This article originally appeared on i-d.vice.com
If you were on the internet at literally any point over this weekend you'll have noticed that everyone is suddenly and totally obsessed with a wave of new Snapchat filters that transform your face into a man, woman or a baby.
Clearly, the rise of augmented reality filters across our favourite social media apps has never been stronger. And with a skyrocketing popularity, the people providing our favourite filters have gone from being technology and AR experts to young artists trying their hand at a new skill. What used to be a super niche medium is now more accessible than ever because of easy access to programming training and a growing community of programmers helping each other perfect their style. Online, you can find everything from iridescent liquid skin effects to scenes that transform you into a bug-eyed green alien, all thanks to a group of renegade, upstart artists taking the filter game away from the Facebook-backed developers and making it the new frontier in DIY art instead.
Even though uploading DIY filter creations is not yet available to everyone, a lucky few have survived the months-long waiting list to the Instagram Beta programme and finally gotten their work onto the app. Meanwhile, brands such as Gucci and adidas have already cottoned onto the power of a custom filter. Naturally one of the first celebs to create their own custom filter was beauty mogul Kylie Jenner with her signature full face of make-up, closely followed by Rihanna’s gemstone effect that helped fans shine bright like a diamond.
But it's not just celebrities and big brands that are getting in on the AI action. Software like Spark AR studio allows virtual reality newbies to easily create their own Instagram and Facebook filter effects without having to learn code, and more importantly, for free. Designer Jade Roche, creator of the fluorescence effect famously used by Bella Hadid and roughly a million other people, started off having never used AR before in her life. “I think most of the early developers come from a tech background and are technically very good at making effects. I'm more of a regular person who just wants to either look enhanced or have fun and be able to share it.”
Read the full article here: https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/ywy3qy/augmented-reality-artists-making-instagram-filters