Snap, the company behind social media platform Snapchat, has launched a new option within the popular app called ‘Landmarkers’ which allows users to create a set of AR filters for (historic) buildings and landmarks. Creative minds can make the landmark come to life in fantastical ways with small clips of augmented reality which can subsequently be viewed by fans and followers.
To see the animations, one needs to be physically present at the landmark, point their phone’s camera at it and launch the filter. Snap, the company itself has set the tone with five of these AR filters, of which two are for landmarks in Europe, but the intention is for everyone to start creating these filters themselves.
In practice, the application can be a valuable asset for museums, historical sites and cultural institutions. It can be used to tell their stories and let viewers see imagery that is otherwise not available, greatly improving the experience.
For example, a historic castle in ruins can be shown in its former glory. Although such applications have already been gaining traction, the development has shown to be expensive and cumbersome to use. Now, since the AR imaging can be built into an existing (and popular) application, it is not unimaginable that it could greatly reduce cost of production and marketing.