On Trend: Hair Color Instagram Filters
Our On Trend series explores different trends in the world of augmented reality filters through concepts, creators, and a selection of examples. In this article, we explore the trend of hair color Instagram filters. For all links to filters included, please ensure that you are opening on a mobile device to test them out!
What are Hair Color Filters?
Hair color Instagram filters apply different colors, textures and camera effects to your coiffure. It allows the user to test out if they would pull off blonde, pink, blue or even glittery rainbow hair. Have fun testing out a new hue before taking the plunge! Or, ask your followers what they think.
There are three main ways in which you can select the new color of your hairstyle.
- Tap to change: tap the screen to go through the selection of available colors.
- Option picker: a menu of options with different thumbnail previews is available right above the ‘capture’ button (the button pressed to take a photo).
- Cycle through: once the filter is selected, the various options will be cycled through on a pre-set time basis. This selection option is the slowest one and is by far the least user-friendly, in our opinion.
These effects can be part of a more complicated Instagram filter. For example, the user may be able to change hair color, but also add freckles and floating butterflies. Or, be able to choose from a variety of hair colors and then additionally tap to add or remove sparkles. Like other filters, they can be found by following creators (or now, brands, influencers etc.), through IG stories of those who you are following, or in the effect gallery.
How are Hair Color Instagram filters created?
The technology that allows hair color Instagram effects to work was only recently introduced (September 2020). The launch of such a long-awaited feature is why we have seen a near immediate release and subsequent influx of these filters. Many prominent AR artists quickly launched their own take on hair color Instagram filters, which we all proceeded to use to show our ‘Close Friends’ how we would look with blue or pink hair... (don’t lie!).
Like all other Instagram filters, ones that change hair color are built within Spark AR, Facebook’s proprietary software. If you want to learn more about how to make a face filter in general, read our blog post on the topic.
Segmentation and texturing are the two main techniques required. Used together on hair, they allow for these types of filters to exist. First, segmentation in essence . The hair is attributed to a ‘texture’ (color, light, other graphic effects like sparkles) that is separate from the rest of the frame.
If you’re still curious and want to learn more, we recommend this YouTube video tutorial by Catalyst and this informational page by Spark AR.
10 Fun Hair Color Filters to Try Now
Here are some of our favorite hair color Instagram filters to try! Many are from recognized IG filter creators, but we have also included some new, emerging artists as well.
1. Cabelo colorido by @igorsaringer
2. Rainbow Hair by @bangerooo
3. hair n freckles by @bdimitrov
4. sparkle hair by @bdimitrov
5. Balayage Hair Style by @paigepiskin
6. gasoline hair by @juliaroga
7. pastel hair by @juliaroga
8. pastel hair color by @drioy
10. Candy hair 🍭 by @sophie
Bonus: Other Hairstyle Instagram Filters
While hair color Instagram filters are a new trend, there have been other kinds of hairstyle filters around for longer. Search up “hairstyle” in the Instagram effect gallery and you will discover content with very varying degrees of utility. Our favorites are “bang” filters - search it up in the gallery and find these two:
1. Чëлкa by @ollbeldij
2. Perfect Bangs by @ollbeldij
We might have personally uncovered these filters, tried them out, then come back from the hairstylist with a drastic change later in the look. Better than going in blind! The end result? We’re rocking the bangs!
As can be easily scoped out, there are also some really terrible fringe filters… Unfortunately, most of the hairstyle try-on filters available at the moment are not of high quality. A big reason as to why these filters are so rudimentary is because they require 3D modelling, a very specific and advanced skill. 3D models must additionally be created in a specific format in order to work within Spark AR. However, consider that up until very recently, hair color Instagram filters and the technology behind them didn’t even exist! We anticipate that other types of hair/ body filters and their requisite techniques will be available soon enough.
What does this mean for people and industry?
Instagram hair color filters are new on the block, and certainly fun, but they’re just the start of where this technology is headed. We recently explored upcoming Instagram Shopping and how try-ons are going to be a huge game changer for e-commerce. Think of the easy applications of this technique- hair dye, beauty and cosmetics companies can take quick advantage by allowing customers to test out new looks. Would you base your style decisions off of an Instagram filter experience? In a world where in-person contact is limited, this shift is coming rapidly. In fact, Harvard Business Review recently published the article How AR is Redefining Retail in the Pandemic, stating “Once a nice-to-have feature, AR has quickly become an essential technology for retailers”. Our team at New Future Creative recognizes augmented reality (AR) face filters as an affordable and low-commitment option for exploring customer x AR interactions.
Ready to start your AR brand journey? Reach out to us at info@newfuturecreative.com to tell us about your vision.
