What is the AI Manga Filter on TikTok?
The AI Manga filter on TikTok uses artificial intelligence to turn photos of people into anime-style cartoon characters. It smooths the skin, enlarges the eyes, and adds vibrant hair and makeup. The filter went viral in December 2022 as people transformed their selfies into manga-inspired portraits.
The filter is based on AI image generation technology. It analyzes facial features in the photo and renders an anime version complete with big expressive eyes, colorful hair, and rosy cheeks. The AI aims to transform regular photos into the aesthetic and style of Japanese manga comics and animation.
TikTok users embraced the filter as a fun way to anime-fy themselves and see their inner manga character brought to life. It became a popular effect to use in outfit and makeup reveal videos. The results produce an artistic, idealized depiction by smoothing skin, adding makeup, and exaggerating eyes and hair.
Overall, the filter allows people to easily give themselves or any photo an animated makeover in the iconic manga/anime style popularized by shows like Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball Z. Its viral popularity showcases the appeal of anime aesthetics crossed with AI-powered effects.
Why the Filter Became Popular
The AI manga filter quickly went viral on TikTok due to the widespread appeal of the anime aesthetic. Anime and manga have become hugely popular around the world in recent years. The distinctive stylized art, with characters often having large eyes, colorful hair, and exaggerated expressions, has developed a strong fanbase. This aesthetic appeals to many TikTok users who grew up watching anime or reading manga.
The AI manga filter allows users to transform themselves into an anime character, tapping into the desire of anime fans to imagine themselves in that world. Applying the filter is an easy way to get the anime look. Certain features like the wide eyes and small mouth are hard to recreate with makeup alone. The filter does the work, morphing the user’s face seamlessly. For anime lovers, getting to become an anime character, even temporarily on TikTok, is a hugely appealing novelty.
Beyond just anime fans, the filter creates an eye-catching effect. The stark black-and-white manga styling stands out in people’s feeds. The ghostly, smokey effect given to the edges of the image also adds to the mystique and otherworldly vibe. Even those unfamiliar with anime can appreciate the filter’s artistic, dramatic impact.
Overall, the anime aesthetic at the core of the filter, allowing users to transform into manga-inspired characters, is the key source of its viral popularity on TikTok.
Source: https://www.wrk.com/blog/ai-manga-filter-tiktok-ghost/
How the Filter Works
The AI Manga filter uses artificial intelligence and machine learning technology to transform faces into an anime or manga art style in real-time. The filter was created using neural networks that were trained on thousands of images of anime/manga faces to learn the common stylistic features like large expressive eyes, colorful spiky hair, and smooth skin.
When the filter is activated, it uses the front-facing camera on your phone to capture an image of your face. This image is fed into the neural network model which analyzes the facial features and textures. The model then generates a new stylized image that transforms your face into an anime/manga character.
The transformation happens instantly, with the neural networks able to redraw and recolor your facial features in the anime art style in just milliseconds. This gives the filter its magical feeling of turning users into live animated characters as they move and pose.
According to an article on Spark AR from LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/curious-how-tiktok-filters-created-blair-ding, advanced machine learning techniques allow the filter to adapt the anime style to each user’s unique facial features and expressions. The AI works 24/7 to improve the filter and make the animations more lifelike and responsive.
Obtaining the Filter
The easiest way to get the AI Manga filter is to search for it directly within TikTok. Here are the steps:
- Open the TikTok app on your device.
- Tap on the discover icon at the bottom of the screen that looks like a magnifying glass.
- In the search bar at the top, type “AI Manga.”
- Tap the filter when it appears as one of the top results.
- You may need to swipe left through a few options to find the specific AI Manga filter.
- When you find the one you want, tap on it to open the filter page.
- Tap “Try it” to test out the filter on your face.
- Once you’ve tried it, tap the save icon at the bottom to add it to your favorites.
After saving the filter, you can find it in your effects tray for easy access when creating a new TikTok video. The AI Manga filter went viral quickly, so searching for it in TikTok is the fastest way to find and try the popular effect.
Using the Filter
Using the AI Manga filter on TikTok is easy and only takes a few steps. Here is how to use the filter to create your own anime-style videos:
1. Open the TikTok app and go to the camera to create a new video. Make sure you are in selfie mode to capture yourself.
2. Tap on the ‘Effects’ icon in the bottom left and search for ‘AI Manga’. Select the filter when it appears.
3. With the filter enabled, record a short selfie video of yourself. Feel free to make facial expressions and move around to see the filter in action.
4. You can adjust the filter intensity and other settings using the slider tools at the bottom. Play around to achieve the anime look you want.
5. When satisfied with the effect, post your manga-fied video for others to enjoy! Make creative captions to go along with the quirky anime style.
