Instagram updated its iOS and Android apps Monday with a new filter, new crop and scale features and a more refined user interface.
There is a lot of drama right now in the photo sharing space -- especially now that Twitter is offering its own photo filters -- so we wanted to spend a few minutes with the new Instagram features and see how the changes stack up.
I can't help but wonder if the new features were part of a peace offering to users. Last week, Instagram stopped supporting Twitter Cards, meaning that inline embeds on Twitter.com and in Twitter's official mobile apps no longer work.
The most fundamental change is to the camera and edit pages. The interface has been completely redesigned (at least on iOS) and it's now much easier to take a photo and filters options are more prominent.
The newest Instagram filter, Willow, is kind of a throwback to Gotham -- the still-missed Instagram filter the company excised from version 2.0 of its app -- and it works well for images of contrast.
There is also a Foursquare button on the location pages that will open up directly in the company's mobile web app.
For iOS owners, perhaps the best new feature is the fact that all Instagram images are now saved in their own album on the camera roll. Unfortunately, this doesn't retroactively apply to past snaps, but it's great for keeping track of future Instagram shots without having to power up the app.
What do you think of the new Instagram? Let us know in the comments.