Facetune, the popular selfie app that’s been downloaded over 200 million times, has recently expanded its offerings to become even more versatile for social media users and content creators. After a series of recent updates, the app now offers tools that enable AI-powered video editing and custom-image synthesis.
As Zeev Farbman, co-founder and CEO of Facetune’s developer, Lightricks, explains, integrating text to image AI tech into Facetune helps create new value and possibilities for visual creators.
Video Integration
One of the most significant updates with the current version of Facetune is its consolidation with the previously separate Facetune Video app into one platform. “Combining photo and video into a single product just made sense,” Farbman says.
“After all, many creators spend a lot of time working with both types of content. We have seen a huge shift towards video content creation, and by essentially merging the two apps, we’ve enabled users to have an all-in-one experience for elevating their content for Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and other platforms. In Facetune, video editing is just as intuitive as photo editing — creators simply need to edit one frame of their video, and their changes will be seamlessly applied to the entire video, allowing them to create a cohesive aesthetic across their content.”
The level of control in the Facetune video editing suite ranges from relatively standard features like adjusting brightness/contrast and color correction, to unique options like filter overlays and even using a slider to emphasize or minimize facial features.
Facetune Text-to-Image Fuels Creativity
Text-to-image AI is a powerful addition that can be used for both photo and video content within the Facetune app. This feature was previously introduced with other Lightricks apps like Motionleap and Photoleap, so it comes as no surprise that it has also been added to Facetune. “This system allows users to generate images through AI that can then be used for backdrops or a clothing style,” Farbman explains.
“For users, it’s quite straightforward. All they have to do is type a prompt into the AI generator, and it will create an image. On the back end, the AI generator takes the user’s text and turns it into code that we can use for a wide range of applications. So even though there’s a lot going on behind the scenes, for the creator, it’s still a simple matter of a few taps for a feature that is extremely functional. This gives creators the chance to produce unique, evocative images that they might not be able to create on their own.”
After the text-to-image AI generator presents an image, users are given four options. They can use the image as a background, set it as their clothing for the selfie, continue to Facetune’s editor tools to adjust the AI image or regenerate (try again to create a different image). The end result is the synthesis of truly custom images that are unique to the creator who entered the prompt.
The prompt could be as simple as “beach, sunset, pier,” or “desert, red rocks, night stars.” By making this an easy-to-use and fully integrated part of a visual creator’s potential workflow within the app, creators have instant access to generating content that will provide a more meaningful connection with their target audience.
Fan Casting
In addition to producing unique images for selfies, the current version of Facetune has also introduced a feature known as “Fan Casting.” Similar to the text-to-image tool for backgrounds and clothing patterns, this feature uses AI technology to generate movie and celebrity-based content.
“The Fan Casting tool operates on the same backend tech as our other text-to-image software. However it has one key difference: the generator creates a template for the user to fill out,” Farbman explains. “Users are given the prompt to fill ‘X in movie Z as Y.’”
So, for example, you could fill in Brad Pitt in The Lord of the Rings as Frodo Baggins. The image is then generated based on the prompt.
My girl @lizzo is an Emmy winner #AI pic.twitter.com/GgD1gcJqP8
— FACETUNE (@facetune) September 5, 2022
The Facetune team is mindful of the fact that such a feature could be misused by some creators, which is why some movies cannot be used with Fan Casting. The removal of movies that could create culturally inappropriate or insensitive combinations ensures that the platform won’t be used to create abusive content. According to Farbman, Facetune is continually monitoring user feedback on this feature to provide a quick response in case any such issues arise.
Unlocking the Potential of AI for Visual Creators
“These latest updates are a great example of how AI can have a truly transformative impact on what creators can do,” Farbman says. “By making it easier for creators to produce the high-quality content that their audiences crave, it creates a true win-win scenario. And of course, this is really just the tip of the iceberg. AI will undoubtedly help us unlock even more avenues for creative growth in the future.”
For visual creators, these AI tools level the playing field like never before. Users no longer need expensive photo equipment or access to hard-to-reach locales to produce the content they desire. With AI-powered tools and their smartphone, they have everything they need to start creating unique and memorable visuals that help grow their audience.
