From exciting product launches and coveted awards to expert-led sessions and new opportunities for monetization, today was packed full of moments designed to educate, inspire, and celebrate the Snap AR community. Our global network of more than 330,000 creators and developers has crafted nearly 3.5 million Lenses that have been viewed an astonishing 9 trillion times! Your creativity and ambition continuously push us to develop products and programs to meet your demand for breakthrough technology. We couldn’t be more proud to partner with such an amazing community on a day that so perfectly reflects our shared passion for innovation.
Continue reading for a breakdown of our biggest takeaways from Lens Fest 2023!
Introducing Lens Studio 5.0 Beta
We’re beyond thrilled to announce the launch of a fully rebuilt Lens Studio 5.0 Beta, focused on innovation that unlocks your full creative potential, faster performance, and breakthrough Generative AI features. Here’s an overview of the major updates:
Project loading time is now 18X faster, which means you’re more productive than ever.
Built with version control in mind, developers can now take advantage of their favorite version control tools, like Git, for better project management.
To auto-generate materials for your Lenses with just a few prompts, we partnered with Meshy, making custom material generation faster than ever.
We teamed up with OpenAI to offer the ChatGPT Remote API so generating text-based content for Lenses will be extremely simple, and can unlock new types of learning, conversational, and creative experiences for Snapchatters.
And so much more!
We encourage early adopters to test and provide feedback on the Beta to help us enhance our community’s experience. Education resources for Lens Studio 5.0 Beta are now available on the Snap AR Learn Hub and documentation.
Insights & Inspiration
Snap AR was honored to host talks from a range of industry-leading AR developers, Lens Creators, Snap AR engineers, tech marketers, and technologists. The group shared advice on career growth, insightful case studies, new product updates, best practices for monetization on and off platform, and more.
Pitching AR
Ben Feuerstein, Head of Innovation at Arcadia, discussed best practices for pitching AR to potential brand partners, as well as his team’s creative framework for developing groundbreaking AR for clients like Disney, Coca-Cola, and Live Nation.
Building, Learning, and Earning
Snap AR continues to offer new opportunities for creators to expand their skills and monetize their work with resources and initiatives like The Snap AR Learn Hub, Lens Creator Rewards Program, Ghost, and Digital Goods.
Best of AR on Snapchat
Leigh Brown and Karolina Matras walked the community through the basics of Lens discovery and engagement, best methods for creation, and the types of Lenses that have the potential to go viral on Snapchat.
Best of AR Beyond Snapchat
Snap technologists revealed how Camera Kit can bring the power of Snap’s AR platform to your mobile apps, websites, and live events to make them more interactive and immersive. The group shared jaw-dropping case studies from MTV, the LA Rams, DREAL, Inspirit, and more.
Community Stories
Popular Lens Creators Brielle Garcia, Ben Knutson, and Alexis Zerafa shared career advice on getting started in the AR industry, growing your business, monetization, and key principles for building viral Lenses.