The AI Manga filter allows anyone to easily transform themselves into a wide-eyed anime character. Using exaggerated expressions and movements will make the filter even more fun and shareable. Refer to this video for further tips on recording with the effect.
Tips for Best Results
The AI Manga filter can transform your face into a fun animated character. However, the quality of the filter effect depends on getting the right lighting, angles, and expressions. Here are some tips for getting the best results with the AI Manga filter on TikTok:
Lighting – Make sure you have good, even lighting on your face. Side lighting or backlighting will not pick up your features as well and can result in poor tracking by the filter.
Angles – The filter works best when your face and eyes are clearly visible straight-on to the camera. Extreme side angles make it hard for the filter to track your facial features.
Face Position – Keep your entire face in view of the camera frame. Cutting off parts like your forehead or chin will negatively impact the filter effect.
Expressions – Exaggerated expressions like big smiles, raised eyebrows, and open mouths give the filter more to work with. Neutral, serious expressions may not translate as well.
Distance – Frame your face so there is a bit of space around the edges. Being too close to the camera can cause distortion.
By optimizing your lighting, angles, expressions, and distance from the camera, you can achieve the most accurate and lively AI Manga filter results in your TikTok videos.
Popular Trends with the Filter
The AI Manga filter has sparked numerous popular trends on TikTok. One of the biggest is using the filter for duets. TikTok users will often duet with someone using the manga filter, with one person being the “real” version and the other being the anime character. This creates a fun contrast between reality and anime fantasy.
Anime cosplay is another popular trend with the AI Manga filter. Cosplayers will use the filter while in costume to transform themselves into their favorite anime character. The filter adds animation effects to make their cosplay look even more realistic. According to @moonchild.official, cosplaying with the manga filter is “a dream come true” for anime fans.
Transition videos have also become very popular using the AI Manga filter. TikTokers will record a transition of themselves turning into an anime character using the filter’s effects. One popular example is transitioning from casual clothes into a magical girl costume momentarily with sparkle and animation effects thanks to the filter. These creative transitions let users immerse themselves in an anime world.
Creating Your Own With Spark AR
You can create your own custom anime filter on TikTok using Spark AR Studio. Spark AR is an augmented reality platform owned by Meta that allows anyone to create filters and effects for mobile apps like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.
To make your own anime filter with Spark AR, you first need to download the Spark AR Studio software on your computer from sparkar.facebook.com. Once installed, you can use the software’s editing tools and templates to build your custom anime effect.
Some key steps include:
- Importing an anime image or 3D model to use as the base for the filter
- Using facial tracking to apply the anime artwork to a person’s face
- Animating elements like blinking eyes, moving mouth, etc.
- Adding additional visual effects like sparkles or floating cherry blossoms
- Testing your filter and adjusting as needed
- Publishing your finished effect to TikTok
It takes some learning and practice to master Spark AR, but there are many tutorials on YouTube to teach you the basics. With a little effort, you can create your own customized anime filter for TikTok that stands out from the default options.
Other Anime TikTok Filters
In addition to the popular AI Manga filter, there are several other anime-style filters trending on TikTok. Some examples include:
- The Kawaii filter – Adds sparkly anime eyes and rosy cheeks to your face.
- The Anime Princess filter – Gives an animated princess makeover with sparkles and flowers.
- Chibi filters – Makes your facial features cute and cartoonish in a chibi art style.
- Manga Eyes filter – Dramatic sparkling eyes inspired by shoujo manga art.
- Anime Bunny filter – Puts animated bunny ears on your head.
There are new anime-inspired filters being created all the time. Search relevant hashtags or sounds on TikTok to find the latest options. Some users even design their own custom filters using Spark AR.
Why Anime Filters are Popular on TikTok
Anime filters have exploded in popularity on TikTok, especially among Gen Z users and anime fans. As this article discusses, TikTok has helped turn anime mainstream in the United States, with anime-inspired videos, audios, and aesthetics permeating alt and anime TikTok. Anime fans have embraced TikTok as a platform to share their love of anime and connect with fellow fans.
For Gen Z users especially, anime filters allow them to express their appreciation for anime aesthetics and culture. As anime has grown in popularity internationally, Gen Z embraces anime as a defining aspect of their generation. Anime filters give them a fun and creative way to showcase their interests. The vibrant colors, stylized designs, and aesthetic appeal draw Gen Zers and anime fans to try out and share anime filters for their videos.
TikTok’s duet and stitch features also enable community engagement, allowing users to put their own spin on anime filter videos. Overall, anime TikTok taps into the social and creative side of fandom. Anime filters provide an accessible entrypoint for Gen Z users to immerse themselves in the captivating world of anime.
