How to Use Edits, Instagram’s New CapCut Clone for Editing Videos

Instagram’s long-promised video-editing app is out now. Here’s how to use Edits to make Reels, and how the software differs from TikTok’s CapCut.

In January, Meta announced its stand-alone video editing app for making Reels, simply called Edits. After release delays, users anywhere in the world can now download the app and try it out.

The new video-creation tool is clearly inspired by the success of ByteDance’s similar CapCut app for TikTok, with tools dedicated to streamlined editing of vertical clips. Instagram’s Reels feed of algorithmically selected clips was launched five years ago, also in direct response to TikTok’s expanding influence at the time. Meta has never shied away from its mimetic tendencies; the company tends to adopt the buzzy software features of other apps by building those same features into its platforms. So, Edits, a creator-focused tool that makes it even easier to ...