Twitter takes on Instagram with new photo filters

Twitter's new photo filters.

(Credit: Twitter)

Twitter unveiled its much talked-about photo filters today, giving users of its iOS and Android apps a way to edit their pictures and share them directly from their smartphones.

The move, which comes just days after Facebook-owned Instagram blocked its photos from being displayed properly inside the Twitter timeline, sets up a new rivalry between two social networks eager to capture as many of their users' photos as possible.

The new features are available in updated versions of the iOS and Android apps. The big changes, taken from Twitter's blog post on the subject:

• Filters. Apply one of eight filters, ranging from black & white to vintage, to add a new look and feel to your photos.
• Take a bird's-eye view. See how each filter would affect your photo in a single grid view, or swipe through looks to compare your options. 
• Frame the action. Crop and pinch to zoom in order to focus attention. 
• Auto-enhance. Make your photos pop with balanced light and colors by tapping the wand.

Twitter also put together a video demonstrating how the new features work.