We’ve been keeping this super exciting secret for over a year now, and we’re ready to spill the tea! Today, we’ve released Facetune Video, worldwide on the App Store. Facetune Video is a video retouching app that we’re quite sure is going to change the way you edit your videos, the same way Facetune revolutionized how the world edits photos back in 2013.
Video has exploded on social media in recent years, and there’s simply no going back. Who wants to, anyway? “Selfie videos”, those videos where it’s only you--well, your face--telling your story into the camera of your phone, show sincerity and let your followers experience your bomb personality (or your mood swings) like no other.
The ability to edit these kinds of videos easily, in a way that’s just simple as photo editing now is, has been our #1 requested user feature since Facetune2 came out in 2016. After all that buildup, we thought we’d take a minute to tell you our story - and get you as excited about Facetune Video as we are.
Our fearless (and at this point - sleepless) leaders, Daniel, Head of the Facetune Division here at Lightricks and Susan, our Facetune Division Marketing Manager, sat down to answer all the questions you might have.
1. What does Facetune Video do and how does it work?
Susan: Facetune Video is a retouching app for selfie videos. If you can edit photos, you can now edit videos - it’s really that simple.
You don’t need any prior video editing knowledge. Gone are the days of investing time and patience into following step-by-step YouTube tutorials just to figure out how to edit. With Facetune Video you just load a video, tap a tool, and that effect is applied to your video. You can whiten teeth, reshape features, smooth skin, apply makeup, make essential video editing adjustments like tweaking contrast or saturation - and those are just some of the core features.
Daniel: We’re releasing the app with a core set of features, but there’s a ton more in the works. I’m really excited about the roadmap of tools we’re planning to implement.
2. Who is Facetune Video for?
Susan: For anyone who shares videos on social media!
Daniel: Especially selfie videos - that’s really what Facetune Video is all about. We’re sure that people who post a lot of these kinds of videos are going to really fall in love with the app: from established influencers to those just starting to work on their personal brand, to people in the beauty industry like makeup artists and hair stylists to vloggers and video journalists.
Susan: Pre-recorded online interviews are also a thing these days, and even more so now. I would absolutely recommend using Facetune Video for that as well.
3. Why do you think people will be excited about Facetune Video? What’s so special about it?
Daniel: First of all, the simplicity. It’s really easy to use compared to other mobile video editors, and definitely as compared to desktop software. You don’t edit frame by frame, which can take a lot of time. Instead, you’re editing only one frame of the video, the same way you’d edit a photo on Facetune, and we immediately apply all of those changes to all of the video’s frames.
Besides that, the results are super realistic and our research team was really focused on that during the product development. As opposed to other apps, we’re not interested in adding glasses or puppy ears, or decorating your face with unbelievable makeup. While that can be fun, it’s not the experience we are going for. For example, if you use the Smile tool to add a lip shade, it really looks like you have lipstick on while you were shooting the video, not like it’s been pasted somewhere on your mouth afterwards.
Susan: The high level of control you have over the results is also unique. All tools work with a slider, so you can exaggerate the effect or make it softer and more subtle. The power is literally at your fingertips. You want to smooth out your complexion a bit? Done. Want to try on a whole new look, with fuller eyebrows and a new lipstick shade? That works, too! You can also make video editing presets as well, by saving a series of adjustments you’ve made on one video, and applying it to any video later on. It’s essentially creating a unique video aesthetic, the same way many influencers have a specific aesthetic for their Instagram feed.
4. Why did you build it? Where did the idea for Facetune Video come from?
Daniel: We’ve been getting requests for an editor just like Facetune, for videos for years. It’s our number one user request - so you could say the original idea came from our users. Our goal was to make a video editing app, that focuses on retouching selfie videos, and feels as simple and as fun as a photo editor.
