Augmented Reality (AR) filters – what’s that you ask?

They’re simply filters you see on your Instagram Story that have the ability to form an augmented image. Through superimposing images with reality, the product is an image that is 50% fictional and 50% fact (you!).

Augmented reality has come a long way since Snapchat filters were first created. Thanks to Instagram, they have now been revived and have turned out to be a treasure trove of exclusive face filters for the general public to play with. Spark AR Studio, Facebook’s creator platform for AR effects, has remained exclusively open to brands, public figures, and popular creators to test out their filters on their communities of 20, 000 users.

Instagram Stories have developed over the years and now plays a key role in ramping up brand engagement and outreach for businesses. Now, here’s the million-dollar question for brands, “Can I try my hands on creating a custom AR filter too?”

BREAKING NEWS FOR ALL: As of August 2019, the AR club has officially opened! Brands can now start creating their own AR filters on Instagram Stories through Spark AR Studio.

With Spark AR Studio now being open to everyone, we’re pretty sure many businesses are eager to start designing their own custom AR filters. Read on and we will show you where and how to start.

Firstly, how do you access hidden Instagram custom AR filters?

Effects Browser
The easiest way is to access the Effects Gallery. Users can scroll to the edge of the AR effects tray and press the “Browse Effects” button. From there, simply browse stories shared by other users, try out the featured AR effects, and add them to your tray for future use.

Follow a Creator/Brand account
Following a creator will let you instantly gain full access to all of their filters. Here’s a perk: if you’re the creator/brand, you gain followers on you Instagram page as well. This is an excellent way to build support because people need to follow the brand (or at least visit your profile) to gain access, increasing brand engagement.

Now, what are other cool examples that have been done so far?

Before the hype, one of the most notable Instagram filter creators was definitely Johanna Jaskowska, so be sure to check his page out.

One of Johanna’s better-known filters is the Beauty3000 which gives the face a plastic look with added on light effects that sits neatly on the user’s face. Often, you can catch her in Story showing how she uses the filters she’s created.

Besides creators, some brands have used the opportunity offered by custom AR filters. One brand, in particular, is Adidas Originals whose custom AR filter is almost addictive. Channel off nostalgic VHS vibes with their vintage filters and retro-looking photos. Here’s a small tip: try raising your eyebrows to create a “glitch” effect that also includes a pattern of Adidas logos.

Get started and create your own AR filter
While it may sound intimidating, Spark AR Studio is designed for anyone! Even those without a developer background. All it takes is to download the Spark AR Studio program, get creative and begin building your own AR effect! After you’ve logged in, head over to Spark’s Learning Center to be guided on how to begin creating your own effects with Spark AR Studio.

For more information?

Follow the community on Facebook at Spark AR Community

While there isn’t one universal hashtag for all AR filters, you can find creators using similar hashtags used to advertise their new filters here:

#ar #effects #filter #followforfilters #instafilter #instagramfilters #instalens #instamask #sparkar #sparkarcreators

Or follow the Sparks AR creators page at @sparkarcreators

Inspiration

Keep up to date with the effects on Instagram (Facebook and Snapchat) on Lenslist. This platform has it all. You’ll be able to find collections of Augmented Reality, such as Movies/TV, Holidays, Video Games, and many other categories.

Have fun exploring!