Snapchat will soon add user-made lenses to its app

Photo and video sharing app Snapchat is adding a new feature to its app that lets creators make their own lens.

Lenses on Snapchat are small characters or animations that users can select when they are taking pictures to add some fun to their photos.

In late March Snapchat will start sharing custom made lens in an effort to be more creator-friendly.

To make a lens, creators can download an app from Snapchat.com called Lens Studio that lets users create augmented reality lens. These lenses can only be accessed by specific Snapcodes on the lens studio website and are only available after scanned for 24 hours.

Snapchat does offer custom Lens that will show up on users phones with out the Snapcodes, but it’s monetized and mostly used for advertising to a specific geographic area, similar to its geofilters, which will add an overlay to a photo depending on where the picture is taken.

The new feature is called ‘Creator Boosts’ and it will spotlight specific creators and the lens that they make by sharing them with the world for a brief period.

Snapchat made lenses come with a few rules. Creators will not be paid and they aren’t allowed to add branding to their lenses, but there will be a little information panel telling users who created the lens.

A screen shot of how a creator will be recognized and one of a user created lens. Photo via Mashable

Source: Mashable