Snapchat Is Making Its Biggest Upgrade To Video Recording Yet

Snapchat is rolling out another major update today, just a little under two weeks after the app rolled out its new backdrop and voice filter tools. This newest update comes with two brand new features, meaning that 2017 is about to really be the summer of Snaps.

The first of these, Tint Brush, is clever small addition. Starting today, you’ll be able to change the colour of any item in your Snap — be it an ice cream cone pinata or your hair.

To use the new Tint Brush, tap the Scissors icon in the vertical toolbar; look for the icon alongside the Magic Eraser, Stickers, and Backdrops icons.

First, pick the colour you want to apply to the object. Then, outline the area that’s getting the colourful makeover (it's similar to when you apply a backdrop). That’s it — your hair is now hot pink or royal blue. Like we said, Tint Brush is fun, though, besides giving you more control, not all that different from many of the colour-changing Lenses already available on Snapchat.

The more groundbreaking part of today’s update is this: Multi-Snap. Snapchat started playing with the lengths of its Snaps in May, when the app introduced limitless Snaps and looping videos — Snaps that were no longer restricted to 10 seconds of viewing time. Still, for the sender, this didn’t solve the issue of video length: When you wanted to capture a scene on video that was longer than 10 seconds for a Snap, it was next to impossible. By the time you recorded and sent the first Snap, the moment would be over. Multi-Snap solves this problem: Now, you can record up to six Snaps, each 10-seconds in length, at once.

To use Multi-Snap, just press and hold the record button and your video will continue to record until you’ve reached the 60-second maximum. Then, each 10-second clip will appear as thumbnails on the bottom of the screen. After the recoding is done, you’ll see the usual preview screen, where you can add text, stickers, or other effects. If you decide you no longer want one of the segments of your video, press on that thumbnail and drag it to the trash.

The resulting Snaps can be sent to friends, or go on your Story in the order in which you recorded them. With this feature, this marks the closest Snapchat has come to giving you the option of sending and posting longer continuous videos.

Now, you can induce extra FOMO by showing more of a musician’s set or your walk down the French riviera. The world is your oyster — so long as you can depict it within 60 Snapchat seconds or less.