Snapchat Lenses have been popular with users ever since they were launched. Snapchat experimented with AI some time ago when it launched My AI chatbot. With AI becoming better lately, Snapchat has introduced yet another AI feature — Dreams. Here is all you need to know about Dreams in Snapchat and how to use it in your Snaps and chats.
Table of Contents
Snapchat Dreams
Dreams is a new generative AI feature on Snapchat that creates different versions and personas of you in different situations using AI. Imagine yourself as an elf, or a dragon hunter in an alternate universe. You can visualize how you’ll look in a different landscape like hiking in the mountains or swimming with the dolphins.
Image Credit: Snapchat Newsroom
Dreams in Snapchat works by the user uploading a series of selfies in different face positions and agreeing to let Snapchat use this data to generate different outputs. Let the AI magic happen and voila!
Details to Remember About Dreams
1. Dreams is rolling out in phases, so make sure you’re on the latest version of Snapchat. If you live in Australia and New Zealand, you should’ve received the update already, and everyone else around the world should get it soon in the coming weeks.
2. Currently, Snapchat can only create 8 Dreams for free based on a chosen theme for your dreams. Examples include Sweater Weather or Fantasies. These themes are known as Dream Packs and are limited to a few options as of now. More should come in the coming months.
3. You can choose a free Dream Pack only once, and that too during the initial setup.
4. If you don’t like the AI-generated pictures from your free Dream Pack, then you cannot change it or add a new pack for free. You can always make an in-app purchase to change or add a pack.
5. Currently each Dream Pack starts at $1/pack. There are some dream packs available for a limited time.
6. The more photos you upload of yourself from different angles and in different locations, the more Dreams should be able to generate better and more accurate outputs. Input will decide output here.
7. You’ll also be able to create Dreams with your friends on Snapchat who’ve opted into the service. This feature is not yet available as of writing this article, but Snapchat should roll it out soon over the coming weeks.
Must Read: Did you know you can now use AI to remove people and objects from the background? It’s pretty cool, actually.
How to Set Up Dreams on Snapchat
The steps to set up dreams are similar in both iPhone and Android, so you can follow the steps regardless of whichever device you use.
1. To start using Dreams, open Snapchat on your iPhone or Android.
2. Navigate to Memories by swiping upwards on the screen then swipe left to switch to the Dreams tab.
3. Now tap on Create Dreams. Tap on Agree and continue on the disclaimer shown to use dreams.
Note: You are allowing Snapchat to use your face and related information to create AI-generated images and to develop machine-learning models for use throughout the Dreams service.
4. Now look into your camera and follow the on-screen instructions to capture your selfies while looking directly at the camera, and also towards the left, right, up, and down as and when asked to do so.
Tip: If asked about your Gender, you can select from the available options or skip it if you wish to do so.
5. Now browse through the Dreams Pack list by swiping to the left or right. Be mindful that you can only select one free Dream Pack from the list and get only 8 free Dream packs. Once you finalize your choice, tap on the button below the dream packs. We tried the Sweater Weather dream pack on our iPhone and the Alternate Universes dream pack on our Android.
6. Snapchat will start generating your Dreams, selfies with different outfits and all, using AI when you’re done choosing the dream pack. This process takes about 30 minutes, so you can minimize Snapchat in the meantime and may be grab a coffee.
Pro Tip: Did you know you can also access the My Eyes Only tab by swiping in the Memories section to hide or access your private snaps? This is how you can use it. And if required, you can also change the Passcode for My Eyes Only on Snapchat.
Viewing AI-Generate Dreams on Snapchat
1. You’ll receive a notification from Snapchat when your dreams are ready. Tap on the Snapchat notification.
2. Tap on View my Dreams. You can see all of your dreams here and browse through the dreams to see the results generated by AI.
3. You can add these generated Dreams to your story or send them to your friends on Snapchat to have some fun.
You can also remix your snaps on Snapchat to add that unique factor.
Our Experience With Dreams
Frankly, these are not the best generative AI images that we’ve seen, but they are interesting enough to have a good laugh. Some of the results that we got did not look like us, while others resembled a little bit. It was the same story with the Android.
But as is the case with any AI, it improves with more data and time. Most importantly, it will be the first dab in generative AI for a lot of people around the world. We’re looking forward to what Snapchat brings to the Dreams service.
If you are keen on using AI to generate images, try Dall-E. It is quite awesome and has been around for quite some time now. We have a guide that explains how to use DAll-E in detail.
In fact, thanks to the boom in AI tools right now, there are many other generative AI image and art tools. We have tried quite a few in the last few months.
From Dreams to Reality
If you like trying new things or are into AI, then should totally try Snapchat Dreams. So, get moving and try out Dreams on your Snapchat using our guide.
If you want to know what you can do with your location on Snapchat, this is how you can use Snap Map on Snapchat.
