing options.
Alongside the product update, Edits product lead Tom Bender shared technical tips aimed at helping users improve video quality and engagement. Among the recommendations, Bender highlights optimal resolution settings – advising creators to shoot and export in 2K for the best balance between clarity and editing performance. While 4K is supported, he notes that users likely won’t notice a difference on Instagram itself.
Frame rate options include 24, 30, and 60 frames per second. Each offers a different aesthetic, from cinematic (24fps) to standard (30fps) to ultra-fluid (60fps), allowing creators to experiment with visual styles. Edits also supports both standard and high dynamic range (SDR and HDR), with Bender encouraging users to explore both to determine which best fits their content needs.
Finally, Bender suggests uploading directly to Instagram using the app’s built-in sharing tool to minimize compression and preserve video quality, citing Meta’s ability to optimize that publishing pathway. This update marks a more incremental change to the platform’s already-well-established tools that came at launch, but is still another push towards making Edits a more valuable video platform – one that would keep users in the Instagram ecosystem instead of turnign to third-party apps.
