Snapchat has rolled out a new tool called the Imagine Lens, allowing users to generate AI-powered images simply by describing them with text. The feature is currently available to subscribers of Snapchat+ Platinum and Lens+, giving paying users a creative way to bring ideas to life within the app.
With the Imagine Lens, users can create unique visuals by typing prompts such as “design a futuristic cityscape” or “turn me into a comic character.” The Lens also offers suggested prompts to inspire creativity, including short comic scenarios or caricature transformations. Users can tweak these prompts on the fly, giving them flexibility to experiment and refine the AI-generated results.
Once an image is generated, it can be shared with friends, posted to Snapchat Stories, or exported outside the app. This marks Snapchat’s first Lens that allows open-ended text-to-image creation, distinguishing it from earlier AI tools that focused on filters or restricted effects.
Accessing the Lens is simple for subscribers. It appears at the front of the Lens Carousel or under the Exclusive category. After selecting it, users enter their prompt and watch as the AI produces a visual interpretation. Platinum subscriptions are priced at $15.99 per month, while Lens+ costs $8.99 per month.
Snap has not revealed whether the Imagine Lens uses fully in-house AI models or a combination of proprietary and external systems. The company has previously experimented with mobile text-to-image research models, and this Lens appears to leverage the latest developments in AI to make image creation more intuitive and immediate.
The Imagine Lens demonstrates Snapchat’s commitment to integrating AI into everyday creativity. By allowing users to transform words into visuals, the platform encourages engagement, experimentation, and content creation in new ways, pushing the boundaries of what social media can offer.
