Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Photography
  3. News

Ready, set, live! Facebook tests live augmented reality, audio, and Stories

Hillary K. Grigonis
By

facebook, facebook live
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Facebook users could soon have more ways to share unscripted, unfiltered videos — the social media platform is currently testing the ability to go live through Facebook Camera, as well as live inside Facebook Stories and even live audio. Over the weekend, Facebook confirmed live Facebook Camera, as well as live Stories, are currently being tested.

Both Stories and Camera are relative newcomers to Facebook. With the growing popularity of live video, it is not surprising that Facebook is testing new ways to go live, as well as places to share live videos beyond the news feed.

Recommended Videos

The Facebook Camera update allows the augmented reality camera option to serve as another method for accessing live video. For users that are part of the test, along with seeing the usual “normal” and “GIF” options inside Facebook Camera, Live also appears in the shooting options at the top of the screen.

Related

Besides Facebook Camera’s easy accessibility with a quick swipe from the left, the Live feature appears to those AR selfie effects on live video, with access to the different effects even with the Live option selected. Along with effects designed for selfies like using facial recognition to turn users into a cat, Facebook Camera also includes other filters for adjusting color or turning a video into a painting — all still accessible with the live option selected.

Along with the ability to go Live from Facebook Camera, select users are also seeing the option to go live with audio only — a way for sharing live without being on camera, like sharing live podcasts.

Users that access Live from Facebook Camera have the option to write a description before starting the video — and that same dialog box also gives users the option to share the live video inside Stories. If Facebook’s test for Live Stories is successful, users will be able to add live videos to their Stories, a spot to share daily adventures using videos and photos that disappear the next day. Despite not growing as fast as Instagram’s variation of the feature, Facebook is testing several new options for the Snapchat-clone, including Stories on desktop. Facebook also recently launched the ability for public figures to use Stories.

Facebook is currently only testing the live features, so users that don’t see those options will have to be patient to see when (or if) Facebook does a global rollout.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Hillary K. Grigonis
Hillary K. Grigonis
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Hillary never planned on becoming a photographer—and then she was handed a camera at her first writing job and she's been…
Beat Saber studio joins Facebook, but will not give in to the dark side
beat saber star wars day

Beat Saber quickly became one of the most popular virtual reality games of all time when it was released in its early access state, thanks mainly to its combination of two things nearly everyone loves: Dancing and swinging lightsabers. Now, its developer, Beat Games, is being bought by Facebook, but the studio is not planning to become another gear in the social media giant's machine.

In an announcement posted November 26, Oculus Studios -- owned by Facebook -- posted that Beat Games was joining Oculus, but would continue to operate independently out of its office in Prague.

Read more
Adobe Aero turns Photoshop art into augmented reality, no code necessary
adobe aero launches 6

Photoshop helped make graphic design more accessible. Now, Adobe Aero aims to do what Photoshop did for graphic design, but for the augmented reality (AR) space. Launched on Nov. 4 after more than a year in beta, Aero is the first platform that allows designers to create AR without any code, Adobe says.

Adobe Aero, an iOS-only app, takes on AR in conjunction with Adobe’s other programs. Designers can start an AR project in Photoshop CC or Illustrator CC, then bring those files into Adobe Aero to integrate those initial designs into an immersive space. That allows designers familiar with Photoshop -- but not necessarily code -- to bring their creativity into an augmented reality space.

Read more
Doodles become augmented reality art with Snapchat’s new 3D Paint tool
Snapchat

https://digitaltrends-uploads-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/3d-create-paint-snapchat-press.mp4

Tired of Snapchat’s usual round of face filters? Soon, you can paint your own augmented reality Lenses using a new tool called 3D paint. Rolling out beginning October 30, 3D Paint allows Snapchat users to draw in augmented reality using the front-facing or rear-facing cameras on iOS 8 or later, with a future update bringing the tool to Android.

Read more