Facebook adds video to Instagram

Facebook-owned photo-sharing network Instagram has added video functionality to its service, allowing users to share video clips for the first time. 

Instagram users can now choose to capture videos of up to 15 seconds and choose from 13 filters to give the clips a distinctive look – the major draw for its still image service.

“Over the past two and a half years, Instagram has become a community where you can capture and share the world’s moments simply and beautifully. Some moments, however, need more than a static image to come to life. Until now these stories have been missing from Instagram,” said Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom.

The update follows Facebook’s US$1 billion (€756 million) buyout of Instagram last year and will put Facebook in competition with Twitter’s Vine service – another video sharing app that lets users take six-second looping video clips.