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Instagram introduces Layout, a separate app for creating photo collages (coming soon to Android)

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Layout from Instagram

One can argue that Instagram is largely responsible for this boom of photo collage applications found in app stores like Google Play. The fact that Instagram never felt the need to build this kind of functionality into their app — or allowed users to share more than a single photo at a time — meant hardcore IG’ers had to search elsewhere.

There’s a huge business built around it too. Perform a quick search and you’re sure to find endless pages of apps. While a few get the job done, most feel like a hack job with a user interface that’s clunky, and output quality that can be lacking.

Rather than build this functionality inside Instagram (like many of their users have been clamoring for), Instagram is introducing a completely separate app. It’s called “Layout from Instagram” and it allows users to compile photo collages for easy sharing to the photos-only social network.

The app is painfully easy to use. You can either snap photos on the spot using Layout’s photo booth feature, or you can select from the most recent photos in your gallery. Photos from your gallery are grouped in separate tabs: all, faces (which only chooses photos with people in them), or recents (photos you’ve recently used in an collage).

After you’ve selected the photos you’d like to compile, you can choose the layout that suits your photos best and then adjust them accordingly. You can drag and drop to reorganize, tap a photo to bring up the handles and resize, or mirror and flip to mix things up. After you’re satisfied with the way your photos look, you can share to Instagram, Facebook, or anywhere else.

Instagram says ‘Layout from Instagram’ will be hitting Android devices in the coming months, with iOS availability right now.

Chris Chavez
I've been obsessed with consumer technology for about as long as I can remember, be it video games, photography, or mobile devices. If you can plug it in, I have to own it. Preparing for the day when Android finally becomes self-aware and I get to welcome our new robot overlords.

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3 Comments

  1. Freaking hilarious. They learned from FB to release everything separately.

    1. I think some people might prefer this method better though because it allows Instagram to keep the app relatively lightweight for legacy devices, while introducing new features for the truly dedicated.

      Seems like it’d be super easy to just include in the app though.

      1. Considering my FB Lite is 1.73, and Instagram is 26.30 mb… It’s not very light weight as is. FB/Instagram make very bad, heavy apps.

        BTW, it’d be good if you guys kept us up to date with new downloads for FB Lite. It keeps prompting to update, but I can’t through Play Store (too lazy to search forums).

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