When Facebook said it was going to open up its Spark AR platform and move it from its closed beta program for Instagram, it was only time before it got official. and people are already excited. Facebook first made this announcement at this year’s annual F8 conference. Spark AR was Facebook’s tool for creating AR(Augmented Reality) Effects and was limited to a few approved creators such as Kylie Jenner and Nike but now anyone can use the platform to create their own filters
What this means
When they were introduced in early 2018, Instagram filters were still not used as much as they are now but that ‘s because more creators joined the beta program, they not became even more popular but also increased the creators followings as getting one was only done by following them and the desired filter could be added to a user in-app camera when using Instagram Stories. See this Highlight.
To counter the choice dilemma, Instagram is making it easier to select a filter by introducing a Browse Effects option to help users find and play around with new AR filters.
Making it open to the public will increase the number of users who use filters build on Spark AR platform which currently has over 1 billion people who’ve played with the AR filters including Facebook’s other platforms such as Facebook itself, Instagram, Messenger and Portal.
In April, Facebook added Spark AR Studio software to Windows. It is also available to macOS too.
We should expect an even bigger explosion of AR filters on Instagram Stories used by over 500 million users daily. Be ready for that as people get creative and go wild with the AR effects.
Brands will also start pushing their own AR filters for you to play with such the Black Panter effects, Marvel released.
Artists are already on board such as Mark Ronson’s Pieces of Us music video made by Sony and Facebook creative shop.
What they are saying
Instagram: Whether you want to add a new layer of fun to an event like a wedding, birthday party, or graduation with a custom filter or you’re a professional who wants to continue to hone their craft, Spark AR Studio has everything you need to get started
