Instagram users would be very familiar with the forced square format on the app. Some users have resorted to using other apps like Whitagram to add padding to their images so they may upload a photo of landscape or portrait orientation onto Instagram.
Thankfully, Instagram has now lifted the square-only format and allows photos and videos in landscape and portrait orientations.
According to the official announcement:
“Today, we’re excited to announce that — in addition to square posts — you can now share photos and videos in both portrait and landscape orientation on Instagram. Square format has been and always will be part of who we are. That said, the visual story you’re trying to tell should always come first, and we want to make it simple and fun for you to share moments just the way you want to. It turns out that nearly one in five photos or videos people post aren’t in the square format, and we know that it hasn’t been easy to share this type of content on Instagram: friends get cut out of group shots, the subject of your video feels cramped and you can’t capture the Golden Gate Bridge from end to end. Now, when choosing a photo or video, you can tap the format icon to adjust the orientation to portrait or landscape instead of square. Once you share the photo, the full-sized version of it will appear to all of your followers in feed in a beautiful, natural way. To keep the clean feel of your profile grid, your post will appear there as a center-cropped square.”
Image via Instagram blog
To find out more about the changes, check out the Instagram Help Center.
Instagram for iOS version 7.5 is available today in Apple’s App Store, and Instagram for Android version 7.5 is available today on Google Play.
