This week Snap Inc. launched a feature called AI Clips that enables Snap users to transform a single picture into a 5 second video. However, this tool is exclusive to Lens Plus subscribers, a premium service that costs $9 a month. Using this tool, users can put themselves into a variety of AI scenarios, such as car racing or scuba diving, without recording any video themselves.
Key Takeaways:
- Using just one still image, AI Clips produces 5-second videos.
- This feature requires a Lens Plus subscription, which costs $9 a month.
- Instead of typing a video prompt, users select a video template to help them.
- In Lens Studio, developers can create video templates in a matter of minutes.
- A revenue share program pays creators based on the number of users of their Lenses.
Snap Inc. is the parent company of the Snapchat application. To enhance the speed and personalization of video creation AI Clips was implemented. AI Clips is integrated into Lens Studio, the software developers use to create augmented reality effects. Using the GenAI Suite, developers can create these video-from-photos templates by submitting a single prompt to the system.
Users who wish to access AI Clips do not need any programming skills. All they need to do is select a Lens from the menu on the app. Suppose, for example, a user selects a Lens featuring a person standing in front of the Taj Mahal and another person standing on top of a mountain. The user can upload their own image, and the AI will generate a video of the user in that scenario. Snap Inc. refers to this as a closed-prompt experience. Users are limited to the pre-established scenes created by developers, so if a Lens for that specific scenario is absent, users are unable to request the system to create anything.
The company announced on Tuesday that all skill levels can access these tools. The creation of these Lenses can be done within a short time span both by novice and seasoned developers. Snap Inc. also aims to assist creators in monetizing their work. In Snap’s Lens Plus Payouts initiative, Lens creators earn money based on Lens engagement. Also, if an AI Clip that uses an AI Clip template becomes popular, the template creator gets a portion of the revenue.
As Snap Inc. has noticed a spike in activity on the platform, AI Clips has high expansion potential. In 2023, the company noted that users had created almost 2 trillion snaps, or, on average, 5.5 billion snaps per day. With the August app update that includes AI Clips, Snap aims to boost activity by giving users additional engagement options. The AI Clip feature prioritizes minimal user effort in generating a video and maximizing the appearance of complexity in the video for seamless, quick sharing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: What is the cost of the AI Clips add-on on Snapchat?
A1: Accessing AI Clips requires a Lens Plus subscription, which is $9/month, along with other premium AR add-ons.
Q2: Do you have to record a video to utilize AI Clips?
A2: Not at all. The AI Clips feature requires a single still image of the user, which the AI utilizes to create movement of that user and position them in the video of their choosing, within a 5-second video.
Q3: Is it possible to tell the video AI what specific things you want in the video?
A3: Not at all. AI Clips operates in a closed-prompt fashion in which users must select options from a list of developer-created Lenses. Unfortunately, the user has no ability to create custom text prompts to alter the functionality of the video.
Q4: In what ways are developers compensated for this feature?
A4: Creators are able to participate in the Lens Plus Payouts program. Accordingly, Snap Inc. provides a share of the revenue to developers based on the engagement and popularity of their Lenses within the application.
