Instagram is testing a long video format called Features. It was announced on October 26, 2026. The test is for selected creators in the United States, after earlier testing in Brazil.
That limit matters. Features is not available to every artist, and it should not be treated as a full public launch.
Still, the direction is worth watching. Instagram is giving selected creators a way to publish horizontal videos that run up to 90 minutes.
For artists, the question is not whether longer is always better. The question is whether some ideas need more time than a short clip allows.
What Features changes
Features allows horizontal videos up to 90 minutes. The videos can appear in the feed and in Explore. Creators can also link up to eight short clips or Reels to the full video.
That link between short and long content is the most useful part. A short clip can introduce one moment, one question, or one detail. The full video can then carry the complete studio visit, talk, demonstration, interview, or process.
This gives artists two levels of attention to work with. The short clip can help a new viewer find the work. The longer video can give that viewer time to understand it.
A portfolio still matters after the video ends. An artist can point viewers toward a complete body of work, such as Bartosz Beda, instead of leaving the conversation inside one post.
Where a long video could help artists
Some subjects are hard to explain in under a minute. A painting demonstration may need setup, process, pauses, and a final review.
An artist talk may need context before the main point makes sense. A studio visit may be stronger when viewers can see how the space and the work connect.
Long video can also serve teaching. A clear demonstration, a critique, or a guided look at materials can live in one complete piece instead of being split into many fragments. Artists who teach may connect that kind of video with painting academy resources so interested viewers know where to continue learning.
Interviews are another fit. A real conversation needs room for follow up questions and quiet moments. Cutting every answer into a short clip can make the exchange feel rushed.
What Features does not solve
Access is the first limit. The current test is for selected creators in the United States. An artist without access can prepare, but cannot build a strategy that depends on publishing a Feature today.
Money is another open question. Instagram has not announced an advertising revenue share for Features. Artists should not assume that a long video will be paid like a video on a platform with an established revenue program.
Attention is still earned minute by minute. A long video with a slow opening can lose viewers just as quickly as a weak short clip. The work needs a clear subject, clean sound, steady images, and editing that respects the viewer's time.
Artists will also need to decide where their energy belongs. A useful comparison of Reels or long videos and where artists should put their energy now starts with the subject, not the format. Choose the length after you know what the viewer should gain.
How to prepare before you have access
Start with one complete idea. It might be a full painting demonstration, a walk through a finished series, an interview, or a talk about one part of your practice.
Write the main question the video will answer. If the question is weak, the video will feel long no matter how well it is recorded.
Plan the short clips as doors
Do not treat clips as random highlights. Each clip should open a door to the full video. Choose moments that raise a question, show a clear change, or reveal a useful detail.
This is the logic behind why short clips should lead viewers to one strong long video. The clip has a job. It should make the next step obvious.
Record for the full frame
Features uses horizontal video. That changes how a studio scene should be framed. Leave room for the work, the artist's hands, and the surrounding space.
Test sound from the position where the artist will actually speak. Check light on the painting, not only on the person.
The practical takeaway
Features may give artists a better place for complete talks, demonstrations, and interviews inside Instagram. The test is limited, the money model is not announced, and access should not be assumed. Even so, artists can prepare now by choosing one strong subject and learning how to shape it for both short clips and a full video.
The format should serve the work. A short clip can bring someone in. A long video can give them a reason to stay.
Three formats that fit artists well
The first format is the full demonstration. A painter can show a piece from start to finish, explain key decisions, and answer the questions students and collectors always ask. The value is in the reasoning, not only in the finished image.
The second format is the series walkthrough. The artist moves from one work to the next and explains what connects them. This helps viewers understand a body of work instead of judging each painting alone.
The third format is the conversation. Two artists, or an artist and a curator, can speak about a theme in depth. A real conversation needs time for pauses, follow up questions, and honest disagreement.
A simple structure for one long video
Open with the question the video will answer. Say it plainly in the first minute so viewers know why they are watching.
Give short context next. Explain the work, the setting, or the problem. Then move into the main demonstration, walkthrough, or conversation.
Pause at natural points to show details up close. A change of view keeps a long video watchable without fast cutting.
Close by returning to the opening question. Show the finished work or the final idea, and tell viewers where they can see more.
Mistakes to avoid with long video
Do not record only in vertical format and hope it can be adapted later. Features uses horizontal video, so plan the frame for the format from the start.
Do not assume you will get access on a set date. Instagram has not announced when the test will widen. Build your plan on what you can publish now, and treat long video preparation as a bonus.
Do not post clips with no clear connection to the full video. Each clip should point to the complete piece and give the viewer a reason to continue.
Do not neglect sound. Viewers forgive a simple image more easily than unclear speech. A quiet room and a basic microphone check will do more for a long video than expensive decoration.
A preparation checklist for artists
- Choose one subject that truly needs more than a few minutes.
- Write the main question the video will answer.
- Record a short test in horizontal format and check sound and light.
- Save the full recording as a master file outside the app.
- Plan up to eight short clips that can lead viewers to the full video.
- Decide where viewers should go next, such as a portfolio page or a class page.
Preparation like this is not wasted if access comes slowly. The same recording can serve your website, your newsletter, or a class. The point is to make one strong piece of content and let each format do its own job.
One strong video, prepared well, is worth more than a rush to fill a new format. Artists have limited hours. Spend them on the subject that deserves the room.
Keep the work, not only the post
Save your recordings, notes, and clip lists in your own folders. Platforms change their formats, tests end, and access rules shift.
The recording is the asset. The post is only one use of it.
An artist who keeps clean master files can reuse the same material on a website, in a class, or in a future format without starting again. That habit protects the hours you spent recording, whatever Instagram decides next.
If Instagram gave you room for one full video, what would you record first: a demonstration, a studio visit, an interview, or a talk? Artists are invited to share an answer, and thoughtful responses may be considered for a future 5 Questions feature.
