Instagram is thinking outside the box ... literally.
On Thursday, Aug. 27, the company announced that in addition to square posts, users can now share photos and videos in both portrait and landscape formats. Users can update Instagram for iOS version 7.5 in Apple's App Store and Instagram for Android version 7.5 on Google Play.
Instagram made the update after learning that 20 percent, or one in five photos or videos that users are posting, aren't in its classic square format, prompting the change. That and the photo- and video-sharing social media force wanted to empower its users to tell a better visual story — one that means not cutting friends out of group shots or being able to capture the entire Golden Gate Bridge from end-to-end widescreen for better content.
The latter point especially holds true to video, so the change will now allow Instagram users and their followers to post widescreen, cinematic footage.
With Thursday's update, when choosing a video now, one can tap the format icon and adjust the orientation to portrait or landscape instead of square. Once the photo is shared, the full-sized widescreen version of it will appear to your followers. However, within your profile grid, the post will appear as a center-cropped square to maintain a clean look.
Star Wars seemed to especially embrace Instagram now supporting widescreen video, taking to its Instagram account to share new widescreen footage from The Force Awakens.
There has been an awakening... #StarWars #TheForceAwakens
A video posted by Star Wars (@starwars) on Aug 27, 2015 at 10:00am PDT
