Instagram brings Edits to desktop to take on CapCut

Instagram has unveiled its desktop version of Edits, the short-form video editing app, in a bid to rival CapCut, ByteDance's popular video editing tool. The desktop application is aimed at more intricate video editing projects that can benefit from a larger screen, mouse, and keyboard. This move positions Edits to compete more directly with CapCut, which has been available on desktop for Windows and Mac since 2021.

Edits on desktop comes packed with licensed and royalty-free music, sound and video effects, and automatic captions in multiple languages. Additionally, creators can sync their saved audio and text styles, customize keyboard shortcuts, or import them from other editing software. The app also boasts a full multi-track timeline, keyframes for transitions, audio waveforms for precise cuts, and more.

Creators can now import their own font files into the app. Brett Westervelt, head of Edits, explained that many creators have found their projects becoming too large for their phone screens, making it difficult to execute complex edits at the right moment. With the desktop version, Instagram aims to expand Edits to accommodate these ambitious projects.

Creators can now publish directly from the desktop editor to Instagram, eliminating the need to download files, move them to mobile, and make further edits. The desktop version will support both horizontal and vertical video formats, offering watermark-free exports in 4K resolution for sharing across platforms or personal use. Instagram plans to release weekly updates to enhance the desktop editor and intends to enable creators to seamlessly edit one project across both desktop and mobile platforms.

The company also plans to continue expanding the mobile Edits app for the 50 million creators who currently use it.