Facetune is a photo editing application used to edit, enhance, and retouch photos on a user's iPhone, iPad or Android device. The app is often used for (yet not limited to) portrait and selfie editing. Features allow users to whiten teeth, remove blemishes, smooth skin, reshape, defocus and blur. Facetune users can also choose from a variety of filters, lighting, textures, contrast, and frame options. Facetune 2, the next generation of Facetune, launched in November 2016 as a free download. It allows users to refine their selfies with more features. Editing tools include realistic facial editing (changing facial expressions, for instance) and the ability to re-light a subject after the photo has been taken.
Facetune users utilize this portrait and retouching app to present their best selves to the world online, sharing their pictures on a variety of social networking services.
Video Facetune
Editing features
Tools for Facetune 2 users fall into the following categories, with most tools offering sliders for modification of the intensity of the portrait editing feature:
- Retouching: Tools include Smooth, Heal and Patch for a fresher complexion and the opportunity to swipe over blemishes and wrinkles, whiten teeth, add a pleasing glow, and refine facial features in terms of both size and proportion. Several tools focus on the eyes - with detail, colour and reflections modification options
- Artistic: Tools include adjusting, blending and replacing photo backgrounds behind the subject, and adding from a menu of dramatic to subtle mood filters. These take in Kawaii, Hero, Grace B&W filters and island life-tinged and colour-saturated Lani. Special effects include the chromatic Prism and other effects via the LightFX tool, Glitter, and Paint to add makeup
- Photography: A darkroom feature includes classic photography adjustment tools like Structure and Saturation. Users can also remove shadows or glare and Relight to mimic pro-style studio lighting
Additional editing features include the ability to live preview adjustable effects before the picture is taken. This enables users to experiment with photo modifications like the shape and size of their eyes or the shade of their teeth in a real-time preview.
Maps Facetune
Development
Facetune was created by Lightricks, an Israel-based startup company established by five entrepreneurs. Lightricks designs and develops photo and video editing applications for mobile phones, The company is based in the Hebrew University Tech Village in Jerusalem, with offices in New York.
Lightricks is the developer of LTEngine, an image processing engine designed for mobile platforms, which was used in Facetune.
History
Before the launch of Facetune 2, Lightricks focused on selling paid units of Facetune. Annual revenue of Lightricks was $10 million before it shifted to subscription based model in 2016. Its original app cost $3.99 per download.
Facetune enables users to remove blemishes, improve complexions and perform other manipulations on their photos which could previously only be performed by Photoshop on a desktop computer.
The Facetune app is currently being used as a Facebook case study on user acquisition. It was also named Apple's #4 best-selling paid app in 2016 for Facetune Facetune 2 is a free download offering in-app purchases for individual features; and it offers a subscription option that provides unlimited access to all features and content.
Reception
Facetune was first released in March 2013. Within a year it ranked #1 in the photo & video category in 120 countries and reached the #1 paid app in over 120 countries (as of November 2017). It was also named one of App Store's Best of 2013. The Facetune App was recognized by publications such as the New York Times, USA Today, the NY Daily News, The Huffington Post and Mashable. Celebrities like Khloe Kardashian have discussed their enthusiasm for using Facetune to fine-tune their selfies.
Criticism
Selfie-enhancing and other photo editing apps have been criticized for encouraging users to 'catfish' or pretend to be someone else on the internet, especially on social networking. This motivation to seek 'perfection' is also seen as undermining self and body confidence - particularly in younger users. The counter view is that selfie-enhancing apps help users optimize mobile portraits, not strive for inauthentic 'plastic perfection'. Bloggers such as James Charles generally endorse this view, steering users away from over smoothing the face, for instance, to encourage a natural look.
See also
- Startup Nation
- Economy of Israel
- iPhoneography
References
External links
- Official website
- Enlight
- Facetune
Source of article : Wikipedia
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