The news of this standalone “Camera” app that allows users to add Instagram-esque filters and post multiple pics from a phone at one time, among other things, comes only days after the company’s initial public offering got a lukewarm reception from Wall Street and raised the eyebrows of financial regulators.
The company says the Camera app, which will be available immediately for Apple iOS devices, makes using Facebook photos more fun and accessible, Facebook said in statement.
“When you launch the app, you will see a feed of just great photos from the people you care about,” the company said in a press release. “You can swipe to see more of any album or tap to enlarge an individual photo.”
According to Facebook Product Manager Dirk Stoop, who extensively explained what functionality the app will have. When users first download and log into the app they will be presented with a grid of pictures posted by people on their friends list. They can swipe through the images and easily tap to enlarge them and “Like” or comment on them.
Interestingly, Facebook Camera also makes sharing photos to the social media hub Facebook easier by authorizing users to share multiple photos at once. Users simply select each photo they wish to upload by marking it with a check mark, then tap the post button.
Currently available only for iOS devices, Facebook Camera app empower users to shoot, edit, crop photos as well as embellish with colorful filter, and share photos to Facebook without ever leaving the app.
Some other interesting features include posting multiple photos at a time, adding a caption, cropping, and applying one of 14 vintage-style filters; “Just choose the shots you want to share by tapping the check-mark on each photo and then hit post,” Facebook’s statement reads. Additionally, “You will have a chance to add a caption, say where you were and tag friends before you share.”
However, it is More than just a photo-publishing app, Facebook Camera enable you to browse photos that your friends are sharing to Facebook, and allows you to comment and like images within the stream. Apart from deleting photos or friends’ comments does not seem to be an option, though. You can also like and comment on pics just like you would on full Facebook. Click the “Me” tab to see photos in which you are tagged.
Facebook Camera reinforces Facebook’s standing in the mobile market, something the company stated was a priority during its IPO last week. The app could also be equipped to appeal to photographers, who are one of the few niche groups to have fully embraced Google+.
In order to access photos stored on your phone, tap the filmstrip-like row of photos along the top bar. That will unfurl to show you all available pics. Tap one to create a Facebook post with that image, or tap the shaded arrow to add multiple pics to a single post. To take a new photo, select the camera icon on the top left. You can also comment on and tag photos before posting.
Further, if you wish to modify your pic, open it up and tap the edit tool, which will let you crop the photo. The wand-like tool, among other things, will infuse special filters to a photo — from copper or neon to black and white and light.
Conclusively, to precisely understand the functionality, Facebook provided a short, soundless clip that demonstrates how Camera will work, which you can view below. The app, if it is not already at the time you read this, will be available for download in Apple’s App Store soon.
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