2023 UPDATE: Snap Camera is now unavailable, but the new SnapKit has the ability to create your own apps using the Snapchat camera using Web or a native SDK.
Using the Snap Camera, a desktop version containing most of Snap’s mobile camera features, users can apply augmented reality effects to their video stream. You can for example apply color filters, stick a 3D object to your head and change the environment where you are in, just like a green screen. The effect is then routed from the Snap Camera app to your favourite video calling app.
Upcoming video platforms like Zoom, Hangout and Discord are growing exponentially right now, but users seem to be missing the feature to spice up the video game. As reported in Snap’s quarter results, Snap Camera daily downloads are up 30 times during this period of people being inside and digitally chatting with colleagues, family and friends.
There are tons of AR lenses available on the Snap Camera as the Lens Studio community that creates most of these lenses are pushing over 900.000 lenses made. These lenses are being used by 30% of all the Snaps send! Most of these lenses are also included in the Snap Camera.
Last month a director of a company went viral as she turned herself into a 3D potato using Snap Camera during a meeting and could not seem to turn the effect off, resulting in a tweet that was liked almost a million times. The potato lens, made by Lens Creator Phil Walton, resulted in 27 years playtime shortly after the tweet. That’s 236.520 minutes of users interacting with this effect! Our lenses have also got a 900% increase in play time in Snap Camera lately.
The COVID-19 quarantine has shut down a lot of ways to market branding to the public but Snap Camera is one way to reach an audience that has the power to engage with content like never before. Here are some tips to create a community lens that creates value for these users:
– Keep it simple. Users want to play around with an effect but not be too overwhelmed by its features and complexity.
– Be original. Copy pasting someone’s lens and making some edits does not bring value.
– It’s all about having fun. Having a video call with someone should be fun and exciting. Activating a lens that isn’t is not.
– Keep branding to a minimum. Showing a logo or brand name is not preferred.
