Snapchat now has a standalone app for making gen AI augmented reality effects

Snapchat has been experimenting with generative AI-powered augmented reality lenses for the past couple of years and is now introducing a new standalone app for making AR effects. The company is releasing a new version of its Lens Studio software that allows users to create AR lenses through text prompts and simple editing tools. This new version of Lens Studio is available as an iOS app and web version, making it more accessible to users who are not developers or AR professionals. The app offers a range of face-altering and body-morphing effects thanks to generative AI, allowing users to express themselves in new and creative ways. Users can generate their own AI effects, add dancing Bitmoji, and create lenses that reflect their mood or inside jokes. The app has a bit of a learning curve, but it offers dozens of templates that can be used as a starting point and remixed with users' own ideas. Snap already has hundreds of thousands of lens creators, and this new version of Lens Studio could open the door for many more to join. The company has also confirmed that users who publish lenses from the new app will be eligible to participate in its Lens Creator Rewards program, which pays creators who make popular AR effects. A more accessible version of Lens Studio could help Snap compete with Meta for AR talent and raise interesting possibilities for the company's future AR developments. The introduction of this new app and the expansion of Lens Studio could have significant implications for the future of augmented reality and social media.