Snapchat Introduces New AR Tools and Camera Options

Snap Inc. recently released a slew of new platform features such as Lens Cloud, AR Shopping, live nation collaborations, and also disclosed platform-related information regarding its developers and creators.

Snapchat introduced several new capabilities for its platform at its annual Snap Partner Summit, demonstrating how the AR experiences created in collaboration with its partners improve the way we live, study, interact, and shop.

The company also stated that Snapchat now has over 600 million monthly users and over 332 million daily active users throughout the world. The company currently collaborates with over 500,000 partners, designers, and developers to bring innovative products and services to its community.

Snapchatters have shared material from partners' apps over 6 billion times in the last year, and the content usually comprises Spotify tracks or Twitter tweets. Furthermore, when compared to other apps, Snapchat is recognized as the happiest platform.

Lens Cloud

Snap's AR community utilizes the company's technology to start various ventures. These developers represent countries from all around the world, and their lenses have been viewed over 5 billion times. Snap recently released Lens Cloud as a feature to further encourage AR innovation.

Lens Cloud is a free collection of backend services that greatly enhances the capabilities of AR developers. AR will become more dynamic, useful, and engaging thanks to Storage Services, Location Services, and Multi-User Services.

Features include:

• Storage Services: This allows you to create complex and interactive Lenses by storing assets in Snap's cloud and calling on them when you need them. Furthermore, because storage is persistent, Snapchatters can resume sessions where they left off the previous time.

• Location Services: This allows developers to attach their Lenses into custom locations around the world. They can also make use of Snap's city templates. The first city is London, which is currently available in Lens Studio. In the following year, more will be offered.

• Multi-User Services: AR can be shared among multiple users within the same Lens.

Ray Tracing will be added to Lens Studio soon, making AR elements look even more lifelike. Reflections from AR objects will be able to shine realistically thanks to Ray Tracing. This is the first time a feature like this has been scaled across mobile devices.

Camera Kit has huge popularity, particularly among brands like Samsung, Disney, and Microsoft's Flipgrid to first-time app developers. Samsung used Camera Kit to add Lenses to the Galaxy A Series' native camera. Customers have engaged with Lenses over 1 billion times since then, and Samsung has resolved to integrate Snap's camera into their Galaxy F and M series devices.

Augmented Reality Shopping

Over 250 million Snapchatters have used AR shopping Lenses more than 5 billion times since January of last year. They also consider Snapchat to be the best medium for sharing shopping experiences.

Snapchatters have tested Zenni Optical's AR Lenses over 60 million times. True-size lenses generated a 42 percent higher return on ad spend than lenses without the technology. Snap Inc. is unveiling several new technologies this week to help marketers introduce products to their customers using augmented reality:

• Snap 3D Asset Manager: helps businesses create augmented reality shopping experiences more quickly and easily. For any product in their collection, brands can now request, manage, and optimize 3D models. Shopping Lenses may now be made in seconds and at no extra charge. This will enhance conversions and decrease returns — owing to Snap's size prediction technology, businesses can design highly converting try-on experiences while securing low returns.

• Powered by AR Image Processing Technology, the site is also providing a new type of shopping Lens for trying on clothing without needing to change clothes.

• Dress Up: a new Snapchat destination that gathers the finest of augmented reality fashion and try-on from makers, merchants, and fashion companies in one location. Dress Up encourages users to browse, discover, and share new looks from all over the world. It's available in Lens Explorer and will soon be just a tap away from the Snap Camera in AR Bar. Because Snap has provided the opportunity to adjust user buying preferences in Profile settings, Snapchatters may return to the products they love easily. This will be Snapchat's first dedicated fashion experience surface.

• Camera Kit for AR Shopping: Snap is giving its commerce partners a new way to bring the best of Snap's camera for AR try-on to their own applications and sites. Camera Kit for AR Shopping is an AR SDK that integrates Snap's try-on Lenses into product detail pages for retailers and brands to improve their consumers' digital shopping experience. Camera Kit for AR Shopping is available for Android and iOS, and will soon be available on websites.

Live Nation Partnership

Snap Inc. confirmed a multi-year collaboration with Live Nation that will take performances beyond the stage, fostering a closer connection between artists and fans, thanks to custom-built, immersive AR which will be available only on Snapchat.

Starting with Electric Daisy Carnival in May, events will be reinvented by Snap AR, from Lollapalooza in Chicago and Wireless Festival in London to Rolling Loud in Miami and The Governors Ball in New York.

Developer Updates

More than a third of Snap's partners have earned more than a million dollars, and many are returning to generate more. Developers may now add social experiences to Minis thanks to the new functionality revealed by Snap.

Snap Inc. launched Minis in 2020, allowing partners to create bite-sized social experiences within Snapchat using our html5 gaming platform. More than 20 Minis from partners such as Ticketmaster, HBO Max, Poshmark, Headspace, and others are now available to aid the community with everything from shopping with friends to voter registration.

• Minis Private Components System: Developers may include social components like ratings, reviews, and recommendations in their experiences while maintaining Snapchatter privacy.

Creator News

Creators on Snapchat can develop their audience in a variety of ways, from Stories to Spotlight to Discover, and they're using the platform to develop businesses. Last year, Snapchat creators like Mia Finney, who attracted over 40 million Snapchatters in three months on Spotlight, earned six figures.

Shows are monetized through Snap Ads and Commercials, and there is a revenue split component for creators publishing a show. Over 155 million Snapchatters viewed over 25 Spotlight creators' shows on Discover in the second part of last year. A Snapchat creative tool or an augmented reality Lens is used in nearly two-thirds of Spotlight entries.

• Dual Mode Editing Tools: With Snapchat's new Director Mode editing tools, it will be much easier to create distinctive videos. For instance, the new Dual Camera feature allows you to capture a 360-degree view by simultaneously using the front-facing and back-facing cameras.