Snapchat Introduces Imagine Lens with AI Image Generation for Snaps

Snapchat is introducing a new Imagine Lens feature, which lets you create AI-generated images with text prompts, and it is available for Snapchat+ Platinum and Lens+ subscribers.

Snapchat announced Imagine Lens in its blog post today. As the name implies, it lets you create a custom lens by giving a text prompt, which you can edit later to get the desired effect. You can ask it to “create an image of a fluffy dog” or “turn me into a robot,” and it will use AI to generate the image.

It also features some pre-made effects like “Turn me into a four to five-panel comic where something unexpected but heroic happens”, “Make me into a funny caricature,” and “Make this person skydive.” Of course, you can edit the prompt by tapping on the caption bar and modify it according to your preference.

It essentially allows you to create your own lens, something you could only do from Snapchat Lens Studio till now. The Imagine Lens feature will be available from Snapchat’s Lens carousel, and within the exclusive category. However, you will need a Snapchat+ Platinum or Lens+ subscription to use this exclusive Lens.

Snapchat has been adding AI features to its app prior to everyone else, with MyAI and other image creation features. So it was inevitable that AI lens creation was going to come to the app sooner rather than later. As for the underlying model, the platform is said to be using a mix of its own in-house and industry-leading AI models for the Imagine Lens feature.