Snapchat introduced a new Lens format in Lens Studio for Lens+ subscribers, called "AI Clips", that basically turns a single photo into a five-second video using text prompts.
According to Snapchat, AI Clips is designed to be "instant, personal, and shareable", letting users transform a picture to place them on a red carpet or "in a surreal moment." Now, unlike traditional text-to-video tools, AI Clips is closed-prompt, meaning developers set the "instructions" for the AI in advance:
What makes AI Clips stand out in the AI video landscape is what they don"t try to be. They aren"t open ended, text to video tools or experimental demos. They are closed prompt AI experiences designed for scale, creativity, and repeat engagement.
The feature is native to the GenAI Suite in Lens Studio, allowing both experienced and new developers to turn a single prompt into a published Lens in minutes with no external tools or complex workflows required.
Lens Studio, launched way back in 2017, is Snap"s free desktop app for Windows and macOS, which allows developers, 3D artists, and casual creators to build Lenses that can be published directly to Snapchat, deployed on Snap"s AR Spectacles, or integrated into third-party mobile and web applications via Snap"s Camera Kit.
The software includes built-in algorithms for face tracking, hand tracking, full body tracking, and surface/world tracking (placing objects seamlessly on the ground or walls). Custom logic is typically written using JavaScript or TypeScript, though if you"re a non-programmer, you"re probably better off using its Visual Scripting system.
In other Snapchat news, the platform recently launched a new Creator Subscriptions feature that allows influencers and creators to place premium content behind a monthly paywall (kind of like Patreon).
Creators have the freedom to set their own monthly subscription prices, but Snapchat takes a pretty steep 40% cut, leaving the creator with the remaining 60%. A creator subscription comes with perks like access to subscriber-only Snaps, an entirely ad-free experience when watching that specific creator"s Stories, and Priority Replies so that a fan"s direct messages to the creator will be highlighted at the very top of the creator"s inbox.