What are Instagram Reels?

With Instagram Reels you can record and edit videos with one or more clips of a maximum of 15 seconds, taking advantage of different creative tools to surprise your community. Altering the speed, with audio effects, with filters, etc...

This video will help explain:

In addition to sharing the reels you create with your followers, if you have a public account, you will be able to place them (Mark Zuckerberg and his beloved algorithm) in the new "Explore" Reels section. This will make your publications achieve a much greater reach and bring you closer to users who until then did not know you. Who knows, maybe your time has come and you can finally become a TikToker.

How can you create your first reel?

Creating reels is quite simple and intuitive, just like using the vast majority of features developed by Instagram. Below, you'll see how you can start creating your first reels right now.

Note that you can create your reel by recording it in a series of different clips (it can also be just one of a maximum of 15 seconds) or using videos from your phone's own gallery (as in stories). 

The first thing you need to do (obviously) is to open the Instagram app. Once there, open the Instagram camera as if you were going to upload a regular story and select the "Reels" option at the bottom of the screen (you will now be able to choose between "Live", "Story" or "Reels"). 

You can record your first clip by pressing and holding the record button at the bottom of the screen (as in stories). At the top of the screen you will see an indicator that will guide you on how much time you have recorded and how much time you have left to reach the limit (the good thing, if short, is twice as good. Or not...). Stop pressing the record button to finish each clip.

As I was saying, you will be able to choose between different creative tools that open on the left margin of your screen and that will help you create your most original reel. Some of the tools you will find are:

Audio: you can search for the perfect song for the reel you are creating in the Instagram library and use it, just like when you enter a song when uploading a story. Also, if you share a reel directly with your original audio (i.e. without using an audio from the Instagram gallery) and you have a public account, this audio is attributed to you as the author and other users will be able to create reels with it.

Alignment: Allows you to statically display the final frame of your last clip (as a watermark) before starting the next one. This way, you can achieve less forced transitions, in different scenarios or with more people.

Timer and countdown: This tool allows you to create your reels without having to hold your phone in your hand. Set the timer, place your phone in a good spot, press record and, after the countdown, action!

AR effects: You can choose from the filters you have saved in your camera and with which you usually upload your stories. You can also choose an alternative from the Instagram library.

Speed: Allows you to increase or decrease the speed of the video (or part of it) or audio you use when creating your reel.

Now that you know what Reels are and how you can start creating your own, it's time to get started. Just one thing we ask you, don't use TikTok to create your Reels and then upload them to Instagram, it's very ugly and Mark may end up getting annoyed. Enjoy creating!