Instagram gets up close and personal with 'Superzoom'
Similar to features like Boomerang and Hyperlapse, the photo-sharing social network now let's people record dramatic zoomed-in videos.
This is what you can do with Instagram's new "Superzoom" feature.
Nothing says funny like a theatrical superzoom. Case in point: Dramatic Chipmunk. In that video, you see the little furry creature quickly turn around and then stare into the camera as it zooms in closer and closer to its face.
Now, Instagram is making it easy to record and post videos just like this on the social network. The photo-sharing app rolled out the new feature on Thursday, calling it "Superzoom."
"You can make a Superzoom of anything -- your selfie, your friend's goofy face or even your half-eaten sandwich," Instagram wrote in a blog post.
How it works is when people open the camera in the app, they'll see the "Superzoom" filter under the record button. They just need to tap the filter, hit record and the app will automatically zoom in on an object and even add suspenseful music.
Superzoom joins a series of features in the Instagram app. There's Boomerang, which plays a short video forwards and backwards; and there's hyperlapse, which speeds up a longer video in a time-lapse. Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, has increasingly introduced new features to compete with Snapchat for users.
Like Snapchat, Instagram is also rolling out a set of Halloween face filters. Now through Nov. 1, people on Instagram can turn themselves into a zombie, vampire or flying bat. They can also just fog out their face or add a filter that looks like night vision.
These are some of Instagram's Halloween face filters.
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