Latest among the chartbuster face editing apps, FaceArt, has gained massive popularity among people of all ages. The fun and engaging way allows the user to see how they could look in the future. The app also allows users to take the time back and visualize how they might have been looking a few years back.
The entertainment app is quite similar to 2019’s #1 Top Free App – FaceApp, except it offers much more customization when it comes to looking into the future or the past of your face. At present, the app’s user base is 10,000+ strong and is highly rated at 4.3 stars.
It is such immersive apps, and their huge following that have made an independent study to forecast that photo editing apps are going to grow up to USD 387.83 Million by 2027.
And now, if you want to have your share in this colossal market, this post will give a comprehensive guide to do exactly that.
Key Takeaways
FaceArt App and How Does It Work?
Image Source
FaceArt is all about letting users have fun by adding or removing years from their faces. With the app, you can choose any image from your gallery, and then the AI will reimagine it with tell-tale signs of younger, as well as, an older face. You can use the in-built camera feature from the app to capture a new photo right there and then apply the aging filters without any delay. Here’s a list of features as offered by the app.
- Removing background from the image with one tap.
- Change the background of the image by picking one from the gallery.
- Add custom years to the face to make it look more aged.
- Make a face look younger by removing signs of aging.
And though these features are numbered, their workings are complex enough to make the app development a task worth the team’s effort.
The app uses AI and neural face transformation algorithms to add and remove years from an image of a face. At first, the AI uses image recognition models to make points of facial features like the jawline, cheekbones, eyelids, forehead, etc. Then, the model trained on sample data of people who have shared their face images from different ages overlays the tell-tale features of an aging face.
The app, of course, works both ways. Users can use it to see how they could have looked 20 years ago or 20 years in the future. The app does it in real-time, and for that, it uses generative convolutional neural networks that offer high-fidelity image synthetization. While doing so, the ML network often loses the original information on the image. Therefore, skilled developers are required to modulate the combinational results like the ones presented by the FaceArt app.
Tech Stack for the FaceArt Like Photo Editor App
To make an app like FaceArt, you will need to use computer vision libraries and the tools to use mobile phone’s native functionalities-
Programming Languages
Since the app will be using multiple native functionalities of the device, it is suggested to use official programming languages to create the native apps. For Android, that will be Kotlin and Swift for iOS devices. In order to facilitate the app to use AI, you will also need Python in your technology stack.
Graphics Libraries
For any photo editor app, you should use pre-built computer vision libraries to shorten the development timeline and bring out the most effective results. For your FaceArt clone app, you can use real-time image processing libraries like OpenGL and OpenCV.
Data Management
Since you want your users to be able to store their past snaps and use them too to further enhance your app’s functionalities, you need to include non-relational database technologies like MySQL, PostgreSQL, and MongoDB. Further to store data securely on the cloud, you will be using services like the Amazon S3 and Amazon Redshift.
Business & DevOps Tools
Your tech-stack will not only contain the technologies for the development of the app but rather also the ones used for managing its development process. This would include tools like Jira, Trello, Selenium, etc. Other than that, you will also need some DevOps tools like Docker, Jenkins, Logstash, etc.
Monetizing Strategies for Your FaceArt Clone App
FaceArt, even being a free app, has the paywall right at the start of the app. It offers free trials but only after picking a monthly or annual subscription. While this approach is pretty good for popular apps like FAceArt, it can quickly backfire for newer apps that are yet to earn a name in the market. This is why, when you’re launching your new FaceArt clone app, you should use varied monetization strategies to keep the bounce rates to a minimum.
| In-App Ads | Your app will come under the entertainment category; therefore, there isn’t much harm in adding relevant in-app ads to your app. |
| Paid Features | Another easy way to monetize your app is to gate some of its features. These can be the most popular ones among your first batch of users. |
| Paid Access | You can also limit the number of times a user can use a specific feature. This will allow users to try the feature and then decide whether or not they want to pay for it. |
Strategies to Develop a Photo Editor App Like FaceArt
There are many ways through which you can turn your FaceArt clone app idea into a reality-
1. Create an In-House Team
If you want your app to be a distinct business of its own, then creating an in-house development team is the ideal choice for you. With your team sitting and working together, you will be able to monitor the entire project’s progress seamlessly. This will also give you better control over the security aspects of your app. However, this can all get very expensive. From the cost of hiring and remuneration for skilled personnel to the acquisition and maintenance of the assets, your entire capital can get used up fairly quickly, even before the app is halfway done.
2. Outsourcing Skills
A more cost-efficient option for you is to hire a photo editor app development company or curate a team of your own through remote hiring processes. In both cases, you will have the freedom to let the experts deal with the process, only asking them to update you as and when you find it convenient. Both options are also way cheaper than building an in-house team. The former option is still more suggestible if you want some assurance for the quality and the timely deployment of your face editor app project.
3. A Hybrid Model
One way to ascertain the security aspect of the app while also ensuring some cost savings is to adopt a mixed model for hiring your app development team. You can keep the security, cloud, and back-end team in-house, and for skillsets like that for AR, UX, and frontend, you can hire an external team. Ideally, you should keep that team internal, which you know can be of use even after the app’s deployment, a team responsible for the maintenance and growth of the app. The remaining skillsets, which are required only once or sparingly in the entire development process, can be outsourced instead.
Feature Prioritization for MVP Development
Minimum Viable Product or the MVP version of an app is its deployable prototype with all the basic features. To create an MVP for your face editor app, you should prioritize the features that can be developed in the shortest timeline and still make the app functions as expected.
Since the front end of the FaceArt app doesn’t really have that many features, you should prioritize the level of customization its MVP version can offer. For example, instead of letting users set a custom age filter, they can simply only choose whether the face should be transformed to look older or younger. You can also keep the automation of background removing as a feature for later versions. In the beginning, users can be asked to only use images that have negligible noise in the background.
The app’s interface can also be kept minimal at this stage, keeping features like user image storage, social sharing, etc., for the refined versions.
How Much Does It Cost to Develop an App like FaceArt?
Calculating the exact development cost for an app like FaceArt is not a straightforward task. Many factors like the number and complexity of the features, the region of development, the platform of choice, and integration with other services, can all bring a wide variation in the estimated cost of the app.
The best way to know the precise answer to this question is to directly consult with a business analyst. They can evaluate the feasibility of all the functionalities you want your app to have and then formulate a timeline for the project. They will also be able to make a decision on the tech stack of the app. Based on this, they can calculate the development cost by adding up the hourly charge of all the skilled experts required by the project.
Conclusion
Conditions are the most lucrative right now for entertainment and social apps like FaceArt. Market is quite favorable for similar new face editor apps, and if you’re planning to invest in the same, it’s suggested to do that soon. This being said, the high levels of competition can swiftly drown out your app’s presence unless you add additional features to help it stand out. And to do that, you will need a reliable mobile app development team that can understand your target audience and create a solution that meets their expectations the best.
Matellio, with years of experience in entertainment mobile app development and a team skilled in developing photo editor apps, can prove to be your ideal partner. From market research to MVP development and from deployment to app marketing, we can help you in every stage of your app’s journey. All you need to do is fill this form with your basic requirements for the app and submit it. Our experts will create an entire development plan and share with you a free quote for the same. Alternatively, you can contact us directly to book a free consultation.
