Instagram wants creators to try its CapCut clone, so it’s teaching them how to use it

Earlier this year, Instagram launched Edits, an app that greatly expands the available toolset for creators who are looking to craft polished, cinematic content on Reels. In other words, Edits serves as Insta’s take on CapCut, the editing app that is closely aligned with TikTok.

From the jump, Instagram has been looking to attract professional creators to Edits. When the app was first announced, Instagram Head Adam Mosseri positioned it as something intended more “for creators than casual video makers.” To help cultivate that community of short-form pros, Instagram has launched a new web series that trains viewers to make the most out of Edits.

The series, hosted by creator Adrian Per, goes over topics like camera placement, teleprompters, and key frames. According to Social Media Today, five installments are now live, with 15 more slated to arrive before the end of the year.

Eight months after Edits was announced, public perception of the app has shifted. Its initial reveal felt like a (somewhat cynical) attempt to capitalize on CapCut outages associated with TikTok’s regulatory troubles in the U.S. What happened instead is that TikTok’s operating status became much less tenuous

while the launch of Edits was pushed back.

Despite those delays, Edits still made a big splash when it officially debuted in April. Meta’s platforms have placed a bigger emphasis on original content in recent years, and Edits — which encourages short-form creators to originate their uploads as Reels — feels like a big part of that push.

As for the tutorial web series, while it’s just limited to Edits for now, it could be an interesting candidate for a broader focus. The videos are reminiscent of YouTube’s Creator Insider hub, which has become an important source of clear communication from YouTube higher-ups to creators. Instagram has had its own issues when it comes to creator communication, so maybe it should consider more tutorial team-ups moving forward.