How To Create Custom Snapchat Lens Using iOS App, Desktop Computers

Snapchat now lets users create their own custom Lenses in the iOS app and on desktop computers, and the feature will be available on Android devices soon. The new feature lets Snapchat users choose from 150 templates and let them add custom captions using Snapchat’s new fonts.

The new Create Your Own Lens feature is only available for users in the United States. To start creating Snapchat Lenses on desktop, users will have to go to snapchat.com/Create. On iOS devices, users will have to go to the Snapchat app’s Settings and tap on the “Filters and Lenses” option. As stated before, the new creative tools comes with 150 templates to choose from, including augmented reality face masks and objects. Users will be able to add their own custom captions. Once a users is done creating their own custom Lens, they can select a specific location where the Lens will be available on the map.

Geofencing is limited to 20,000 square feet and up to 5 million square feet. Users will also select how long their custom Snapchat Lenses will be available for. One important thing to note here is that this isn’t free. Creating a custom Snapchat Lens starts at $9.99. Pricing will depend on how long and how widely available the custom Lens is.

Snapchat told TechCrunch that the pricing for Custom Lenses was designed to be affordable enough for everyone so it can generate revenue from it. The pricing is also said to be a deterrent for spam or any irresponsible usage of the new creative tool. Snapchat says that the new Create Your Own Lens feature is also only available to regular consumers and not businesses or brands. The company says that it will reject submissions from brands that are trying to use this new creative tool for advertising purposes, according to MacRumors.

This new Snapchat feature appears to be a very limited and simpler version of Snapchat’s Lens Studio. For the uninitiated, the Lens Studio was first launched back in December and it allowed advanced users to create their own AR experiences for the Snapchat app. Lens Studio is available on Mac and Windows desktop computers.

In addition to rolling out this new Create Your Own Lens tool, Snapchat is also making new caption options available to all of its users. Starting today, users will now be able to create captions using different styles including brush, italic, glow, rainbow and gradient, according to Engadget.