Instagram Gives You Even More Control Over Photo Tweaks

If you weren't already overwhelmed with the number of ways you can tweak and enhance a photo using Instagram, the filter-happy app just added some more new tools for coloring your photos, along with a way to keep tabs on your favorite accounts.

Starting today on Instagram's Android app, and in the coming days on iOS, Instagram is adding two new tools: Color and Fade. Color lets you tint the highlights or shadows in your photo one of eight hues: purple, blue, cyan, green, yellow, orange, red, or pink. The Fade tool is more subtle, letting you soften colors. 

Unlike Layout, which Instagram rolled out as a separate app, both of these options are placed next to the other creative editing tools (like adjusting brightness or contrast) within the main Instagram app.

Instagram is also making it easier to keep track of favorite accounts. Now, you can choose to get notifications whenever a particular person you follow posts a new photo. To do this, go to the person's profile, tap the three-dot setting menu button in the right corner, and then select "Turn on Post Notifications." Then, in addition to getting notifications about actions on your own posts, you'll get notified whenever that person posts a new photo.

This new Post Notifications feature sounds useful, if, for example, you always miss Instagrams that your sister posts, or, if you don't want to miss a single post from your favorite Instagram account (cough @Refinery29 cough). A similar type of functionality is already in use by Facebook, so it's not too surprising that Instagram now has its own version. However, it also sounds like it could get stalkery, making it easier for that one rando to like every single one of your photos, or for your controlling ex to quietly keep tabs on your Instagramming. If the latter scenarios are a concern for you, we recommend setting your posts to Private, if you haven't already. To do this, go to your profile, tap Edit, then scroll down and switch on "Posts are Private." 

The updated features roll out today starting in Instagram's Android app.