Only about two weeks after rival Instagram announced its update to include video, Twitter's six-second video sharing application, Vine, has come out with its biggest update yet.
The new Vine update changes both the way people take videos on the app and the way they categorize and share them. The updates include a redesigned camera complete with a grid and focusing tool. However, perhaps the most interesting video tool is the "ghost" feature. When activated, it lets users line up their next shot by overlaying a ghosted image of the previous take, perfect for those who need to ensure a still camera angle between Vine takes for a stop motion animation or teleport effect video.
In addition to the new camera options, users can now "revine," posting Vines taken by other users directly to their own feeds. It's all a part of a way to help users categorize and find videos . The company introduced 15 channels into the app that organize videos into themes like comedy, food, music and sports. Each category comes with its own "popular" feed, allowing users to see the videos in that category that people have received the most hits.
As single users on Vine become more and more popular, Vine will begin highlighting individual users with "On the Rise," a section that features new up and coming creators.
The update also provides for more privacy for users who can now protect their posts so that only approved followers can see them unless the user decides to post them to Facebook or Twitter. It would appear these applications are only the tip of the iceberg for what Vine has in store for users in its battle against Instagram, which it has been losing momentum to in recent weeks since the popular photo sharing application launched with video. The Verge reports the company has said other features are coming to the Android app next week but that they would not specify which ones.
The update was made available in the App store on Wednesday.
