As digital natives, we inevitably live in a world wrapped in beauty filters. On social media, where looks are in power, filters have become semi-permanent equipment for some people. This kind of face-changing technique, which is now effortless from photos to videos, has caused many handsome and beautiful stars to “roll over”. Re-engraved “net celebrity face”.
The “beautiful” Anita Yuen after excessive dermabrasion,
It’s a level that Zhang Zhilin can’t even recognize.
Charmaine Sheh faced the heavy filter,
Embarrassed yet polite smile and want to run away immediately.
Wang Junkai bluntly said that his chin in the Internet celebrity filter is like “Korean semi-permanent”. Guan Xiaotong and Wu Xuanyi who are in their youth can’t escape the persecution of beauty special effects. Rainie Yang even directly shouted to Internet celebrities, don’t open the filter so big . After these “live-streamed car rollover scenes”, netizens commented that stars don’t need extra beauty filters, and they are the most perfect in the state of raw pictures!
Once upon a time, filters were a technological beauty tool for some beauty lovers. Today, these ridiculous “overturned” clips of celebrity beauty are exactly a test of aesthetic awareness that we are experiencing. In the digital age, people’s demand for “being stared at” has intensified, but we no longer buy into the “perfect” of yesterday’s V-face, big eyes, and flawless skin. Filters are like a small world, reflecting the diverse aesthetics and creativity needed in this era with the blessing of digitization.
Today’s filter technology patted me and asked me how I want to shoot?
Filter new aesthetics,
Does it look like there is no filter?
When “this day in history” comes from mobile phones and social network albums, you will be awakened to the “dark history” by the rear-lens photos of the former filter era or the one-click beauty Abao color syrup. Initially, the filter and image retouching technology was not yet mature, but the instinct to pursue beauty has always been engraved in our DNA. As the predecessor of the filter, the selfie artifact is a card camera that can adjust the skin color and artistic effect, and has the function of Selfie. It has become a generation of “financial products” in an era when the pixels of mobile phones are not high enough and beauty apps are not yet popular. Nowadays, mobile phones are becoming more and more high-definition, and filter products have also become necessary photo editing software for installation, which means that beauty lovers have stepped up to a new level of demand for instant photos and self-expression.
The post-90s and post-00s who have experienced the “non-mainstream” era have also witnessed the development of technology and the Internet. Now they have gradually mastered the right to speak, and their self-projection on social media is infinitely magnified. The new generation of young people have seen more in social networks with massive information, and they know better what is good and suitable for them. In the past, the most popular functions of the beauty camera app were “big eyes”, “slim face”, “skin smoothing”, etc., but now the native mode is very popular. Compared with distortion modification, the natural beauty that does not reveal traces wins a lot.
The original filter and the aesthetic pathology of the “fake face sister group” draw a clear line, behind which implies a series of questions worthy of self-examination under the trend of aesthetic diversification: Is looking flawless still the social password we need? Without the blessing of stereotyped beauty filters, is there nowhere to put the freedom of appearance?
Many young people decided to get out of the Truman world and turned around to participate in the activities of “Closing Filters Challenge” and “Conquering the Original Camera”. The original iPhone camera and original filters have become the center of social media topics again, and the excessive microdermabrasion has been turned off. , The filter with big eyes highlights the texture of the skin itself and the characteristics of personal facial features, which are very vivid and beautiful. Just like the trend and aesthetics always go back and forth, the relaxed and comfortable feeling of plain makeup, the texture and stylization that represents the truth have become the new fashion of this era, what kind of weather vane will be set off in the next era?
Filter 2.0 era,
Welcome to Brave New World
Since the invention of Photoshop by the Knoll brothers in 1988, “P-picture” has become an effective means for people to quickly become beautiful. From the early days when people used simple filters and retouching methods on the computer to add texture and artistic effects to photos, to Instagram, the birthplace of selfie social networking, which launched an endless stream of filter options, the imaging effects of color cast, out-of-focus and overexposure, so far It is still harvesting loyal users as “Ins wind”.
With the iteration of technology, the functions of photo editors are more accurate and intelligent. In recent years, the popular portrait retouching software Facetune, Snapchat with many interesting filters, VSCO, smile filters, comic filters that meet various precise color matching needs …Its update speed is fast, and it is moving towards fun and personalization, paving the ground for free creation for Gen Z.
The generation that grew up in the wave of filters is also a generation that dares to imagine wildly and is not easy to satisfy. When former filter users become creators, what new sparks are there? Ma Ming, a generation Z digital artist with multiple identities, is the creator of the popular AR filter. She has been keen to use PS to create, take selfies and try various novel filters since she was a child. When the ready-made filters could no longer meet her needs, she began to create filters by herself. She combines the fun of filters with digital art to create AR filter works that are rich in “interaction” and “experience”.
