Newsletter #9

No one expressed interest in joining the Filter Syndicate, so I think I need to come up with a catchier name and keep up the brainwashing.

"Only" a LUT creator

Every so often I hear a creator talk about how creating LUT/color correction filters is "inferior" to creating things that require knowledge of 3D graphics and/or coding. I don't agree with this sentiment and I share my thoughts in a blog post here.

Fun find

I was randomly looking through lenses the other day and came across this coincidence. I'm guessing this is a case of both Snapchat and Bshar purchasing/downloading the same stock model. I did briefly look around to see if I could find this same cheese model, but so far no luck. Let me know if you can find it.

Lens Studio 4.0

Lens Studio 4.0 came out a couple weeks ago and it sure packs a punch! I called the audio reactivity, and I'd also been thinking that cloth simulation would be a cool feature, but I didn't quite expect it already. Don't be surprised if I start calling myself a prophet and start a new age church.

I do think the hair and cloth simulation are the coolest features they've added. Often when I see augmented reality (outside of Snapchat and Instagram) it is focused on ecommerce and letting customers try before they buy. With Lens Studio 4.0, Snapchat definitely appears to be positioning themselves to enter this space. They now have full 3D body tracking, foot tracking, wrist tracking, hair simulation, and cloth simulation. I have a feeling virtual fashion is about to explode now that it is super accessible to creators, brands, and marketers. I would definitely start experimenting with these features if I were you.

Spark AR

All the Spark AR updates the past few weeks are eclipsed by the new Lens Studio features. Spark did add skin segmentation and you can track multiple image targets at once. Those are cool features, but as a creator I'm not feeling any real draw to creating for IG vs for Snapchat. I am pretty critical of Spark, but I will say I actually published a filter using Spark AR before I did so with Lens Studio. But Lens Studio won me over and continues to wow me with new features. 🤷‍♂️