Twitter announced on Monday that it is getting into the photo sharing business by offering editing tools that allow users to crop, enhance and apply filters on images.
The announcement comes on the heels of news that Instagram disabled photo integration with Twitter last week. This means previews of Instagram photos no longer appear on Twitter feeds.
The former partners have taken steps to sever ties with each other ever since Instagram was purchased by Facebook, The Washington Post reported. The two companies are now in direct competition with each other.
Last week at a technology conference, Instagram founder Kevin Systrom said the
company wants to limit Twitter integration so they can promote user engagement and their new web profiles, an online photo display, which launched last month, the Post reported.
“We want that to be on Instagram.com because we think it’s a better user experience, currently,” Systrom said at the conference.
Twitter has a similar agenda behind the break-up, according the The New York Times. By creating their own filters the company is hoping that their Very Important Tweeters -- usually celebrities and media personalities -- stay inside their own service for photos instead of using outside apps, including Instagram, where they have larger followings.
The new Twitter features includes a crop tool and a “bird’s-eye view” that allows users to see at a glance how each each filter changes the image. The filters provide different effects that are reminiscent of the vintage looks that made Instagram photos such a hit.
Twitter’s software, however, lacks features that are available on Instagram. Twitter offers eight filters, compared to Instagram’s 18. Instagram also has a tilt shift feature that allows users to select focus on an image.