How to build a platform like TikTok Effect House?

Remember the time when you first tested the lens you had to buy from your favorite optical shop right through an AR app? Or when you used a dog face filter when going live on a social media application? Everyone in the digital space has used an AR filter to create content at least once. The paradox, however, is that creating these filters that the world uses to engage with their followers or friends has largely remained the brand’s responsibility. 

So, if you are using an AR filter on TikTok, Instagram, or an optical shop app, there are massive chances that it would have been built by their in-house developers or at least by people who have good development experience. However, between this and how AR filters have become the prime way for users to express themselves creatively, there comes a need for platforms that would make the creation of filters easier for non-developers.

To solve this disequilibrium, the TikTok Effect House has come into existence. In August 2021, it was found that TikTok is working on its own augmented reality platform known as the TikTok Effect Studio. In April 2022, the platform was made live to enable creators to make their own AR filters to use in the TikTok videos. Although it’s been live for a little over a month at the time of writing this article, it has been used by over 450 creators in the beta stage, the filters which then went on to be used in across 1.5 billion videos. 

Now, with a platform that will make creating TikTok filters a convenient task, we are sure of two things – 1. There will come a rise in TikTok effects and 2. There will come more platforms or applications taking the TikTok effect AR route. 

In this article, we are going to help you with the latter by answering how to develop a platform like TikTok Effect House.

But before we get there, let’s get down to the basics of the Effect House TikTok platform.

What is Effect House – TikTok?

It is a platform created by TikTok for the creation of AR filters. Using the platform and the plethora of documentation it comes with, creators can make their own AR filters ranging from 3D elements to animation and face effects. 

The platform also has a dedicated Knowledge Lab and tutorial section where the TikTok engineers give live demos on TikTok effect studio.

Now that we have looked into the brief of TikTok effects, let us get to how you can build something similar. However, as a platform creator, you need to have an understanding of where the AR filters would be used. 

If you get into the business with an idea like something similar to the filter house for TikTok, it can be very vague. You need to know the audience you will be catering to (while you always have the option to expand). In the case of Effect House TikTok, the audience is social media users. For you, it can be video communication users, the wellness industry, the gaming sector, virtual try-on businesses, etc. 

The next part of building a platform like filter house TikTok would be knowing the benefits that AR filter apps come with. 

The benefits of AR filter apps like Effect House – TikTok

AR filters have become a must-have element for a range of digital platforms – social media, messaging platforms, security businesses, etc. Let us look into the different use cases of the technology. 

Elimination of “Zoom fatigue”

Ever since remote working became prominent, people started complaining about the exhaustion it comes with. An AR filter of different backgrounds, changed face expressions, etc. can lower that exhaustion leading to a lot lower zoom fatigue. 

Better brand awareness

AR filters because of the viral benefits that they come embedded with, tend to be a source of engagement for the businesses. All brands have to do is ask the influencers active in their sector to use their AR filter and wait for it to get viral. 

Helps find the right audience 

AR filters that have a brand mentioned in them are generally used by people who want to experience the brand. Meaning, these are their true audience and prospective customers. Thus, using an AR filter makes the process of finding and then targeting the right set of customers very easy. 

Better privacy 

By using AR filters users are able to keep their location/background hidden – something that comes in handy in small situations like a video zoom meeting and also in difficult situations like when they have a stalker. 

Boosts sales 

AR-powered applications have become a mode of engagement, getting more customers in, and retaining them. There are a number of industries – eCommerce, retail, and social media etc. that have seen a rise in engagement and sales through the incorporation of AR filters. 

Now that we have established the basics and reasons of why you should invest in a TikTok effect creator like platform, let us get down to the functional parts of it. 

[Also Read: How augmented reality benefits businesses?] 

Must-have features of Effect House – TikTok

For a face filter app similar to TikTok filters you would need a platform that supports the creation of a range of different experiences. In case of Effect House, the platform comes with features like –

1. Filter creation

It is the core of the platform. The TikTok Effect AR enables users to build filters with – 3D, 2D elements, animation, face effects, location tagging, lighting and shadow, texture, and scene. Using a mix of these and a range of other elements like time, logic, movement calculation, etc. the creators are able to build their own TikTok AR filters in the platform.

2. Tracking and detection

TikTok augmented reality platform gives users the ability to detect and track positions and body movements in 3D. On the back of this, the creators can build assets by aligning them with the body movement.

3. Tutorials 

A platform like TikTok Effect Studio is a new entrant in the market. Historically, the creation of AR elements like TikTok filters have remained the task of either someone with AR development experience or the brand themselves. Now, since you will be making it available to the creators, you will need to add in tutorials and self-help guides in the platform.

4. Filter Preview

There should be an option available to the users for previewing the filter on different screen sizes they have made before they submit it for review and publishing. This would give them the opportunity to know how it would look in a live state and decide if it needs edits or modifications. 

5. AR effect submission 

Before you get down to the stage where the app reaches the beta level, you should make a guideline document on which type of filters will get accepted and which would be rejected by the moderators. Next, there should be a moderation system in place to check that the filter doesn’t break any guidelines in the submission stage. 

Appinventiv tip: You should add a Report Effect feature in the app that would help other users report the filters they find offensive. 

6. Management and sharing of the AR effect 

The next important feature that should be there in your filter house for a TikTok-like platform is the management and sharing feasibility. The creators should be given the ease to edit the filter before it’s made live, share them on their preferred platform – TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, etc. and track its performance in terms of who used it and how.

7. Cloud integration

A key feature that you should have in your platform would be cloud integration. You should make a provision where all the entire process of creating filters, their storage, and the sharing facility is moved to the cloud. This would, in turn, make filter creation and its upload on multiple platforms accessible and real-time. 

Now while these are the must-have feature sets that answer how to make a TikTok filter platform, there can be a range of others features that you can add in the platform, such as – importing elements from other platforms like Photoshop, live chat support for development help, greater number of filter supports, etc. 

Another key aspect when building a platform like Effect House TikTok for mass usage comes in the form of monetization. How will you make money from the platform? Let’s answer that next. 

How to monetize from a platform like filter house TikTok?

There are a number of different ways you can adopt to get monetized from your version of Effect House TikTok. The top one of which would be a subscription model. Copying the idea from Photoshop, you can give one month membership free to the users and then charge x amount for monthly, quarterly, or yearly membership. 

The second mode which you can opt for is having paid features. For example, by keeping elements like 3D or beautification elements paid, you can push the creators towards making the in-app payment for the access. 

For a business looking to enter the space as the TikTok effect creator before it becomes an industry leader, there is one thing that they should focus on – investing in an AR VR development company that is known to have worked on AR-based social media apps. When you partner with a team of experts who have built TikTok filters, they will be able to create a white label solution with all the necessary features and guides much easily, for they would know the struggles and the workarounds. 

One such development company that you can partner with is Appinventiv. Our team of AR VR developers have used the technology to make several industries engaging. We carry an experience in creating filters for social media, educational apps while having an equally strong skill set in creating AR gaming apps. Our multi-industry AR expertise makes us the best people to manage your face filter app needs. Get in touch with our developers today!

THE AUTHOR

Amardeep Rawat

ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT