It is only natural to want to look good both live and on camera. No wonder beautification filters have been crowning the effects lists on social media platforms like TikTok. Beautification has found use in a number of areas besides social media. Be it photos, videos, or real-time camera input like in video conferencing, the market offers a wide range of solutions that can improve users’ looks in the virtual realm. Whatever camera cannot capture in its best light, face touch-up filters will enhance. In this article, we will give you a detailed explanation of how face retouch filters work and how you can add this must-have feature of today to your app.
What Do Face Touch-Up Filters Do?
The purpose of face touch up filters, or so-called beautification effects, is to negate bad lighting, fix camera distortion, and remove imperfections and blemishes. Beautification does not necessarily alter the users’ appearance, it only helps them look their best on camera.
Face touch-up is essentially a set of augmented reality filters designed to take the people’s looks closer to what we call conventional beauty standards: clear eyes, white teeth, clean skin with an even skin tone, etc. The full range of their capabilities makes for a rather impressive setup. It includes features such as:
- Skin smoothing. The filter removes minor imperfections like wrinkles or red spots to make the skin look fresh, young, and healthy.
- Acne removal. A more advanced face filter that deals with more severe conditions like acne and post acne scars.
- Eye bag and dark circle removal. Together with skin smoothing, this filter helps create a fresh and cheerful appearance.
- Teeth whitening. The filter traces the user’s lips and teeth and boosts brightness in that area for a Hollywood smile effect.
- Virtual makeup and hair recoloring. The use of these filters is only limited by the developer’s imagination. Not only does it enhance the user’s appearance but it can also add an element of fun to a video call or a photo.
- Face morphing (facial feature editing). This effect allows users to edit the size and placement of their facial features, e.g. make eyes bigger or sharpen the jawline.
By their mechanics, face touch-up filters are similar to masks and stickers used on social media platforms. Face detection locates the face in the picture or camera input. Then the software trackslandmarks – specific points that define the position of facial features – in order to set the field for filters. The number of landmarks varies depending on the developer and the purpose of the app. For example, Banuba Face AR SDK tracks 68 landmarks, which allows for immaculate detection and retouching of facial features. Using these landmarks, the system builds a 3D mesh mask that copies the surface of the user’s face and serves for accurate placement of face filters and overlays.
What To Look For When Choosing Face Touch-Up Filters
When deciding on how to implement face touch-up filters, there are several factors you need to consider. The rivalry on the augmented reality market is severe today, so in order to stay ahead of the competition, you need to provide a high-quality solution without flaws.
- Natural look. Better no filter at all than a mask that smoothens facial features to the point of distortion and doll-like looks. Unnatural filters with high intensity can only make your users look worse.
- Precision. Your face touch-up effects like teeth whitening or skin smoothing should be able to detect specific parts of the face and apply directly there. For example, teeth whitening should not affect lips. Blurred margins and inaccurate application can lead to a comical effect and look messy on the user’s face.
- Angles & Occlusion. Not only should your face filters cover the designated areas and facial features, but they also should keep working if the user’s face is tilted, turned away, or covered with hair. Users want to be able to view themselves from different perspectives, so your face touch-up solution should support at least a 30-degree angle.
While you can develop your augmented reality face touch-up filters from scratch, the better way to cover the essential requirements, speed up the launch process, and save your budget on development is to integrate a ready-made solution. Using an SDK is usually more convenient for most situations:
- It costs less initially. Buying a yearly license for an SDK is cheaper than building everything from scratch. So, if your product doesn't do as well as expected, you won't have spent as much money.
- It's quicker to get to market. It typically only takes a few hours to integrate an SDK. This means you can launch your product faster, getting ahead of competitors.
- You get more features. An SDK often comes with a range of functions that have been developed over years. A new product is unlikely to have all these features.
- You have less to worry about. The company that provides the SDK is responsible for making sure it works well and stays updated. So, you don't have to deal with maintenance and support.
One example of a quality pre-made solution is Face AR SDK by Banuba. The SDK provides a ready-to-use face filters module, so if you choose to implement it, all you need to do is add it to your software. Banuba Face AR SDK is a complex product that includes multiple face filter options and is compatible with popular platforms including React Native and Flutter.
Another vital feature to keep in mind is compatibility with visual types of your choice. Banuba’s Face AR SDK offers face filters that work equally well on live camera input and on photos and videos in post-production. Banuba’s solution comes with an extensive filters and effects catalog, plus custom ones can be ordered on top of that. Below is a step-by-step instruction on how you can explore and try out Banuba’s solution for free.
Adding Touch Up Filters Into Your App
Step 1. Receive Your Trial Token
Banuba offers a 14-day free trial for every product. You can try out Face AR SDK and see which of its capabilities work best for you. To start your free trial, fill in the form below and receive a unique trial token along with the SDK archive.
Step 2. Integrate
Once you receive your trial token, take a look at our platform-specific GitHub guides to easily merge the SDK with your software:
That’s it. Enjoy your free trial for two weeks and feel free to contact Banuba’s team for further guidance.
Conclusion
Face touch-up filters are a great way to enhance user experience and engagement in your app. These AR-based effects cover a variety of features, from skin smoothing to virtual makeup, helping users look their best in the virtual realm. Banuba's Face AR SDK is a high quality feature-rich solution for your app that can streamline the development process, saving time and resources. With a 14-day free trial available, exploring Banuba's solution is a risk-free way to enhance your app's functionality. Get your trial token and explore Banuba’s offer now.
