How Instagram's New 20-Minute Reels Camera Actually Works

Instagram recently expanded the Reels camera with four meaningful changes: a 20-minute recording limit, an undo button for clips, a touch-up slider, and updated green screen tools.

These updates modify how the in-app recording workflow behaves. Here is what each one does.

20-Minute Recording Limit

The Reels camera previously capped recordings at shorter durations, depending on the account and region. Instagram has now raised that ceiling to 20 minutes.

This does not mean every Reel must be 20 minutes long. The change simply removes the upper constraint. You can still record a 15-second clip. The camera timer now reflects the full 20-minute window, and the progress bar scales accordingly.

One practical effect: creators who previously had to stitch together segments in external editors can now capture longer sequences natively. Tutorial content, walkthroughs, and interview-style recordings benefit the most. The upload pipeline still processes the video as a single Reel, so playback behavior in the feed remains unchanged.

It is worth noting that longer Reels may not perform identically in the algorithm. Instagram has historically favored shorter content in recommendations. A 20-minute recording capability does not necessarily translate into 20-minute reach.

Undo Button for Clips

The Reels camera records in a multi-clip format. Each time you stop and restart recording, the camera creates a separate segment on the timeline. Previously, removing a bad clip required deleting all clips and starting over, or trimming in the editor after recording.

The new undo button removes the most recently recorded clip from the timeline. Tap it once, and the last segment disappears. The remaining clips stay intact. This works sequentially. You can undo multiple clips by tapping repeatedly, working backward through your timeline.

This is a non-destructive action during the recording phase. It does not affect clips that have already been finalized or exported. The undo only applies to the active recording session.

Touch-Up Slider

Instagram previously offered a binary touch-up toggle. It was either on or off. The updated camera replaces this with a slider control that lets you set the intensity.

The slider adjusts skin smoothing in real time during recording. Moving it to the lower end applies minimal smoothing. Moving it higher increases the effect. This gives creators more control over how much post-processing the camera applies to facial features.

The touch-up effect is baked into the recorded video. It is not a filter that can be removed after recording. Whatever slider position you choose during capture is what appears in the final Reel.

Updated Green Screen

The green screen tool in the Reels camera allows you to replace your background with an image or video from your camera roll. Instagram has updated how this tool processes the background replacement.

The core mechanic remains the same: the camera isolates the foreground subject and composites it over the selected background media. The update improves edge detection and reduces artifacts around hair and fine details. The tool still requires reasonable lighting contrast between the subject and the physical background for best results.

Green screen recordings are processed in real time. There is no post-render step. What you see in the viewfinder is what gets recorded. This means performance depends partly on device processing power. Older devices may show more latency or lower-quality edge separation.

FAQ

Does the 20-minute limit apply to uploaded videos or only in-app recordings? The 20-minute limit applies to in-app recordings made with the Reels camera. Upload limits for pre-recorded video may differ and are subject to separate constraints.

Can I redo a clip after undoing it? No. The undo action is one-directional. Once you remove a clip, it is deleted from the session. There is no redo function to restore it.

Is the touch-up slider available on all devices? Feature availability may vary by device model and app version. Instagram typically rolls out camera features progressively, so not all users may see the slider immediately.

Does the green screen work with video backgrounds? Yes. You can select either a still image or a video from your camera roll as the background. Video backgrounds play in real time behind the subject during recording.

Are these features available for Stories as well? These updates are specific to the Reels camera. The Stories camera has its own set of tools and effects, and feature parity between the two is not guaranteed.