Susan: It’s the video editor for people who can’t edit video. Like Daniel said, we wanted it to be super simple, fun, yet powerful. We wanted the results to be realistic and high-quality. When Facetune came out in 2013, we really didn’t expect it to change the way everyone edits their photos. Now, we do expect that Facetune Video will change that way people edit video. The demand for video content is higher than ever before, and there really is no other product like this out on the market.
5. Can you tell a bit about the tech (magic) inside the app?
Daniel: Facetune Video is built with state-of-the-art, deep neural networks. We utilize facial feature detection and geometry analysis to provide advanced retouching capabilities. This allows for instantaneous results in real time - we don’t transmit data to the cloud or spend time rendering files, and the user doesn’t have to wait for results to process or the video to load. Besides that, Facetune Video uses facial feature detection and 3D face modeling artificial intelligence to ensure that every part of the user’s face is captured for editing and retouching - even hard-to-edit areas like the hairline and around the mouth.
Susan: What he said.
6. How much does Facetune Video cost?
Daniel: Like Facetune2, Facetune Video is free to download with subscription-based VIP features. There’s options for how you can go VIP if you want to use those extra features: either $8 per month or $36 per year.
Susan: Of course, our loyal Facetune2 subscribers will get a discount on a yearly subscription to Facetune Video.
7. Is Facetune all about making you look good on social media?
Susan: It’s about what you want. As more and more communication and self-expression happens online, especially during these crazy pandemic times, how you present yourself on social media has become more and more important to many people. If I have a late night (let’s say it’s the week of an app launch 😉), I get really dark circles under my eyes. If I post a video, I don’t necessarily want it to reflect my all-nighter. Now it doesn’t have to.
8. Why do you think Facetune2 is so popular? Do you think Facetune Video has the same potential?
Daniel: People seem to really identify with being able to control their image and the way they present themselves to the world. I think it’s both democratizing and empowering that now your photos can look just as amazing and professional as any celeb or influencer’s pics, knowing that their photos have a glam squad of professional stylists, makeup artists, and photographers behind them. And all that from an app, in just a minute or two, with no learning curve.
Susan: There’s also a lot of room for creativity and playfulness - experimenting with different looks and seeing how you feel about it and how your audience reacts.
9. What do you say to people who take issue with Facetune?
Daniel: We 100% believe in the freedom of expression for all, and that everyone should have the power to control their own image and express themselves however they’d like to. We don’t tell people how or how not to use Facetune, and we don’t judge how they use it either.
Susan: Like anything in history that’s significantly innovative, there’s going to be harsh critics and loyal supporters. The fun anecdotes and the inspiring stories we hear every day from our users is truly amazing: there are users that DM us simply to tell us that they took the *best* photo of the *best* night and Facetune2 allowed them to zap away that pesky zit they didn’t want to remember forever. There are those that write to us with stories of how Facetune2 makes them feel confident, like a rockstar on social media, instead of overwhelmed. There are users from the transgender community who write to our team sharing how they use Facetune to show on the outside how they have always felt on the inside. Similar to Photoshop, when you read or hear some of the criticism surrounding the Facetune brand in the media, you’re not necessarily getting the full story. We hear directly from our users themselves about the positive impact Facetune has had on them and nothing is more rewarding and motivating than that.
10. Anything else you want people to know?
Susan: It seems like a great time to say thank you to our incredibly hardworking developers, researchers, designers, and marketers - a team of talented individuals who brought Facetune Video from a big idea to a polished and powerful product that’s finally out today on the App Store.
And of course - a huge thank you to our users, for inspiring us to build the world’s first selfie video editor. We love seeing your creativity, style, and all the different ways you express yourself every day on social media. We hope you’ll love Facetune Video as much as we’ve loved bringing the product to life!
Daniel: We’ve dreamed up an exciting roadmap of new features ahead that we’re planning to implement, but we’d love to hear your thoughts! Get in touch with our Customer Experience team at [email protected] and let us know what you like, what you think can be improved and what you want to see in the product.
