Instagram: Collage

I am going to talk about one of my favorite apps and that is Layout from Instagram: Collage from Instagram. I like to take photos of books, CDs, vinyl albums, and little geeky extra things I get. This app allows me to build a collage out of a series of photos and then publish it to Instagram. I love this kind of application because when I take a photo of a vinyl album or a CD, I photograph the liner notes, cover, back, the album or disc, and any interesting image bits. I feel this makes a more interesting presentation than a series of full photographs. This is a well-designed application as it leads you through the required steps in a few clicks. 

When you launch into the application the user is met with a screen that allows them to immediately begin choosing the images they wish to use in their collage. There is a single link for “Photo Booth” to immediately add a new image to this collage by launching your camera.

Figure 1

Layout from Instagram: Collage Homepage

  

Once some images are chosen the next screen has the chosen images set into a number of layouts. The user chooses the layout they wish and can scroll through many options. Once the user decides on one of these layouts the app zooms into it.

Figure 2

Collage: Layouts

  

At this point the user can utilize the controls to change each frame size, they can drag and drop the images into a new location. They can zoom in, flip, mirror, add a border, or replace an image to create the collage that they desire.

Figure 3

Collage: Fine Controls

  

Once the user has completed their work the file is saved and then options to share immediately to Instagram or Facebook appear. There is also a “More” option that will allow the user to share directly with other installed apps on their device.

Figure 4

Collage: Final Screen

  

This app is one of my favorites for a variety of reasons. One of these reasons is that besides how easy it is to use, with its very friendly interface, it is also a quick responding app. There is no home screen to click through or menu to navigate to begin. It just jumps right into the application and you use it. 

The website Savvy has a great article on what makes a great app. They mention that it does one thing well, it knows its audience, it’s stable and fast, and it’s polished (Savvy Editor, 2019). This app is all of those things in my opinion. It does one thing and one thing well and that is building a collage of your favorite images. As to speaking to its audience, it speaks to me by allowing me to take an image in a collage format to show a little artistry. The app has never crashed and I mentioned the speed and responsiveness. It is polished and by that, it looks good, it is a slick app that puts navigation directly into the experience.

References

Layout from Instagram: Collage. (n.d.). Google Play. Retrieved March 10, 2021, from https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.instagram.layout&hl=en_US&gl=US (Links to an external site.)

Savvy Editor. (2019, July 23). What Makes a Great App? Savvy. Retrieved March 10, 2021, from https://savvyapps.com/blog/what-makes-a-great-app#:~:text=A%20great%20app%20is%20focused,those%20%E2%80%9Ctop%20app%E2%80%9D%20lists.