Instagram 2.1 Fixes Almost Everything That Was Horrible About 2.0 Update [Revew]

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Before and after. Instagram's Lux fixes shadows and adds contrast. Photo Charlie Sorrel

Instagram 2.1, which launched at the end of last week, has fixed up the frankly horrible interface of v2.0, and added in some significant new features. Other things — like the proliferation of scantily-clad ladies and (normally-clad) pets in the “popular” section — remain just the same.

When Instagram releases an update for its iOS-only photo-sharing app, there are usually some major new toys to play with. 2.1’s most obvious new feature is the revamped interface, but the big deal is Lux, a brand-new photo-processing tool. Lux is billed as a way to fix low-contrast or underexposed shots, hence the name (lux is a unit used to measure light). And because it’s not a filter, it can be combined with any other Instagram filter for even more tweaking.

Depending on the source photo, Lux can be either horrible or miraculous. I tried it on the photo you see above, an underexposed frame from a panorama I shot of the Plaza de España in Seville last week. The “before” version is all shadows and blue sky, but the Lux-ed version really does a good job of fixing it. Given that even the iPhone’s HDR mode can have trouble with contrast and shadows, it’s very welcome.

One note: the image was shot on a Panasonic GF1 and beamed to my iPad via Eye-Fi. I didn’t want to use an image from the iPad’s awful camera for the test. Also, the white flecks you see are specks of spittle from a fountain between me and the tower.

V2.1 also brings a new filter, Sierra. It lends a nice, soft 1970s ambience to the picture. I combined it with Lux for the picture above. But maybe the best use for Lux is fixing up pictures without having to grungify them with filters. Perhaps Instagram is hedging for the day we get sick of retro-fication.

Then there’s the interface. It has been cleaned up something good. Gone is the hideous bubble of a “share” button in the middle of the home screen toolbar. Now the icons are discreet and equally-sized. The “popular” section inexplicably keeps its place in the lineup, though. Maybe I’m atypical, but I almost never use this. I’d prefer a shortcut to my favorite photos, or — frankly — anything but “popular.”

I have another UI gripe, too. I often import photos from my iPad’s photo library to post. Often they are already square. But open a square photo in Instagram and it is placed like this:

If Instagram were a toddler, it would have trouble getting the square peg into the square hole

To make it line up with the template square, you can’t just swipe it into place. Do that and it pops back to where it started. You have to pinch to zoom in, then zoom out as you line it up. It’s super-annoying and has been around since version 1.

Finally, there’s a nice touch regarding notifications. Now, when somebody stars or comments on one of your photos, swiping the resulting notification takes you direct to that photo.

In all, then, a solid update. And all the more remarkable given that Instagram has less employees than your average food wagon. If you don’t already have it, go grab it now, and be sure to follow Cult of Mac.

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