TikTok’s latest feature lets users make AR filters

TikTok users will now be able to create video effects right in TikTok without downloading another app. The company announced the new mobile editing feature, available now globally, in a blog post today.

AR effects are a big part of TikTok culture — they spawn challenges, viral games, and essentially a whole genre of content. But up until now, creators had to use a separate program called Effect House to make filters for the app.

In the TikTok mobile app, users can work off of filter templates and experiment with more than 2,000 assets to use in their effects. They’ll also be able to add interactivity in filters that’s triggered through movements like tapping the screen, winking, smiling, and more.

Though filters have always been central to TikTok, the developers making these effects have been doing it for free until recently. In May, the company announced it would open up a $6 million creator fund for the people making viral effects — though the bar to start earning money was high and payouts relatively low. In October, TikTok overhauled the program include to lower eligibility and change how payouts would be calculated.

TikTok filters are also becoming more and more realistic. Earlier this year, a beauty effect called Bold Glamour started gaining traction, with users shocked at how seamless it looked. The filter, created by TikTok itself, uses generative AI to transform a user’s face so convincingly that it’s uncanny. The Bold Glamour filter has been used in over 150 million videos so far. TikTok didn’t immediately respond to questions about whether the in-app feature would include generative AI tools.