We’ve known they were coming for some time, and now Twitter has finally unveiled a native photo filtering product (just in time for the holidays).
“Every day, millions of people come to Twitter to connect with the things they care about and find out what’s happening around the world. As one of the most compelling forms of self-expression, photos have long been an important part of these experiences. Starting today, you’ll be able to edit and refine your photos, right from Twitter. The latest versions of Twitter for iPhone and Twitter for Android introduce a few new ways to enhance the images you tweet. We’re grateful to our partner, Aviary, for powering our filters and effects,” says Twitter.
Except the app update has only gone live for Android users. As of Tuesday morning, the update is not yet available in the App Store. We’ve reached out to Twitter and will update this article accordingly.
At launch, users have the choice of eight different filters: Vignette, Black & White, Warm, Cool, Vintage, Cinematic, Happy, and Gritty. Just for comparison, Instagram sports 18 filters (one of which they just debuted yesterday).
Twitter’s new app also lets users preview their filter choices in two ways – first, a grid view that shows the photo in every possible filter and second, a swipe-through view that show each filter up close and in more detail. There’s also an “auto-enhance” feature available that Twitter says will “make your photos pop with balanced light and colors.”
This Twitter app update comes just after Instagram released their own iOS camera improvements. It also comes just a few days after Instagram revoked its access to Twitter, leaving Instagram photos unavailable in Twitter streams and photo galleries.
Of course, Instagram wants to keep its users on Instagram, and Twitter wants to keep users inside its wall as well. These new photo filters are just another lob in an ongoing battle between the two companies for photo-sharing supremacy.