Popular Chinese app TikTok is planning to introduce augmented reality (AR) effects on the platform. TikTok is a video-sharing platform. It has its own AR ambitions. The company is now working on creative tools. The company wants to take on rivals like Snap and Facebook. It has launched a new creative toolset. It is testing the toolset in the beta version privately. The toolset is called TikTok Effect Studio. The toolset will allow developers to build AR effects. TikTok is inviting developers to sign up to get early access. TikTok’s decision to build an AR development platform assumes significance as Lens Studio of Snapchat and Spark AR Studio of Facebook are growing.
TikTok has launched a new website for this. On the portal, the company under the title Effect House is providing a form to the developers. They have to fill in the details including information about the TikTok account. Besides, developers will have to share information like level of experience and samples of their work to get access. It is also asking if developers are using a Mac or PC. TikTok said that the project is in the initial stage and is limited to a few markets which include the US. TikTok didn’t share any time frame for making the toolset available broadly. When launched publicly, TikTok users will be able to use the AR effects in their videos.
TikTok’s AR effects will help the company to match its rivals. It expects an increase in the user base as new AR campaigns are in the fashion. TikTok current offers filters of which music is a part. It is likely that music to play a part in the new creative toolset. The short-video platform was the most downloaded social media app in 2020. It surpassed Facebook’s numbers to grab the first position. TikTok is popular among youngsters. Its popularity increased manifolds during the pandemic. The platform was launched in 2016 by ByteDance. The international version of TikTok was launched in 2017. It has more than 650 million active users on the monthly basis.
