Instagram has launched Hyperlapse, a new standalone app letting users shoot time-lapse videos, as the Facebook-owned firm continues to expand.
Time lapse is a cinematography technique commonly used to show a plant growing or a cityscape going from day to nigh in a few seconds.
The app, currently only available on Apple’s iOS for iPads and iPhones, lets users record a video and choose a desired speed to create a time lapse video that uses Instagram’s stabilization technology and the mobile device’s camera app.
Instagram’s video stabilization technology was built through the acquisition of Luma in August 2013.
The original Luma app enabled users to edit the stabilization, brightness, contrast and saturation of videos recorded on mobile devices.
“Traditionally, time lapse videos depend on holding your phone or camera still while you film,” said Instagram in a blog post. ”Hyperlapse from Instagram features built-in stabilization technology that lets you create moving, handheld time lapses that result in a cinematic look, quality and feel—a feat that has previously only been possible with expensive equipment.”
This is the second standalone app that Instagram launched since it was acquired by Facebook for $1 billion in 2012.
Last month, Instagram launched an ephemeral Snapchat-like photo sharing app called Bolt. The Bolt app is currently only available in Singapore, South Africa and New Zealand for iOS and Android.