History

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A photo collage of an original, unprocessed image (top left) modified with the 16 different filters available on Instagram in 2011.

In 2010, Apple introduced the iPhone 4—the first iPhone model with a front camera.[1] It gave rise to a dramatic increase in selfies, which could be touched up with more flattering lighting effects with applications such as Instagram.[1] The American photographer Cole Rise was involved in the creation of the original filters for Instagram around 2010, designing several of them himself, including Sierra, Mayfair, Sutro, Amaro and Willow.[2][3] In September, 2011, the Instagram 2.0 update for the application introduced "live filters," which allowed the user to preview the effect of the filter while shooting with the application's camera.[4][5] #NoFilter, a hashtag label to describe an image that had not been filtered, became popular around 2013.[6]

An update in 2014 allowed users to adjust the intensity of the filters as well as fine-tune other aspects of the image, features that had been available for years on applications such as VSCO and Litely.[7][8]

In 2014, Snapchat started releasing sponsored filters to monetize the participatory use of the application.[9] In September 2015, Snapchat acquired Looksery and released a feature called "lenses," animated filters using facial recognition technology.[10][11][12] Some of the early lenses available on Snapchat at the time were Heart Eyes, Terminator, Puke Rainbows, Old, Scary, Rage Face, Heart Avalanche.[11] The Coachella filter released April 2016 was a popular early augmented reality filter.[13]

In April 2017, Facebook released the Camera Effects Platform, which is the first augmented reality platform that allows developers to create their own filters and effects on Facebook's Camera.[14] In December 2017, Snapchat also launched their Lens Studio augmented reality developer tool that allows users and advertisers to do the same on theSnapchat application.[15] In April 2022,TikTok joined the two, and launched their own augmented reality developer platform called Effect house. [16]

With the help of artificial intelligence and machine learning, filters have become much more realistic and seamless to the point where the use of filters can be undetectable at times.[17] "Bold Glamour" is an example of a popular filter on TikTok released in 2023, that has the ability to change an individual's features features on video and completely change how they look.[18] As AI usage becomes more accessible through filters, TikTok introduced a new feature that prompts users to label AI-generated photos and videos, along with a message stating that the content could be removed if users do not disclose AI tool usage.[19]

Beauty filter

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A photograph of Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales before and after applying Facetune filters. The app has smoothed Wales's skin texture, and subtly altered the proportions of some of his facial features.

A beauty filter is a filter applied to still photographs, or to video in real time, to enhance the physical attractiveness of the subject. Typical effects of such filters include smoothing skin texture and modifying the proportions of facial features, for example enlarging the eyes or narrowing the nose.

Filters may be included as a built-in feature of social media apps such as Instagram or Snapchat, or implemented through standalone applications such as Facetune.

In 2020, the "Perfect Skin" filter for Snapchat and Instagram which was created by Brazilian augmented reality developer Brenno Faustino gained more than 36 million impressions in the first 24 hours of its release.[20]

Critics have raised concerns that the widespread use of such filters on social media may lead to negative body image, particularly among girls.

Background

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The manipulation of photos to enhance attractiveness has long been possible using software such as Adobe Photoshop and, before that, analogue techniques such as airbrushing. However, such tools required considerable technical and artistic skill, and so their use was mostly limited to professional contexts, such as magazines or advertisements.[21]

By contrast, filters work in an automated fashion through the use of complex algorithms, requiring little or no input from the user. This ease of use, in combination with the increase in processing power of smartphones, and the rise of social media and selfie culture, have led to photographic manipulation occurring on a much wider scale than ever before.

One of the earliest examples of a content-aware digital photographic filter is red-eye reduction.[21]

Effects

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Typical changes applied by beauty filters include:

  • Smoothing skin texture; minimizing fine lines and blemishes
  • Erasing under-eye bags
  • Erasing naso-labial lines ("laugh lines")[22]
  • Application of virtual makeup, such as lipstick or eyeshadow
  • Slimming the face; erasing double chins[23]
  • Enlarging the eyes
  • Whitening teeth
  • Narrowing the nose
  • Increasing fullness of the lips

Beauty filters most frequently target the face, though in some cases they may affect other body parts. For example, the app "Retouch Me" was reported to have a feature which allows users to superimpose visible abdominal muscles (a "six pack") onto photos featuring the subject's bare stomach.[22]

  1. ^ a b Losse, Kate (2013-05-31). "The Return of the Selfie". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
  2. ^ Luke Johnson (2017-01-15). "Filter focus: the story behind the original Instagram filters". TechRadar. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  3. ^ Rudulph, Heather Wood (2015-06-08). "Cole Rise Is the Reason There's a "Rise" Filter on Instagram". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  4. ^ Zhang, Michael (2011-09-29). "Some Instagram Users Unhappy Over Changes to Filters". PetaPixel. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  5. ^ Van Grove, Jennifer (September 20, 2011). "Instagram 2.0 Launches: A Faster App With Live Filters & Hi-Res Photos". Mashable. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  6. ^ Barrett, Grant (2013-12-21). "Opinion | A Wordnado of Words in 2013". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
  7. ^ Manjoo, Farhad (June 3, 2014). "State of the Art: Instagram Goes Beyond Its Gauzy Filters". The New York Times.
  8. ^ Stern, Joanna (20 May 2014). "Why My Instagram Photos Look Better Than Yours". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  9. ^ Hawker, Kiah; Carah, Nicholas (2021-01-02). "Snapchat's augmented reality brand culture: sponsored filters and lenses as digital piecework". Continuum. 35 (1): 12–29. doi:10.1080/10304312.2020.1827370. ISSN 1030-4312. S2CID 225110500.
  10. ^ "Snapchat is the latest tech company to be sued for mapping faces". Quartz. 2016-07-25. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  11. ^ a b Constine, Josh (2015-09-15). "Snapchat Starts Charging $0.99 For 3 Replays, Adds Face Effect "Lenses"". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  12. ^ Constine, Josh (2015-09-15). "Snapchat Acquires Looksery To Power Its Animated Lenses". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  13. ^ Rogers, Katie (2016-04-22). "Yes, Coachella Is Still Going On". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
  14. ^ Constine, Josh (2017-04-18). "Facebook launches augmented reality Camera Effects developer platform". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
  15. ^ Constine, Josh (2017-12-14). "Snapchat launches augmented reality developer platform Lens Studio". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
  16. ^ Perez, Sarah (2022-04-12). "TikTok launches AR development platform, Effect House". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
  17. ^ Marr, Bernard. "Picture Perfect: The Hidden Consequences Of AI Beauty Filters". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
  18. ^ Lee, Bruce Y. "TikTok Has A New 'Bold Glamour' AI-Powered Filter, Here Are The Risks". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
  19. ^ Sato, Mia (2023-09-19). "TikTok introduces a way to label AI-generated content". The Verge. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
  20. ^ Digital, Máxima (2022-01-02). "Influenciador digital fala sobre desenvolver filtros no Instagram para celebridades". Máxima (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2023-08-21.
  21. ^ a b Corcoran, Peter (October 2014). "Digital Beauty". IEEE Consumer Electronics Magazine. doi:10.1109/MCE.2014.2338573. S2CID 3024848.
  22. ^ a b Hunt, Ellen (1 January 2019). "Faking it: how selfie dysmorphia is driving people to seek surgery". The Guardian.
  23. ^ Boseley, Matilda (1 January 2022). "Is that really me? The ugly truth about beauty filters". The Guardian.