Facebook is always tweaking and unveiling new features to lure more users and encourage them to use the social network more. One of the most common activities for users of the network is the sharing of photos and video on the site. One thing that is lacking on Facebook are filters to change those photos, but that will soon change.

Facebook is planning to add a series of filters to its mobile application in the coming months to compete with Instagram according to unnamed engineers on the project. The NYT reports that the filters feature has been ready for a while now. However, CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg has put the launch on hold until the engineers working on the project can get more filters ready for the service according to the source.

According to those engineers on the project, Facebook will roll the features out with almost a dozen photo filters. Some of them will reportedly be similar to the old-fashioned looking filters that are popular with Instagram users. These filters make the photos look like grainy film and like they were shot with old lenses. The last new feature Facebook added was the new chat service.

One of the engineers that leaked the details on the filters also said that Facebook tried to buy Instagram over the summer, but wasn't able to complete the deal. The NYT reports that Instagram offered no comment on the rumor. Facebook also offered no official comment. Apparently, Apple will also be integrating photo filters directly into the next version of iOS according to code found in the upcoming release. Instagram itself now has eight million users and has recently raised $7 million in funding for expansion. Why exactly Facebook was unable to purchase Instagram is unknown.