The filter works she creates range from focusing on the modification of the facial features to the more artistic imagination, allowing users to abandon the meticulous carving of “perfection” and devote themselves to the world of color where pleasure is paramount.
Since ins opened the permission of users to upload AR filter works three years ago, artists have developed a series of AR filters with a sense of technology and artistry as filter creators. With today’s more accurate algorithms, 3D makeup, decorations, and special effects interacting with the real environment can accurately match the user’s facial features and movements.
This AR filter called “Beauty3000” attaches a colorful layer to the face that fits like a mask. You can turn your face 360 degrees to experience the magic highlight changes of the silky filter at different angles. “Glossy” skin in the virtual world has a whole new definition.
When the once unorthodox trend of retouching photos with text, decorations and color returns to the public eye, you can experience more dynamic fun online than ever before.
Dynamic makeup is already a very basic function for AR filters. All bold and fun ideas and scenes are used on the face, and you will be taken to the new world of ghosts in a second. These AR filters continue to inspire people to imagine freely. In the future virtual social space, what image do you want yourself to be?
When filters are not limited to tools that can modify facial features and have skin beautifying functions, they can be transformed into the artistic medium that “everyone can be famous in 15 minutes” predicted by Andy Warhol at any time. And when Gen Z, who is willing to learn and try, feels dissatisfied, they will find their own path at any time and create a new image of their own.
Metaverse Age,
Will filters replace makeup?
On the evolutionary road of filters focusing on “beauty doctrine”, the first challenged is the beauty industry. Nowadays, whether you want to quickly change your makeup without makeup or modify the details of makeup and hair, you can quickly use various mobile APPs to achieve it. We can’t help thinking, as a fun traditional craft, will make-up be replaced by filter technology? We explored this possibility with three industry experts related to filters and creative work.
✦ Metaverse strikes, will filters replace makeup?
Assuming that in the future we can wear AR glasses 24 hours a day, or immerse in social interaction in the metaverse, everyone in the field of life may achieve “filter freedom”, then will makeup and professional makeup artists be completely replaced by digital technology?
Makeup artist Yooyo Keong Ming:
Touching the real world always has a different perception than a virtual screen. But it is undeniable that the maturity of virtual makeup technology and dynamic filters makes me have a hunch that the work of makeup artists may be replaced by artificial intelligence in the future. By then, our jobs may shift from putting makeup on people to putting makeup on technology, teaching artificial intelligence to understand beauty.
Wu Xinhong, founder and CEO of Meitu:
Digital technology will not only not replace traditional makeup, but will also provide people with more convenient reference and services in the future. Nowadays, some people start from the mobile phone software to learn about beauty, learn beauty, and even apply makeup to the virtual makeup effect. When people go shopping, they may already wear delicate makeup on their faces. If they don’t want to spoil their makeup, but also want to experience new offline products, offline virtual makeup tools can meet their needs and recommend products. The list is saved in advance to the shopping cart on their mobile phone.
Digital artist Ma Ming:
I believe that filters cannot replace traditional makeup, but when filter creation becomes a work of art, it may affect the makeup brushes in people’s hands and their perception of makeup beauty.
✦ Makeup aesthetic vs filter aesthetic
In the era of big data, who is the first to be born with the same makeup filter and popular makeup? They may be an inseparable ambiguous relationship.
Digital artist Ma Ming:
There are some makeup styles on foreign social media, such as beautiful lips, high cheekbones, freckles, etc. What influences or to a certain extent makes these styles appear and become popular? Because they use filters with these elements, many people think it is very beautiful and special; while in China, when people use filters for whitening, face-lifting, and microdermabrasion, everyone thinks it is very beautiful, It’s natural to wear makeup like this when you do makeup… I find this interplay of virtual and reality interesting.
Wu Xinhong, founder and CEO of Meitu:
Makeup artist Yooyo Keong Ming:
In recent years, people have paid more and more attention to contouring when applying makeup. In my opinion, this is a trend that is closely related to the digital lifestyle. First of all, more and more people are keen to take photos and upload them to social networks, and then hope that they can look more three-dimensional and stylish in the photos. The demonstrations of European and American stars and Internet celebrities have contributed to this trend.
For example, Kim Kardashian’s popularity of beauty-focused filters has also affected the way people wear makeup on a daily basis. However, if you use too much force in real life, it seems a little exaggerated. I suggest that you can only do a little bit of line modification in daily contouring. If you start too hard, you will lose the original purpose of contouring.
So, do we need to say goodbye to the ten-level beauty filter? Maybe looking at past photos, we are still frowning slightly because of the outdated filter photos and fake white makeup. At the same time, the ever-changing makeup and filter trends are inviting us to experience it. Open aesthetic prejudice and feel every moment that is happy because of self-confidence and satisfaction. How will technology bring more fun and energy to beauty in the future? These answers, wait for the future.
Written by: Huiyi
Editor: Lesley
Partial Photography: Blue Sky
Design: Xiao Ni