Meta released a video app called Edits on Tuesday, as the social media company continues to face off in court against the Federal Trade Commission.
The debut of Edits, which seeks to increase Meta's already massive social media footprint, comes at one of the most challenging times in the company's history, with US federal regulators accusing it of engaging in anticompetitive behaviour.
Last week, Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg took the witness box to combat the accusations. The trial is expected to last at least two months.
Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has been touting the release of its mobile video editing tool for months. Edits will compete in the same space as Captions, CapCut and other apps used by social media creators.
“If you’re passionate about making videos, Edits has the tools you need to support your creation process, all in one place,” Meta said in a news release.
“This is just the first step in making an app that helps you create your best videos, and we plan to keep evolving and improving Edits based on your feedback.”
Video creation has become paramount for Meta, as it seeks to blunt the impact and rising popularity of video-based apps like TikTok.
Several years ago, the company pivoted its Instagram platform to begin showcasing more videos – called Reels – instead of traditional photo carousels, which previously made up a majority of the app's content.
Those efforts have been relatively successful, with Instagram proving to be a worthy competitor to TikTok, although it has yet to overtake the China-owned app in popularity.
Edits claims to allow users of Meta platforms to create better content at a quicker pace, with captions, transitions and special effects able to be uploaded in various places.
Meta has touted powerful editing tools within the app such as “frame-accurate timeline with clip-level editing, auto-enhance features and effects like green screen and transitions”.
The company also says that the new app provides users with “real-time feedback on factors that can affect distribution”, so that users can change videos to increase visibility.
Meta's purchases of Instagram and WhatsApp are under particular scrutiny.
