Google is pushing a new update to its Google Arts & Culture app, adding a very trendy feature – AR selfie filters. Called “Art Filter,” the new AR filters are themed to famous art pieces including paintings, objects, and accessories from all around the world.
There’s the legendary self-portrait of Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh. Users can apply this filter to see themselves drawn as that iconic painting. It supports multiple angles and works just as good as any other AR filter. The digital effect impressively matches the brushwork of the renowned artwork from 1889.
Next up is Frida Kahlo’s “Self-portrait with Monkey”. The collection also includes the famous Girl with a Pearl Earring, a 17th-century oil painting by Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer. There’s also the traditional Samurai helmet and an Ancient Egyptian necklace. Each filter is crafted to allow users to explore the artifacts in high-quality detail from every angle.
Google also offers a short description explaining the history and context of the artwork. At a time when in-person visits to museums aren’t possible, this effort from Google allows users to virtually enjoy the famous art pieces.
You can see real-time effects and even capture and save a still image or a short video with the effect to share on your social media channels. The new AR filters are accessible through the rainbow camera icon at the bottom of the Google Arts & Culture app’s homepage.
“Art Filter applies Machine Learning based image processing because making this kind of AR feature possible needs a sophisticated anchoring of the virtual content to the real world. Through this approach, the artifacts are able to position themselves organically and smoothly on your head or react to your facial expression,” said Florent Robineau and Ion Esfandiari of Google in a blog post on Wednesday.
Google adds artwork-themed AR filters to its Google Arts & Culture app
The Google Arts & Culture app offers virtual tours of art exhibits and collections from around the world. From New York’s Museum of Modern Art to the Musee d’Orsay in Paris and the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia, this app lets you virtually visit them all.
Google is now making that experience more personalized by letting you capture yourself with some famous artworks in history. Hopefully, the company will add more such filters to the collection in the future.
Google Arts & Culture also offers many other AR features. The “Art Transfer” feature lets you superimpose an art style to an existing image while “Art Selfie” uses machine learning to find portraits that look like you. Lastly, there’s “Art Projector” that shows how artworks look in real size by virtually projecting them in your living space.