Augmented reality arrives on TikTok: the new toolkit for creators is already in preview, which means it won't take long to get there for everyone
It's not often that TikTok takes inspiration from other social networks like Facebook or Snapchat, but this is one of those times. Augmented reality is coming to the Chinese social of record, and the fact that it's already available as a preview for a handful of developers indicates that it won't take long to get to everyone.
The new toolkit that will be made available to influencers on the platform has been called TikTok Effect Studio, and it's going through the private beta testing phase that will allow developers to create new augmented reality (AR) effects for the TikTok app. The social network has already put online a site dedicated to the creation of the effects, called "Effect House" where interested developers can register for early access to the Effect Studio tools: some personal information is required, the level of experience in creating AR effects, any previous work on the topic as well as the platform from which it is accessed, whether a Windows or a Mac, and whether Effect House will be used for professional or private purposes.
Augmented reality also conquers TikTok
The augmented reality sector is growing rapidly, and implementing it in the TikTok platform aims to increase its competitiveness with rivals. Snapchat, for example, in 2020 alone allocated 3.5 million dollars to the development of Snapchat AR Lens, while Facebook announced in June that it had extended its Spark AR platform to more than 600,000 creators in 190 countries, transforming it into the largest platform in the world dedicated to augmented reality.
Among the objectives pursued by TikTok with Effect Studio is the creation of AR "experiences", including new effects that would end up in the social app available to members. Unfortunately, at this stage TikTok has been very vague, and when asked about the specific tools and effects it didn't want to provide any more details.
A spokesperson for the social network told TechCrunch that the company is "thinking of new ways to enhance our community and enrich the user experience, and we're currently experimenting with new ways to offer more tools for creators to bring their creative ideas to life for TikTok users.
What is Augmented Reality
Augmented reality is one of those areas of technology, as we said, that has grown the most in recent times, fueled by the substantial investments of many companies in the industry. It is a visual method to "enrich" reality through cameras and screens of technological devices.
This recent frontier has several industrial applications, therefore useful to professionals, as well as many in the consumer field, therefore for "common" users such as those who populate social networks.
The examples of augmented reality perhaps more accessible are the effects of Instagram through which developers have provided users with ways to apply to "real" shots of the effects, or even the AR navigation of Google Maps that can provide directions on the path to follow by framing the environment with the camera of the smartphone. We've delved into the topic of augmented reality here.