In a move that will certainly be seen as being preempted by Instagram, Twitter released an update to its Android and iOS apps to include filters in its photo submission process. Every photo, regardless of whether it ends up being adjusted, cropped or filtered, has to go through the workflow, which is powered by Aviary.
Aviary is one of the internet’s most popular photo editing SDKs, found in a number of third-party Twitter, Facebook and general image editing applications. It’s cross-platform compatible, which is likely why Twitter went in that direction, as it will likely be easily able to add the feature to Windows Phone, BlackBerry 10 and any other platforms it creates apps for in the future.
The editing workflow is fairly simplistic; there are three processes you can perform, including a general lightening/sharpening/emboldening “Auto Enhance” mode. The Crop tool allows you to enlarge the subject in the frame, but doesn’t allow for changes to the aspect ratio: your photo either ends up a 1:1 square or what looks like a 4:3 rectangle.
The filters themselves, as one might expect, are meant to highlight certain aspects of the photo’s “mood.” Vintage, Happy, Vignette and Cinematic are likely going to see the most use, but all of them seek to add mood to otherwise flat mobile photos. Whereas Instagram is a destination for photos — filters are expected, as they have been there since inception — Twitter’s integration feels awkward, rushed and altogether wasteful. For those who don’t want to use them it means an extra tap or two to save and proceed; those that do use them will find themselves tapping multiple times to find that right fit for their given situation. The feed will be inundated with unnecessarily stylized photos, which is exactly what Twitter wants to happen.
Thankfully, you can still post without filters by using Android’s or iOS’ Share from Gallery feature.
Download Twitter for iOS and Android.
Via: Twitter Blog
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