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​Facebook's new profile-pic frames let you wave your own flag

A new feature called camera effects lets you create and share custom looks for profile photos. Because we all want to belong.

Stephen Shankland Former Principal Writer
Stephen Shankland worked at CNET from 1998 to 2024 and wrote about processors, digital photography, AI, quantum computing, computer science, materials science, supercomputers, drones, browsers, 3D printing, USB, and new computing technology in general. He has a soft spot in his heart for standards groups and I/O interfaces. His first big scoop was about radioactive cat poop.
Expertise Processors, semiconductors, web browsers, quantum computing, supercomputers, AI, 3D printing, drones, computer science, physics, programming, materials science, USB, UWB, Android, digital photography, science. Credentials
  • Shankland covered the tech industry for more than 25 years and was a science writer for five years before that. He has deep expertise in microprocessors, digital photography, computer hardware and software, internet standards, web technology, and more.
Stephen Shankland
​Feeling loyal to your neighborhood? Facebook camera effects feature will let you create your own frame to show it.
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​Feeling loyal to your neighborhood? Facebook camera effects feature will let you create your own frame to show it.

Feeling loyal to your neighborhood? Facebook camera effects feature will let you create your own frame to show it.

Facebook

Want to throw off the shackles of Facebook 's pre-made frames, the graphic overlays that let you declare your allegiance to the Paris Saint-Germain soccer team or American Library Association? Good news.

Starting Thursday, the top social network will let you create your own frames to customize your profile picture. There are dozens of profile frames to pick from already, but the new feature, called camera effects, opens up the floodgates to anyone with a creative bent.

Well, not exactly anyone. It'll launch initially to Facebook users in Colombia, Mexico, Taiwan, the UK and Ireland. And camera effects must pass Facebook's approval process.

Frames and camera effects may seem trivial, but belonging to a community often is profoundly important for people. And as the digital age expands to every corner of our lives, the ways we use to declare membership have expanded from T-shirts and bumper stickers to phone ringtones and PC background wallpaper.

If you want others to join your parade, you can with camera effects, because you can share the custom frames, too, Facebook said.

Facebook plans to bring its custom frames to the rest of the world's profile photos, but isn't sharing its schedule yet. But if you're in Ireland, you'll get the custom frames, as well as the ability to use them in a video-message feature Facebook is testing.