Instagram will put in five more photo filters to its Android app. The filters are just part of the app’s latest update that is scheduled to be released in the Google Play Store today. It’s the first time in two years that new filters have been added to the app. In a blog post, Instagram stated: “Inspired by the photography, art, fashion and design of the global Instagram community, we’re releasing five new filters that we believe are our best yet. You’ll see the filters at the front of your filter tray: Slumber, Crema, Ludwig, Aden and Perpetua. They soften and subtly shift colors to achieve the look and feel you want for your each photo.”
For all that you hear about Instagram’s filters, the company doesn’t release that many; there were two additions in December 2012, and nothing since then. Apps like VSCO Cam have picked up the slack since, offering a wider variety of filters and editing abilities to help your photos stand out. Instagram responded in the summer with some more granular tweaking tools, and today it’s releasing five brand new filters — its first in two years. “Photography trends have evolved,” acknowledges Instagram in a statement. “We’ve seen tremendous creativity within the community, not only in the moments they share, but in the time spent carefully composing and editing photos and videos to bring out emotions and make them beautiful.” That suggests that these new filters — called Slumber, Crema, Ludwig, Perpetua, and Aden — are directly designed to appeal to users of apps like VSCO Cam. And one look at these samples backs this up; although we haven’t had a chance to use them for ourselves, on this evidence most of the new filters look subtler and more realistically filmic than the sometimes heavy-handed present set.