Instagram’s Effect Builder makes new filters from AI prompts

After expanding its Edits app to macOS last week, Instagram’s next move is launching this Effect Builder that generates custom filters for your Stories posts with AI. Available now for US residents who are over 18, it has a prompt box for describing your filter idea to the chatbot, with an option to attach style reference images.

Then you can upload your own photos to preview the AI-generating effects, and ask for changes in follow-up prompts. There’s also an option to allow Instagram’s AI to rewrite your prompt, which turned my one-line test prompt “Make a filter that turns photos into comic book pages” into several AI-generated paragraphs of detailed style requests on everything from color palette to lighting.