Instagram Decides It’s Not Hip To Only Be Square, Will Now Allow Rectangular Images & Videos

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(Instagram) If you’ve ever had to take a screenshot of a rectangular photo on your phone just so you could crop it into a square to post on Instagram, you’ll be glad to hear this news: the photo-sharing app announced Thursday that it’ll now allow landscape and portrait photos and videos instead of only square-shaped media. Instagram explains the choice to give up allowing squares exclusively by saying that the “visual story” users are trying to tell “should always come first.” After all, notes the company, almost one in five photos or videos posted on the aren’t in the square format, acknowledging that folks likely use workarounds to get their content posted to the platform. Now users can tap the format icon to choose an orientation. Once the photo is shared, the full-sized version will appear to followers “in a beautiful, natural way.” You know what this means? Wider shots of feet standing in interesting places and a better idea of exactly how bad your friend is at photographing food in an appetizing way. With the good comes the bad, eh?

1. by Mary Beth Quirk
2. via Consumerist

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