Instagram is officially launching Edits, the company’s take on mobile video editors. The launch comes three months after Instagram announced the app, and two months after Edits’ original launch date in February.

Instagram is coming for TikTok

It makes sense for Instagram to have a video editor of its own for many reasons. The company is no longer just the app you open to check out the photos and videos people and companies post on their page: Instagram reels are a huge part of the experience now. Short-form videos have taken off everywhere (even LinkedIn has them), and Instagram is no exception. There’s a good chance it’s your platform of choice for these bite-size clips, especially if you live in the United States—even if TikTok users scoff at the idea of using Reels at all.

But it’s not just the friendly competition that is fueling this push for Edits to take off. You might recall that back in January, TikTok and its associated apps went dark. Not only did Americans lose access to the most popular short form video app in the world, but also other popular apps like CapCut.

While TikTok and many of its apps returned, the situation is ongoing, and these apps’ future in the U.S. is anything but guaranteed. There’s a real opportunity for Meta to solidify Instagram as the one-stop shop for both consumers and creators of short form videos, both to compete with TikTok and to take its crown should the apps be banned again.

What can you do with Edits?

Instagram itself has an editing tool you can use when creating a reel, but the Edits app appears to be a more complete experience. I haven’t had a chance to try out Edits yet, but from Meta’s promotional materials, the app seems like a standard mobile video editor. You can import video files, or shoot directly within the app (up to 10 minutes), and edit on a non-linear timeline. Like other apps, you can access various editing tools, like a chrome key tool for green screening, a caption editor, and a cutout feature to isolate subjects and objects.

You can check out reels with trending audio, and use a track if you find one you like, or access a greater audio library to add music and sounds to your video. While there’s a general project manager, there’s also an “Ideas” section. Here, you can write down concepts for future videos; it looks to be more than a glorified notes app, as it seems you can create vision board-like stickers for these ideas. You can also keep tabs on how any video performs from an “Insights” tab.

Credit: Images courtesy of Meta

Of course, it’s 2025, so Instagram is incorporating AI into Edits. That manifests as the Animate feature, which lets you animate static images with generative AI. It sounds similar to features offered by other companies, like Google’s Veo 2 video model, but we’ll have to see how it performs before passing judgment. Meta says there’s also a “Modify” feature that changes the “look and feel” of your videos using AI, but hasn’t specified much about how that really works. Again, we’ll need to test out the app to see what that’s all about.

You can download Edits starting today from the iOS App Store and Google Play Store. You’ll need to log in with your Instagram account to use it, which makes sense: Meta wants you to use this for Instagram reels. However, as long as you have an Instagram account, you can use Edits to make videos for any platform. The company says all exports come without watermarks, so you can, in theory, use Edits to post videos on platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts, not just Instagram.

Again, the big question is how the app performs when compared to established mobile video editor apps. If you use Instagram already, it might makes sense to use Edits, too. But if you’re used to another mobile video editor, especially one that isn’t at risk of being banned, will Edits be enticing enough to make the switch? Only time (and edits) will tell.