Facebook Adding Vintage Photo Filters Similar to Instagram's

When Google Plus was first unveiled, lots of photo geeks applauded the social network for its big 2,048 pixel resolution and ease of use. One of the more damning complaints leveled at Facebook was the way it compressed photos, at least until late last year. It was a long overdue upgrade, but along the way, Facebook earned a poor reputation as a space for photographers to share their work.

That frankly makes this next move seem like a step backwards: The New York Times reports that Facebook will soon be letting users add their own Instagram-like filters to their photos.

If you're not familiar with Instagram, it's an iPhone based photo-sharing service that now boasts over seven million users and recently crossed the 150 million photo threshold. Part of the allure is the ability to add vintage-looking filters to your pictures, which can compensate for less than ideal capture settings. The filters themselves add a kitschy charm that makes up for the iPhone camera's shortcomings (though it's actually quite good, all things considered).

But on Facebook that won't be the case.  Instagram's audience tends to be photo savvy; there's an element of competition to take better photos than your friends, and you're not just uploading photos from the bar (although people do).

On the other hand, Facebook, a massive enterprise with over 750 million users, may be unwieldy or simply too big for this sort of image fiddling. There's no more irritating place to superfluously alter photos than this kind of mundane s*** pit. Artificial grain, over-saturation, and Lomo-blotchiness will do nothing to enhance eight kids drinking shots in a dorm room, or a sweet sixteen, or a bad trip to Fort Lauderdale.

Mind you, people have been adding filters to their photos for awhile, Photobooth is one of the first applications people trend towards whenever they purchase a new Mac.

But when you contrast Facebook's photo system with Google Plus's, for example, the former's interface and gallery mode seems lousy. For starters, the funnel to actually upload pictures requires a confusing array of clicks and unclear navigation. With Google Plus you can upload entire sets straight from your phone.

Perhaps it's that we've been using Facebook for too long, and the updates haven't come fast enough. Or maybe it's because new entrants to the photo space are naturally more nimble, able to adapt faster to exactly what it is their users want.

To me, though, adding photo filters to Facebook is like stringing Christmas lights on a house that badly needs repainting. Facebook's system isn't broken, it just needs to be refreshed and made more user-friendly.

But it warrants mention that adding filters is probably just a setup for the dedicated photo sharing app they're working on to compete in the mobile photo arena.

And even if that's the case, I'm still not looking forward to the day.

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Facebook Adds New Google Plus-like Privacy Features

In a blog post that went up earlier today, Facebook announced that they were adding several new privacy features, many of which are eerily reminiscent of Google Plus.

Their goal is to make who you share your content with more straightforward, thus saving you the embarrassment of having to explain why you're wearing a [BLANK] while [BLANKing].

Inline Profile Controls

Previously, in order to change your privacy settings you had to go through the actual settings tab. Now — in a clear nod to G+'s Circles feature — you'll be able to control each individual piece of content with a drop down menu. Want to share a photo album from Friday night with a few choice friends? You'll be able to control who can see it in, oh, two, three clicks? You'll still be able to make things public if you'd like, but now you have the added benefit of being selective.

Content Tag Review

Before, anyone who could view your photos (or posts) could add tags to them. Now? The posts will be left in "pending" for you to review, meaning you'll never have to second guess your sorority squat/duck face ever again.

View Profile As

This is pretty major. Worried that creepy ol' Chris Gayomali from high school is lurking your profile, weeping softly into his keyboard at what could have been? Simply click on the "View Profile As" button in the upper right corner to see what your profile would look like to Chris Gayomali and block whatever content you choose. Maybe then he'll stop "liking" every little thing you post. Maybe.

Adjust Privacy Settings After a Post is Published

Exactly what it sounds like. Google+ has been letting people edit their posts and who sees what after the fact since its inception. It's a welcome feature, and any time Facebook gets more forgiving is A-OK with me.

Head over to the Facebook blog to read more. And, as whenever Facebook unveils new features, expect considerate and thoughtful analysis from users after they're given adequate time to digest the changes. Just, you know, the complete opposite.

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