Technology has allowed humans to do wonderful things. Now, it will allow them to become works by maestros, thanks to Google.
Google Arts and Culture recently launched a filter that will allow users to place themselves within the works of prominent artists. The artworks currently supported by the filter include self-portraits by Vincent van Gogh and Frida Kahlo, as well as Girl With A Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer. It also includes objects like a 19th-century iron helmet (from MMA, New York) and an Egyptian necklace (from Royal Ontario Museum, Canada).
Titled ‘Art Filter’, it transposes the works of the artists on the selfies taken by users via their smartphones. It also could be explored through different angles and can be adjusted according to the user’s movement. The filter is developed using machine learning that allows it to smoothly blend the aspects of the artworks with the facial features of the users.
The filter has understandably gone viral on social media. Users have been sharing their images, converted into masterful artworks, on social media platforms. Google has also been promoting the hashtag #ArtFilter which users can use to share their images and discover similar ones by other users. The Art Filter is a natural successor of an earlier Google Arts and Culture project. The Art Transfer was launched in May and created in collaboration with the Getty Museum. It allowed users to convert their images as if made by brushstrokes of artists like Frida Kahlo, van Gogh, Leonardo da Vinci and many others.
Both filters could be used via the Google Arts and Culture app available for free download on various app stores.
