# Exploring the Era of Augmented Reality

- Link: https://chatterblast.com/blog/exploring-the-era-of-augmented-reality/
- Published: 2021-12-16T17:16:08-05:00
- Author: Cailin Giles

**Augmented reality** (AR) probably sounds like a daunting concept to most people
at first, but if you’ve spent much time on social media there’s a chance you’ve 
seen or used AR in action. Thanks to social media, anyone can get their hands on
AR and play around with it, whether you use it to have the [Snapchat dancing hotdog](https://media.giphy.com/media/AGthugo3612Ba/giphy.gif)
in your living room or try on a new [makeup](https://lenslist.co/ar-makeup/) look.

It’s important to note that AR is not the same as VR. Augmented reality can be used
for museum exhibitions, theater, healthcare, and really anything that serves a purpose
for having digitally created elements interact with the _real world_ environment,
while **virtual reality** (VR) creates an entire environment _virtually_ in which
the user is immersed. 

[Facebook](https://sparkar.facebook.com/ar-studio/) and [Snapchat](https://lensstudio.snapchat.com/?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=3Q_Google_Search_Beta_Brand_US&utm_term=snapchat%20lense%20creator&utm_device=c&gclid=Cj0KCQiAnuGNBhCPARIsACbnLzpbwli_dn00EkXdwkvyCcyRvxk_TKJDRecpHZyaF_V_zltf6N58wtMaAnRWEALw_wcB)
already have their own AR development programs, and one from [TikTok](https://effecthouse.tiktok.com/)
is in the works. These softwares allow developers and creators to participate in
the process, giving anyone the opportunity to create their own social AR filter 
or experience. 

With ChatterBlast, I recently had the opportunity to create my first AR filter for
Instagram. Along with the help of our design intern Annais, we came up with a few
holiday themed concepts before landing on the reindeer.

[[

As a designer, I’m used to learning how to do new things, and adapting to new processes
of creating work, whether it be in 2D or 3D softwares. Learning how to create this
AR filter in Facebook’s Spark AR was an interesting combo between the two _very 
different_ processes. When working in Spark AR, the creator can choose to work with
3D elements and shapes or 2D illustrations and effects. 

One of the strangest things for me while developing this filter was working with
our 2D shapes within this 3D space. I haven’t done much work in the 3D space since
college, so it felt good to dust off that toolbelt and dive into that workflow again.

The way Spark AR is set up, there’s a viewport in the center that lets you position
your camera, and your elements based on the face trackers. There’s also an assets
panel that stores all your materials and assets that you import. For example, because
we had animated 2D elements, we had to animate them in another program and import
them into Spark AR as a transparent image sequence.

[[

The last important part to note is the patch editor, which allows me to link all
the effects in a proper order so our reindeer effect can have a red glowing nose
and wiggly ears when the user smiles. I think the most important thing for anyone
looking to create an AR filter is to have a plan of what you want to do from the
beginning. It’s easy to make the connections in the patch editor an afterthought,
but that is the part that makes the whole thing function.  

Augmented reality is only getting more popular as time goes on, and I don’t see 
any stopping point in the future. As I’m writing this, [Google](https://www.theverge.com/2021/12/14/22833801/google-augmented-reality-operating-system-ar-os-team-mark-lucovsky)
just posted opportunities for their new augmented reality division on their staff.
[Meta is fully investing](https://about.fb.com/news/2021/10/founders-letter/) in“
expanding the Metaverse” by financing creators while continuing to develop and innovate
their AR platforms and experiences. Adobe also has an app in beta called [Aero](https://www.adobe.com/products/aero.html)
that focuses more on developing experiences to combine with the real world as opposed
to social media usage. 

This is the time for brands to start utilizing this technology and branch into something
new. Engaging with an Instagram filter is a much more personal experience than liking
an image on your feed. As people continue to share the filter, the name of the brand
will be listed underneath the user who shared it, giving people easy access to not
only share it themselves but also discover a new brand along the way. 

If you’re interested in checking out our filter, head on over to the [ChatterBlast Instagram page](https://www.instagram.com/chatterblast).
Tap on the icon featuring the three sparkle stars. Once you select the preview video,
click the “Try on” button where you can try it for yourself. All you have to do 
now is take a photo or a video — and for an added bonus, smile to see your nose 
glow like Rudolph’s!