With the development of social media, people's desire to share pictures and texts is getting stronger and stronger, and Plog social networking has gradually become popular around the world. Eating "mobile phone first", traveling "mobile phone first", "film out" has become the meaning of more people's travel. The social way of sharing pictures has undoubtedly made retouching a key part of it, and now the continuous iteration of AI technology has made retouching tools more intelligent and beautifying, which also makes people ask, is there really a truth about pictures? Although it is not new for image applications to integrate AI functions into the market, there are applications such as BeautyPlus that have pioneered the path of commercialization overseas and gained a large number of users by continuously adding new AI functions. I thought that the homogeneous functions of cutouts, filters, and beauty would make the situation extremely difficult for late entrants, but by observing the recent track lists, I found that there may be great opportunities in the vertical segmentation field.
On July 2, Object Removal AI Retouch Fix (hereinafter referred to as Object Removal), an AI image removal application developed by a Chinese individual developer, appeared on the top 10 free graphics and design lists in Germany, India, Singapore and other places. In the first half of this year, the global revenue reached 60w US dollars, and the number of downloads was nearly 200w. Although the data is basically the same as last year, it is rare that it has been popular overseas for 5 years since its launch. On the whole, it can be considered that the app has entered the mature stage from the growth stage, and has a relatively stable user and revenue in the global market.
Move your fingers and stage him who disappeared
The use of Object Renewal is very simple, and the main feature is a very important and subdivided function in common retouching software - elimination, plus some basic functions such as adjusting the size of the picture, filters, and collages, which has obvious focus characteristics compared with other software. When using, you can smudge the unwanted part of the screen and remove it with one click. However, in the selection process, it is inevitable to encounter some irregular and small objects in the picture, and it will be difficult to manually apply them, and it is impossible to accurately select them. As a result, Object Removal also provides some automatic elimination options, including objects, people, text, and lines, which can automatically identify the corresponding things in the image and eliminate them by selecting them, saving time in manual processing.
It's such a feature that is common in most photo editing apps, but it's worth thinking about why it's so popular on its own. Comparing the use effect, it is found that refinement is one of the main reasons for receiving praise from overseas users, especially for users in countries with serious detail control such as Germany, Japan, and the United States, who need an application that can better repair small defects to meet their pursuit of perfection. After using the erase function, it is desirable to ensure that the background is highly restored and the image quality is not damaged, but most retouching software cannot do this well. Especially in more complex and multi-element pictures, the eliminated parts will leave obvious traces of treatment, which will look contrary to the overall picture. However, applications such as Object Removal, which subdivide vertical categories, will focus on the elimination function of R&D, and improve the degree of restoration and integration of the filled picture after elimination by a level, so as to achieve an effect that cannot be presented by other retouching software, so as to be more competitive in the market.
AI is integrated, and pictures become art in seconds
Image processing and AI technology are inseparable, AI makes pictures more creative, and the use scenarios of pictures also allow AI to play a technical advantage. Object Removal's ability to harvest a large number of users around the world is also inseparable from the help and blessing of AI technology. In the processing of character images, FaceHD (face clear) and FaceSwap (face swap) are good examples. Not only does it make the face highly clear, but it can also intelligently supplement the background, and the face swapping process can also be automatically filled according to the face shape, making it look more natural. Similar to face changing, there is also a costume change, you only need to select the costume part of the character, and you can apply any template for "trial dress". On the whole, these functions are relatively simplified operations, making the picture more beautiful and integrated.
In a version update of Object Renovation at the end of May, it was found that AI technology was once again emphasized, and the AI conversation function was launched. This function is not the intelligent customer service we often understand, but combined with the image, by selecting a certain area in the picture, using the text description to send instructions, you can add, subtract or eliminate specific elements in the specified position, the online AI dialogue quickly turns the user's personalized needs into reality. This is reminiscent of the technology that may have been inspired by intelligently generated image applications such as Sora. However, compared with directly generating virtual pictures according to ideas, using AI to partially change pictures is more like a combination of virtual and real techniques, which not only retains the original realistic part of the picture, but also uses AI to add its own ideas and creativity in some details, so that the final picture is unique.
In addition to AI dialogue, music and painting, which are both art categories, will have a stronger fit for pictures, so the launch of Music AI and Art AI functions is also a reflection of the idea. Music AI can adapt the picture to the appropriate BGM for output, and the sound picture helps a static picture immediately have more dynamic emotional output, such as a picture of sitting in the wheat field and playing the guitar, plus the soundtrack, you can more deeply experience different emotional expressions. Art AI is similar to an art filter, giving more styles to images, such as retro style, mechanical style, technology style, and so on. Creative needs vary from person to person, and these AI functions reflect the depiction of artistic details in every aspect, making people feel that the image is no longer just a portrait, but a work that gives personal emotion and creativity. This will have a higher acceptance for users in countries with a strong artistic atmosphere in Europe and the United States.
Commercial realization, for the benefit of detail control
Opening up overseas channels and more monetization models is the goal that developers continue to pursue in the process of operation. According to Diandian's data, Object Removal supports 21 languages, with 10 in-app purchases, mainly subscription-based, and includes a single payment of $3.99 for automatic object removal. Compared with commonly used photo editing applications, its payment method is slightly simpler, and there are fewer single paid items. In today's era of social media, image applications are often combined with social applications, such as Facebook and Instagram, which are commonly used overseas to share pictures and texts. Linking up with these social apps may increase exposure. At present, even though Object Renovation has users almost all over the world, it is almost impossible to see the publicity and promotion on the traffic platform, and it is speculated that it may be due to the fact that the operation of individual developers is far less than that of the team, which has also led to a slowdown in revenue growth in the past two years. Comparing the same type of image elimination products, it can be found that most of them are subscription-based, and the price gap is not large, so it may not work to rely on price wars to seize users, but you can try to make a single or single charge from a practical single function or a specific AI function.
Picture elimination of overseas application comparison
Overall, image removal apps have a wider audience in the United States, and most of the in-app purchase revenue comes from local users. The reason for the analysis may be that most of the contemporary young people's retouching purposes are for sharing on social media, and the United States has always been in the leading position in the development of the social field, and more and more social platforms are online, and the demand and dependence on such applications are increasing. Germany, Japan, these countries with high requirements for details, ordinary retouching software may not be able to meet their needs for fine element removal and high background restoration, although the ability to pay and payment habits are not as good as the United States, but the local market space is very considerable.
epilogue
Although the image tool application has already shown a red ocean trend and the competition is very fierce, it can still harvest a large number of users and even achieve globalization by deeply cultivating a certain subdivision function. The highlight of vertical applications is that they are refined but not many, and a certain function can be refined to effectively meet the needs of some overseas people who like to pursue details. In the future, AI technology and creative ideas are indispensable, and when a simple picture is beautified and emotionalized by AI, the effect will be magnified. Grasping the characteristics of young people who are willing to upload pictures on social platforms to share their lives, it can be linked with social media to open up more commercialization paths, and it is also expected that more types of subdivided overseas applications will be launched in the future.