How to Get Those Fun Face Effects on Snapchat With Snapchat Lenses

BY Khamosh Pathak

Published 9 Dec 2016

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Anyone who’s new to Snapchat has wondered how exactly they can get to the face effects feature, or as Snapchat calls them – Lenses. In true Snapchat fashion, there’s no button for it.

How to Use Snapchat Lenses

If you want to add the Lenses to your face, switch to the selfie camera by double tapping on the screen. The feature now also works using the rear facing camera.

Then make sure your face is clearly visible in the camera view. Then tap and hold on your face until a white mesh appears and maps your face.

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A selection of Lenses will now show up in the bottom of the screen, with circular icons.

Switch between them by swiping left/right.

Snapchat will give you directions on how to use the lenses. Some require you to open your mouth, raise your eyebrows and so on.

There are lenses that alter your voice and of course there’s the faces swap lens at the end of the selection. The last Lens lets you faceswap with an image in your camera roll. It’s pretty freaky.

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Lenses are free but not all lenses are available all the time. Snapchat serves a rotating selection of Lenses, removing and adding them everyday.

Once you’ve played around with lenses and are ready to post a snap using one, just tap on the circular shutter button to take a photo or tap and hold the button to take a video.

Once the recording is done, you’ll be taken to the now familiar editing screen. You can then choose to send the snap to someone or add it to your story.

In case, you missed it, check the previous parts of our Snapchat series: