In addition to the draw, text, and sticker tools, you can also modify your snaps with different filters. For example, these filters might change the color balance of your snap, turn it black, or change up the speed at which your video snaps play. Others yet show your current battery life on screen, display the time when the snap was taken, or display your current speed while traveling.
Adding filters is simple: Once you’ve taken a picture or video, simply swipe left or right anywhere on the screen to scroll through available filters. Some filters are enabled based on your location, and may include prominent landmarks from the area you’re in or the name of a city.
Here’s a look at me using the Snapchat location-based filter (officially called a geo filter) for Stockholm the day I found out my Swedish work permit had been granted (hooray!):
Adding filters is simple: Once you’ve taken a picture or video, simply swipe left or right anywhere on the screen to scroll through available filters. Some filters are enabled based on your location, and may include prominent landmarks from the area you’re in or the name of a city.
Here’s a look at me using the Snapchat location-based filter (officially called a geo filter) for Stockholm the day I found out my Swedish work permit had been granted (hooray!):
- Using ‘LENSES’
Lenses are a bit sillier and initially less intuitive than filters, so they may never make it into your content strategy, but at least this way if you get a snap where someone’s face is distorted into some sort of horrifying rabbit or gigantic-eyed anime character you’ll know what’s going on. Basically, lenses recognize faces in the camera space and can apply various masks and distortions to them.
To try out a lense, you’ll need head to the home/camera screen then press and hold down anywhere on the screen before you’ve take a picture or started recording your video, and while the camera is aimed at a human face. After holding down for a second or two, a series of filters to choose from will pop up near the bottom of the screen. Most of them are pretty weird.
Once you’ve swiped left or right to a lens you want to try, your face will be detected and the filter applied. Now you’re free to press or hold the camera button to record your snap, and the lens will follow your face throughout.
The feature is just whacky and fun right now, but there may be the opportunity to add cool geo-triggered lenses in the future (“Snapping from your place or work? Here’s a suit and tie lens!”, etc.). Come to think of it, maybe a more appropriate lens for snapping from work puts you in a “Slacker” t-shirt – food for thought.
To try out a lense, you’ll need head to the home/camera screen then press and hold down anywhere on the screen before you’ve take a picture or started recording your video, and while the camera is aimed at a human face. After holding down for a second or two, a series of filters to choose from will pop up near the bottom of the screen. Most of them are pretty weird.
Once you’ve swiped left or right to a lens you want to try, your face will be detected and the filter applied. Now you’re free to press or hold the camera button to record your snap, and the lens will follow your face throughout.
The feature is just whacky and fun right now, but there may be the opportunity to add cool geo-triggered lenses in the future (“Snapping from your place or work? Here’s a suit and tie lens!”, etc.). Come to think of it, maybe a more appropriate lens for snapping from work puts you in a “Slacker” t-shirt – food for thought.
- Get White And Black As Ink Colors
Normally, white and black aren’t available as ink colors for drawing on your snaps… but you can make them appear with a little bit of insider know-how.
First, tap the pencil to bring up the normal color selector. Now, for white ink, press anywhere on the color bar and drag all the way to the left of your screen until the color indicator turns to white. To use black ink, just press on the bar again and drag all the way to the bottom of the screen. Check the image below for reference.
First, tap the pencil to bring up the normal color selector. Now, for white ink, press anywhere on the color bar and drag all the way to the left of your screen until the color indicator turns to white. To use black ink, just press on the bar again and drag all the way to the bottom of the screen. Check the image below for reference.
- Upload Content Creted Outside SnapChat
If you look at the content some brands are putting out, especially those with channels featured in Discover, it becomes obvious that they aren’t creating all of their snaps from within Snapchat’s editor.
Several third party apps, available on the iOS App Store and Google Play Marketplace, allow you to upload pre-created photos and videos from your camera roll and then save them as snaps for your story or to send to other people.
A word of caution: While it’s tempting to whip up nice graphics in photoshop and use an uploader to send your creations out to your snap friends, don’t lose that raw, behind the scenes feel that the platform services so well (and that many people might be following you for!).
A popular app for uploading outside content in this way is called ‘Snap Upload for snapchat’ (while I can’t personally vouch for its security or stability, it has a five star rating after some 7,000 reviews on the app store, so you’re probably safe).
Several third party apps, available on the iOS App Store and Google Play Marketplace, allow you to upload pre-created photos and videos from your camera roll and then save them as snaps for your story or to send to other people.
A word of caution: While it’s tempting to whip up nice graphics in photoshop and use an uploader to send your creations out to your snap friends, don’t lose that raw, behind the scenes feel that the platform services so well (and that many people might be following you for!).
A popular app for uploading outside content in this way is called ‘Snap Upload for snapchat’ (while I can’t personally vouch for its security or stability, it has a five star rating after some 7,000 reviews on the app store, so you’re probably safe).
- Repurposing Your SnapChat Content
Because Snapchat doesn’t have much in the way of internal search and discovery of other users, you’ll largely need to promote your Snapchat code and username on other platforms, and entice people to come follow you on the Snap. One way to do this is to tap the download arrow on any snap after you’ve taken it (but before it’s sent). Alternatively, you can save your story content by heading to the stories screen, tapping the vertical dots to the right of your name, then tapping any story element and finally pressing the download button. The process looks something like this:
Once you’ve downloaded your own Snapchat content, you can post teasers of it on your other social channels to let people know what they’re missing!
Hint: You can save your entire story at once by heading to the stories page, tapping the three vertical dots to expand your story, and then clicking the circle with the downward arrow in it.
Hint: You can save your entire story at once by heading to the stories page, tapping the three vertical dots to expand your story, and then clicking the circle with the downward arrow in it.
- Privacy Setting For Maximum Exposure
In Snapchat’s settings screen, you can set your privacy settings to allow everyone to send you snaps and to view your story, rather than just those you’ve explicitly added as friends. If you’re looking to grow your exposure or are managing a brand’s Snapchat, I suggest allowing everyone to interact with you. Here’s a GIF, starting on your profile screen, that shows you how to ensure your settings are correct for this:
Post a Comment